Pages: 19

Chapter 1 introduces digital consumer behavior, why it is essential to learn about it, and the components it involves. It discusses the difference between needs and wants and their determinants and how they influence a consumer’s purchase decision. Chapter 1 explores the different roles a consumer has in the digital age and talks about how a consumer can play any of the roles of a user, payer, or buyer. It talks about what all comprise the market values that dictate a consumer’s purchase decision. By using the case of Samsung, this chapter emphasizes the need for digital innovation in today’s day and how companies utilizing it tend to see tremendous growth.

Pages: 24

Chapter 2 explores the determinants of consumer behavior. It summarizes how personal factors and market environment information impact the consumer roles. It divides personal traits into two categories—group and individual traits—and talks about how these traits influence consumer behavior. It introduces the concept of customer personality as a function of genetics and environment. It emphasizes on how marketers who are looking to adjust their marketing tactics must understand the cultural values and characteristics. By using the example of Estee Lauder, Chapter 2 emphasizes on how creating strong relationships with consumers is a secret to a brand’s success.

Pages: 18

Chapter 3 explores dimensional shifts, technological advancements, and policy changes that are likely to have the most prominent effects on consumer behavior. It makes use of examples like Netscape and Apple to highlight how identifying, anticipating, and recognizing trends in advance offer businesses a significant competitive edge. It discusses various socio-demographic trends and how such trends allow businesses to segment their customers based on their social and demographic characteristics. Moreover, it explores how technological trends influence the values of future consumers. By using the case of De Beers, it sheds light on how technological innovations improve the overall customer experience.

Pages: 29

Chapter 4 introduces the concept of a consumer being a perceiver and learner in the digital age. It discusses the reason consumers’ perceptions are vital and the different factors, that is, stimulus, contextual elements, and consumer characteristics that shape perception. It then discusses the different ways in which a consumer learns, such as cognitive learning, classical conditioning, instrumental conditioning, and modeling. Moreover, it discusses how perceptual and learning processes influence different consumer roles of user, buyer, and payer. It concludes by referencing a Coca-Cola case where its “Share a Coke” campaign extended beyond the product and managed to shape a positive and enduring consumer perception.

Pages: 27

Chapter 5 explores different facets of consumer motivations. It talks about different consumer needs models such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Murray’s List of Psychological Needs, and Ernest Ditcher’s consumption motives and how they influence a consumer’s purchase decision. Moreover, it highlights how emotions and psychographics too are facets of consumer motivation. It discusses how the motivational process intersects with the consumer roles. It details the characteristics that are common to all three roles. It concludes by describing the way in which Uber’s innovative offerings and tailored solutions encourage customers to modify their behaviors and how businesses can adopt strategies to fit consumers’ changing needs and preferences.

Pages: 26

The chapter introduces the concept of attitudes and presents a three-component view of attitude. The three components of attitude described in the chapter are cognition, affect, and knowledge. It explores consistency between these components and ways in which digital consumer attitudes can be molded. It then goes on to describe the illustrative ways to modify attitude. Moreover, the chapter discusses the psychological process that underlies attitude change and the four theories that explain these processes. By using the example of Alibaba, the chapter highlights how a company’s agility in adapting to changing consumer traits contributes to the success of the company.

Pages: 32

Chapter 7 explores the digital consumer decision process. It introduces the individual decision maker and the location and cost associated with an individual’s decision. It talks about the different steps of a decision process that are problem recognition, information search, consumer evaluation, purchase, and post-purchase experience. Moreover, it highlights how the phases of the digital consumer decision process are also influenced by the three consumer roles of user, buyer, and payer. The chapter concludes by mentioning a Mont Blanc case study and how it combined contests, parties, and a mobile application to improve decision-making and brand perception.

Pages: 22

Chapter 8 explores the family decision-making process in the digital age. It discusses various concepts that underlie the decision-making process such as the steps in family purchase decision, husband–wife decision roles, intergenerational influence, reverse influence, and individual characteristics. It then goes on to detail factors that impact the decision-sharing pattern between the spouses. Moreover, the chapter talks about the conflicts that arise in family decisions and the divergent and convergent techniques that can be adopted for resolution. By using the example of Burberry, the chapter sheds light on how implementing significant brand changes after realizing aspirations, goals, and the nature of consumers can lead to a long-lasting brand impression.

Pages: 15

Chapter 9 introduces the concept of relationship-based buying, that is, shoppers restricting their options to just one provider and relying on them to meet their needs regarding goods and services. It discusses the cost-benefit factors that are associated with it and specifically how switching suppliers can lead to increased switching costs. It then talks about the supplier–consumer relationship and the outcomes of this relationship-based buying. Moreover, the chapter illustrates the vitality of Customer Relationship Management and how it intersects with the three consumer roles. The chapter details the case of Coca-Cola, where the company used a relationship-based communication tagline “happiness” and how it resulted in virality for the brand.

Pages: 13

Chapter 10 explores the concept of data-driven consumer behavior and how consumers have all the relevant information available to them before they make a purchasing decision. The chapter makes a relation of how the rise of the internet and information access have led to more “Data.” It mentions how businesses can predict consumer spending patterns and behaviors by understanding consumers’ reliance on data. On the other hand, the chapter mentions that data-driven consumer behavior is associated with many drawbacks and ethical concerns. The chapter uses Google Ventures as an example to highlight how using big data can lead to high investment returns and how companies worldwide should focus on harnessing the power of data to their benefit.

Pages: 14

Chapter 11 explores the privacy regulation and addictions associated with consumer behavior in the digital age. It introduces the topic of data privacy and details the process by which data is collected, stored, and accessed. It talks about government data privacy agencies and recent data frauds. Moreover, the chapter elaborates on how internet accessibility has many consequences, such as addiction, social media hate, and false identities. It uses the case study of Meta (previously Facebook) to highlight how the most prominent companies must also be cautious about their data use and understand the sensitivity of the data handling issue.