Consumer Buying

Consumer Buying Behavior – Marketing to Teenagers

The relationship between consumer behavior and market segmentation reflects the interaction between a marketing program and consumer psychology.  Marketers seek to identify large population groups known as market segments and then understand consumer behavior within these market segments in order to develop a marketing campaign. It has been a misconception by many businesses to avoid the teen market because they believe teens did not have money. However in the article Marketing to Teenagers Effectively by Amy Bax, it was stated that today’s teenagers have more spending power and influence in buying decisions than they used to have. Teenagers have higher allowances, summer jobs, and influence on what their parents buy for them. Teenagers are more likely to buy impulsively and respond to persuasive marketing, especially marketing that conveys the lifestyle or image they want to portray or adopt in life. As a result businesses are beginning to target more of their advertising messages to the teenage and high school market. Businesses tried to decide what products teenagers were most likely to purchase with their money. The results were CD music, DVD movies, concert tickets, clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, and socializing to name a few. Businesses determined that inexpensive products like cosmetics, jewelry, clothes were profitable because of the regularity with which the purchases are made and the high probability of repeat sales. With the rise of the social media where teenagers can instantaneously post information and send coupons to all their friends via text message, advertisers are using Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook as outlets to get teens involved and create two-way channels of communication. The article states that through social media, teenagers are not only responding to products, but they are also providing information about preferences, needs, and wants. Businesses are able to use this feedback to...