Consumer Craze: How Psychology Theories Apply

Every psych student should know the stimulus, the neutral stimulus, learned behavior, etc. right? Well so do marketers. These tools help companies sell their products. These theories were made for others to take information, think it through, and keep it. There are three components to each theory, which are to learn, to like, and to do. To learn about the product is using it, to like the product is to appreciate it, while to do is to actually buy the product.

Learning Theory is when the consumers learn about the product, like the product, then buy the product. This is the most typical. All the advertisements are out there for anyone to look at it to know about it and maybe want it because of how the advertisement sells. Or maybe their friend has the product and they buy it.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory is when there are conflicting attitudes and ideas. This is the opposite of Learning Theory. The consumer buys it then learns to like the product. This happens with gifts. This also can be influenced by special or limited time offers to get consumers to buy.

Minimal Involvement Theory is the best method for producers because they don’t have to spend as much money on commercials and campaigns. The buyers will learn about a product in a small ad on their own, buy it, then like it. These people do their research on their own and experiment with different versions of the product.

Impulse Buying Theory is self-explanatory. This is when a consumer likes a product in the store, buys it, and then learns about it. This could be due to the way the product was displayed. People will be more willing to spend more money with this theory since it fits their aspired image.

Attributed Learning Theory is when people make assumptions about events that lead to behaviors. Consumers that follow this theory like the product, learn about it, and then buy it. The liking can be due to social media creating interest with pictures of pretty people wearing it looking cool or happy. This usually gives a lot of offers for expensive products to speed up the buying step.

Promotions Theory is when the consumer buys the product, learns about it, and likes the product last. This theory could go with the reasoning behind trials or samples of products.

Sources:

1. Alexandra, Tomma A. PURCHASING DECISION4 (n.d.): 55-57. Romanian Journal of Applied Psychology. University of Bucharest. Web.
2. “Attribution Theory | Simply Psychology.” Attribution Theory | Simply Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 2015.
3. Bugelski, B. R. The Psychology of Learning. New York: Holt, 1956. Print.
4. Cherry, Kendra. “Cognitive Dissonance: How It Influences Behavior.” N.p., n.d. Web.
5. Learning Theories. S.l.: Wiki, 2006. Print.