CHAPTER 13
SITUATIONAL INFLUENCES
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• LO1: Define situational influence.
• LO2: Explain the four types of situations and their relevance to marketing strategy
• LO3: Summarize the five characteristics of situations and their influence on consumption
• LO4: Discuss ritual situations and their importance to consumers and marketers
• LO5: Describe the use of situational influence in developing marketing strategy
The Nature of Situational Influence
Situational influence includes all
those factors particular to a time
and place that do not follow from
a knowledge of the stable
attributes of the consumer and
the stimulus and that have an
effect on current behavior.
The Nature of Situational Influence
The Nature of Situational Influence
Four types of situations:
1. The Communications Situation
2. The Purchase Situation
3. The Usage Situation
4. The Disposition Situation
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1. The Communications Situation
A marketer is able to deliver an
effective message to consumers
who are interested in the product
and are in a receptive
communications situation.
However, finding high-interest
potential buyers in receptive
communications situations is a
difficult challenge
2. The Purchase Situation
How would you alter your
decision to purchase a
beverage in the following
purchase situation:
Broken up with
boyfriend/girlfriend
3. The Usage Situation
4. The Disposition Situation
How would your disposition
decision differ in this situation:
A local charity will accept old
refrigerators if they are delivered to
the charity. Your garbage service
will haul one to the dump for $15.
You just bought a new refrigerator.
You don’t know anyone (or you do
know someone) with a pickup or
van
Situational Characteristics and Consumption
Behavior
The five key dimensions or characteristics are
1. Physical surroundings
2. Social surroundings
3. Temporal perspectives
4. Task definition
5. Antecedent states
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Situational Characteristics and Consumption
Behavior
Physical Surroundings
Atmospherics is the sum of all the physical features of a retail
environment.
➢Atmospherics influences consumer judgments of the
quality of the store and the store’s image.
➢Atmosphere is referred to as servicescape when
describing a service business such as a hospital, bank or
restaurant.
COMPARISON OF HOTEL LOBBIES
12 (FIGURE 10.1)
The servicescape is part of the value proposition!
Orbit Hotel and Hostel, Los Angeles
Four Seasons Hotel, New York
DISTINCTIVE SERVICESCAPES CREATE
13 CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS
DISTINCTIVE SERVICESCAPES CREATE
14 CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS
Situational Characteristics and Consumption
Behavior
Physical Surroundings
Typology of Service Environments
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Situational Characteristics and Consumption
Behavior
Components of physical surroundings:
1. Colors
2. Aromas
3. Music
4. Crowding
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Common Associations and Human Responses to Colors
17
Degree of Common Association and Human
Color Nature Symbol
Warmth Responses to Color
High energy and passion; can
Red Warm Earth
excite and stimulate
Orange Warmest Sunset Emotions, expressions, warmth
Optimism, clarity, intellect, mood-
Yellow Warm Sun
enhancing
Growth, grass, Nurturing, healing, unconditional
Green Cool
and trees love
Blue Coolest Sky and ocean Relaxation, serenity, loyalty
Indigo Cool Sunset Mediation and spirituality
Spirituality, reduces stress, can
Violet Cool Violet flower
create an inner feeling of calm
Situational Characteristics and Consumption
Behavior
Physical Surroundings
The Impact of Background Music on Restaurant Patrons
Situational Characteristics and Consumption
Behavior
Temporal Perspectives
Temporal perspectives deal with the effect of time on consumer behavior.
Limited purchase time often
limits search
Internet shopping is growing
rapidly as a result of the time
pressures felt by consumers.
Situational Characteristics and Consumption
Behavior
Task Definition
Task definition is the reason the
consumption activity is occurring.
Consumers give gifts for many
reasons:
•social expectations
•ritualized situations
•to elicit return favors
Situational Characteristics and Consumption
Behavior
Types of antecedent states:
➢ Moods
• Transient feeling states that are generally not tied
to a specific event of object.
➢ Momentary Conditions
• Temporary states of being (tired, ill, having extra
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money, being broke, etc.)
Ritual Situations
A ritual situation is a socially defined occasion that triggers a set
of interrelated behaviors that occur in a structured format and
that have symbolic meaning.
Situational Influences and Marketing Strategy
Identify the different situations that might involve the
consumption of a product
Determine which products or brands are most likely to be
purchased or consumed across those situations.
➢One method of dealing with this question is to jointly
scale situations and products.
Situational Influences and Marketing Strategy
Situational Influences and Marketing Strategy
Five Steps for Developing Situation-Based Marketing Strategies
1. Use observational studies, focus group discussions, depth interviews, and
secondary data to discover the various usage situations that influence
the consumption of the product.
2. Survey a larger sample of consumers to better understand and quantify
how the product is used and the benefits sought in the usage situation by
the market segment.
3. Construct a person-situation segmentation matrix.
4. Evaluate each cell in terms of potential.
5. Develop and implement a marketing strategy for those cells that offer
sufficient profit potential given your capabilities.
Situational Influences and Marketing
Strategy