Culture & Sub Culture in Consumer Behaviour

Cultural Factors affecting Consumer Behaviour

Consumer behaviour deals with the study of buying behaviour of consumers. Consumer behaviour helps us understand why and why not an individual purchases goods and services from the market.

There are several factors which influence the buying decision of consumers, cultural factors being one of the most important factors.

What are Cultural Factors?

Cultural factors comprise of set of values and ideologies of a particular community or group of individuals. It is the culture of an individual which decides the way he/she behaves. In simpler words, culture is nothing but values of an individual. What an individual learns from his parents and relatives as a child becomes his culture.

Example - In India, people still value joint family system and family ties. Children in India are conditioned to stay with their parents till they get married as compared to foreign countries where children are more independent and leave their parents once they start earning a living for themselves.

Cultural factors have a significant effect on an individual’s buying decision. Every individual has different sets of habits, beliefs and principles which he/she develops from his family status and background. What they see from their childhood becomes their culture.

Let us understand the influence of cultural factors on buying decision of individuals with the help of various examples.

Females staying in West Bengal or Assam would prefer buying sarees as compared to Westerns. Similarly a male consumer would prefer a Dhoti Kurta during auspicious ceremonies in Eastern India as this is what their culture is. Girls in South India wear skirts and blouses as compared to girls in north India who are more into Salwar Kameez.

Our culture says that we need to wear traditional attire on marriages and this is what we have been following since years.

People in North India prefer breads over rice which is a favorite with people in South India and East India.

Subcultures

Each culture further comprises of various subcultures such as religion, age, geographical location, gender (male/female), status etc.

Religion (Christianity, Hindu, Muslim, Sikhism, Jainism etc)

A Hindu bride wears red, maroon or a bright colour lehanga or saree whereas a Christian bride wears a white gown on her wedding day. It is against Hindu culture to wear white on auspicious occasions. Muslims on the other hand prefer to wear green on important occasions.

For Hindus eating beef is considered to be a sin whereas Muslims and Christians absolutely relish the same. Eating pork is against Muslim religion while Hindus do not mind eating it.

A sixty year old individual would not like something which is too bright and colorful. He would prefer something which is more sophisticated and simple. On the other hand a teenager would prefer funky dresses and loud colours.

In India widows are expected to wear whites. Widows wearing bright colours are treated with suspicion.

Status (Upper Class, Middle class and Lower Class)

People from upper class generally have a tendency to spend on luxurious items such as expensive gadgets, cars, dresses etc.You would hardly find an individual from a lower class spending money on high-end products. A person who finds it difficult to make ends meet would rather prefer spending on items necessary for survival. Individuals from middle class segment generally are more interested in buying products which would make their future secure.

Gender (Male/Female)

People generally make fun of males buying fairness creams as in our culture only females are expected to buy and use beauty products. Males are perceived to be strong and tough who look good just the way they are.

Characteristics of Culture in Consumer Behaviour

Culture has several important characteristics:

1.      Culture is comprehensive. This means that all parts must fit together in some logical fashion. For example, bowing and a strong desire to avoid the loss of face are unified in their manifestation of the importance of respect.

2.      Culture is learned rather than being something we are born with. We will consider the mechanics of learning later in the course.

3.      Culture is manifested within boundaries of acceptable behavior. For example, in American society, one cannot show up to class naked, but wearing anything from a suit and tie to shorts and a T-shirt would usually be acceptable. Failure to behave within the prescribed norms may lead to sanctions, ranging from being hauled off by the police for indecent exposure to being laughed at by others for wearing a suit at the beach.

4.      Conscious awareness of cultural standards is limited. One American spy was intercepted by the Germans during World War II simply because of the way he held his knife and fork while eating.

5.      Cultures fall somewhere on a continuum between static and dynamic depending on how quickly they accept change. For example, American culture has changed a great deal since the 1950s, while the culture of Saudi Arabia has changed much less. Culture can be divided into two distinct components.

Material culture influences technology and how it brings cultural changes, i.e., use of telephones, mobile phones, television, clothing styles, and fashions and gives the marketeers a chance to improve the product, packing, etc. to meet the needs of the consumer, etc.

The Functions of Culture

         1)                     We have already seen that culture influences the behaviour of individuals. It provides a framework within which individuals and households build their pattern of living or exhibit their lifestyles.

         2)                     Norms are the boundaries that culture sets on the behaviour. There are rules that encourage or prohibit certain behaviour in specific situations. Norms are derived from cultural values, which are widely told beliefs that specify what is desirable and what is not. When these rules are violated, it results in sanctions or penalties which are either disapproved of by the society, and in extreme cases the individual violating the norms are banished or ostracized from the society. Most individuals obey norms because it is natural to obey them. Culture outlines many business norms, family norms, behaviour norms, etc. How we greet people? How close one should stand to others while conducting business? The dress we wear and any other patterns of behaviour.

         3)                     Culture keeps changing slowly over time; and is not static. Changes take place due torapid technologies. In case of emergency, war, or natural calamities, marketeers and managers must understand the existing culture as well as the changing culture and culture of the country where the goods are to be marketed. Major companies have adapted themselves to international culture and are accepted globally. Coca Cola is sold all over the world. Procter Gamble and other companies give cross cultural training to their employees. By making cross-culture mistakes, many companies have difficulty in pushing their products, for example,

(i)                 Coca Cola had to withdraw its 2-litrebottle from Spain, because it did not fit in the local refrigerator

(ii)               Many countries are very traditional and do not like women displayed on the products. This acts as a detriment to business in those countries.