What is Consumerism?
- Consumerism is a social and economic order and ideology that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-greater amounts.
- The social roots of consumerism include lifestyle, values and identity of consumers.
Lifestyle
- A way of living of individuals, families (households), and societies.
- Lifestyle is expressed in both work and leisure behavior patterns and (on an individual basis) in activities, attitudes, interests, opinions, values, and allocation of income.
- Lifestyle is a composite of motivations, needs, and wants and is influenced by factors such as culture, family, reference groups, and social class.
Values
- Principles or standards of behavior; one's judgement of what is important in life.
Identity
- People's self image or self concept; the way they see themselves and believe they are seen by the others.
Global Marketplace
- The global marketplace is all the customers or possible customers for a product or service in all areas of the world considered together.
- When appealing to a global marketplace, firms have to consider differences in culture and circumstances.
Examples
- Coca-Cola tastes the same no matter where they sell it, but they change their marketing and packaging depending on local expectations and customs.
- Starbucks keeps to their roots with coffee, but they also offer different foods depending on local tastes such as offering dragon dumplings in Hong Kong.
- Kentucky Fried Chicken has branded itself as a Christmas treat in Japan and people line up to order KFC for the holiday.
Influence on Consumer Choice
- The choice of consumers to buy certain products or services is not autonomous, it is influenced by trends and the media.
- Advertising, product placement and endorsement are some of the ways companies try to influence consumers to buy their products.
Advertising
- Advertising through magazines, television, radio, sponsorship and outdoor advertising.
Product Placement
- Product placement through film television, vlogs and blogs.
Product Endorsement
When a celebrity, authority figure or organization promotes a product.
Influence of Media
- Traditional media, such as TV and radio broadcasts can have very large impacts on people's perception and attitudes towards products.
- Nowadays, social media is starting to have an ever-increasing presence and impact on how people view products.
- A few bad reviews from respected figures can easily tarnish a product's reputation.
Categorizing Users
- By categorizing consumers, the designer can identify particular segments within a market sector to gain feedback.
- By engaging with these stereotypes, the designer can utilize data gathered from their experiences with a prototype to guide further product development.