What Factors Influence a Consumer’s Buying Behavior?

What Factors Influence a Consumer’s Buying Behavior?

A Study of Social Influence on the Daily Consumer

Andrea R. Osborn

The Metropolitan Learning Center

Abstract

Despite the common belief we are more manipulated by marketers, advertisers, and salesmen than we think. There are automatic factors built into humans over decades built into our brain that they know about to provoke the consumer into agree to buy their products and services. The methods of reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority, scarcity, and language patterns used into hypnosis are used by marketers and salesmen alike to influence us. If we are not aware of what they are doing the consumer can be easily influenced into buying products. All of these rules are proven to be true through scientific studies done by psychologists, and observations made through these techniques being used by successful businesses.

What Factors Influence a Person’s Buying Behavior: A Study of Social Influence on the Daily Consumer?

Before 1000 B.C. it is hypothesized by Julian Jaynes that man “obeyed” hallucinated voices and did not think for himself (Jaynes, 2000). Man did not use consciousness. According to merriam-webster.com, consciousness means the state or fact of being conscious or aware of an external object, state, or fact (Webster). Jaynes hypothesized that man followed “right-brained” actions better explained as “hallucinations” of the mind to automatically follow without question, debate or doubt. Studies reveal the creators of hieroglyphics; The Odyssey and even the Bible did not use consciousness (Jaynes, 2000). It was seen that man was not responsible for his own actions and did not think for himself, he only obeyed the laws of nature. Man was seen to be like ants on anthills. Ants automatically follow the laws of nature, and do what nature instructs. You do not see these ants arguing, stealing, or dropping bombs over one another. Likewise, man once built pyramids and...