1.2 Theories about the consumer

1.2 Theories about the consumer

1. 1.2.1 Economic

   • This theory assumes that man always seeks to maximize his utility of him, therefore, he will always try to acquire the product that gives him the most utility based on the price he will pay for it
     • The basic set of assumptions that supports economic theory It is known as positivism. This perspective emphasizes that human reason is supreme and that science can discover only one objective truth. Positivism motivates us to give greater relevance to function of objects, to magnify technology and to consider that the world is a rational and ordered place with a past, clearly defined present and future.
       • It has been argued that the classical economic model of a fully rational consumer is unrealistic for the following reasons: a) individuals are limited by their own current reflexes, abilities, and habits; b) people are limited by their current values and goals and c) people are limited by the breadth of their knowledge.
         • For this reason, the economic model is often rejected, because it is often seen as too idealistic and simplistic

2. 1.2.2 Psychological

   • The main limitation of this passive (learning) model is that it does not recognizes that the consumer plays an equal, if not dominant, role in many buying situations: sometimes, searching for information about other alternative products and selecting the one that seems to give you the most satisfaction and in other cases, impulsively selecting a product that satisfies your current mood or emotion
     • It is proposed that people's behavior is guided essentially for a number of profound reasons of the human spirit and therefore difficult to understand for a physical logic analysis. These so-called ghosts that guide the behavior of people, without them accepting it in a direct, are basically the sex drive and the drive aggressive
       • There are two models related to the psychological theory of consumers: the rational and the emotional.
         • The rational model describes the consumer as a thinking problem solver. From this frame of reference, it is common for consumers to describe themselves either as receptive individuals or as active seekers of products and services that satisfy their needs and enrich their lives. This model rational focuses on the processes by which consumers seek and evaluate information about a certain selection of brands and establishment of retail sale
           • Consumers' moods are also important factors in decision making. The state of Mood is defined as a “feeling” or state of mind. mind. Unlike emotion, which is the response to a particular environment, this state of mind is presented in general as a pre-existing situation, with no defined focus, that was already present when the consumer “experienced” an advertisement, a retail establishment, a brand or product
         • The emotional model is when the consumer takes a purchase decision on an emotional basis and grants less importance to the search for information before perform the; instead attaches more importance to their status his mood and feelings at that moment. Can associate the decision making of some purchases of according to our emotions or deep feelings, such as joy, fear, love, hope, sexuality, fantasy and even with some "magic".

3. 1.2 3 Sociological

   • Many modern authors maintain that the main reason that guides people's behavior is their need integration into the social group. so many people engage in behaviors with little or no background economic or psychological, but which are intended fundamentally to get along with others
     • The clearest effect of this situation seems to be the phenomenon of fashion, since inexplicable behaviors are observed in light of previous theories. From an economic point of view, fashion is highly inefficient, since, for example, it leads us to discard new clothes just because they no longer look good to wear. From the perspective of learning, fashion presents inexplicable changes in people's tastes
       • Indeed, fashion originates primarily from the desire of the individuals to integrate and be accepted in a social group. Such as We will see later, people will dress in a specific way in order to look like certain individuals with whom there is a closeness of objectives and ideals and at the same time to differentiate themselves from other groups to which they do not want to belong. As some people try to imitate the behavior of groups of which they are marginal (the group does not accept them) the groups will frequently change their ways of identifying themselves (fashions) to always be differentiated from the rest.
         • Undoubtedly, this explanation allows a better understanding of the uneconomical behavior of discarding garments technically new for the simple fact that nobody uses them anymore. The foregoing explains, without a doubt, the fact that garments that at one time were considered beautiful, are later seen with disgust
           • However, we all know some individuals who contrary to what is indicated, they seek to differentiate themselves from others. Paradoxically, the desire for differentiation also seems to be a result of the need for identification Social. Thus, in the case of individuals who behave in an unusual way or dress bizarrely, the underlying motivation is to be noticed by the social group

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