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Family Influence On Consumer Behaviour

A family is an important influence on consumer behavior. Marketers must understand family structures, compositions, buying patterns, roles, and life stages to position products effectively. There are two main family types - nuclear families of married couples and children, and joint families of extended relatives. Family members influence each other in purchases for common consumption. Buying roles include influencers, gatekeepers, deciders, buyers, preparers, users, maintainers, and disposers. Family dynamics like dominant decision makers between husbands and wives also impact purchases. A family member's life stage further shapes their consumer behavior within the family system.

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Prabhdeep Singh
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31 views

Family Influence On Consumer Behaviour

A family is an important influence on consumer behavior. Marketers must understand family structures, compositions, buying patterns, roles, and life stages to position products effectively. There are two main family types - nuclear families of married couples and children, and joint families of extended relatives. Family members influence each other in purchases for common consumption. Buying roles include influencers, gatekeepers, deciders, buyers, preparers, users, maintainers, and disposers. Family dynamics like dominant decision makers between husbands and wives also impact purchases. A family member's life stage further shapes their consumer behavior within the family system.

Uploaded by

Prabhdeep Singh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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FAMILY INFLUENCE ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

A family is an important element that affects the consumption and disposal of


products by an individual. A family may be defined as two or more people living
together, related by blood or marriage who share a common house, common
income and similar status and values.

It is important for a marketer to know the family structure, family compositions,


buying patterns, buying roles and motives of family members, life cycle stages etc.
in order to understand family influence on consumer behaviour and position a
product efficiently in the market.

There may be two types of families:

• Nuclear Family - A small family comprising of a married couple and their


children.
• Joint Family - It refers to a large family comprising of married couples, their
parents, their children and their relatives.

Family Influence on Consumer Behaviour


A family is a social group and all members of a family influence and get influenced
by each other. Family bonds are stronger than bonds in any other group and all
members of the family form a single decision unit in case of purchase of products
and services for common consumption. Each member influences and gets
influenced by a family member depending upon his/her role, life cycle stage and
relationship dynamics in the family.

Therefore, family influence on consumer behaviour can be understood by


studying the buying roles, family dynamics and life cycle stage of a family
member.

Buying Roles of a Family

The various roles played by members of a family while making a purchase


decision are:
• Influencer - The family member or family members who provide
information about a product or service to other family members
• Gate Keeper - Family members who controls the flow and direction of the
contents of information
• Decider - The one with the power to select the product whether
individually or jointly
• Buyer - The one who makes the actual purchase
• Preparer - The family member or family members who prepare the product
for family consumption
• User - The consumers of the product or service
• Maintainer - The members who maintain the product for continued use
and satisfaction
• Disposer - The member who disposes the product.

Family Dynamics

Family influence on consumer behaviour exists due to the relationship dynamics


between family members. The buying behaviour of a family and its members
basically depend upon the dynamics of husband-wife in decision making. There
may be the following types of decisions on the basis of husband-wife influences –

• Wife Dominant Decisions, E.g., grocery, food, home decoration


• Husband Dominant Decisions, E.g., phone, cars, insurance
• Joint Decisions, E.g., vacations, schools for children
• Autonomic or Unilateral decisions, E.g., milk, newspaper

Family Life Cycle stages

The buying behaviour of a family member is also influenced by his position in the
family life cycle stage. Different stages in the life cycle show family influence on
consumer behaviour with respect to a family member' s position in the life cycle
stage. The family life cycle stages and consumption patterns of each stage can be
understood with the table below:

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