Consumer Behavior: Buying, Using, and Disposing & Exam 3 Review

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering Chapter 8 (Buying, Using, and Disposing) from Solomon & Russell 14th edition, including the shopping experience, retail theming, atmospherics, design thinking, sharing economy, food waste, maladaptive consumption, and Exam 3 review concepts.

What are the three main stages of the consumer shopping experience model shown in Figure 8.1?

Pre-purchase (utilitarian vs. hedonic orientation), Purchase (store atmospherics, point of purchase stimuli, salespeople), and Post-purchase (expectancy disconfirmation, dissonance).

What are the six types of hedonic shopping orientations identified in consumer behavior?

Gratification seeking, idea shopping, adventure seeking, social shopping, role play, and value shopping.

What are the five iterative stages of the Design Thinking framework?

1. Empathize (understanding people), 2. Define (figuring out the problem), 3. Ideate (generating your ideas), 4. Prototype (creation and experimentation), and 5. Test (refining the product).

In consumer research and service design, what does 'Going to the Gemba' mean?

Going directly to the real place where consumer actions and experiences occur to map steps, obstacles, and friction points in real time.

What are the four primary retail theming techniques used to create immersive shopping environments?

Landscape themes, Marketscape themes (associations with manufactured places), Cyberspace themes, and Mindscape themes (abstract ideas and concepts).

How is store atmospherics defined?

The conscious designing of space and its various dimensions—such as colors, scents, sounds, and sensory cues—to evoke specific emotional and behavioral effects in buyers.

What is the key difference between unplanned buying and impulse buying?

Unplanned buying occurs when a shopper is reminded of a forgotten need upon encountering an item, whereas impulse buying is driven by a sudden, irresistible urge triggered by point-of-purchase environmental cues.

What product packaging change is presented as a classic example of Design Thinking success that improved customer satisfaction?

Redesigning condiment/ketchup bottles from an upright bottle to an inverted squeeze bottle standing on its cap for easier dispensing.

How does beacon technology function to enhance in-store retail experiences?

Strategically placed beacons connect via Bluetooth to a customer's smartphone app, triggering the app so the retailer can communicate personalized offers and information in real time as the shopper navigates the store.

What does the concept of 'liquid consumption' refer to in modern digital commerce?

A shift where consumers increasingly favor access, streaming, and dematerialized digital assets (such as cloud services) over permanent physical ownership.

What is collaborative consumption within the sharing economy?

A consumption model centered on peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing, renting, or swapping access to goods and services rather than individual product ownership.

According to Table 8.1, what consumer acquisition factors contribute to household food waste?

Susceptibility to retail promotions for unneeded items, impulse buying, limited nutritional knowledge, and individualistic values.

According to Table 8.1, what disposition factors lead to food waste in the home?

Household norms and habits (e.g., smaller households wasting more food), food conservation malpractice (e.g., freezer burn), and the inability to repurpose uneaten leftovers.

What is lateral cycling, and what are two forms it takes?

A disposition process where already-owned products are transferred from one consumer to another rather than discarded; forms include recommerce and swishing (clothing swapping).

What role does the underground economy play in product disposition and recycling?

It facilitates the recirculation and reuse of pre-owned goods through nontraditional sales channels such as flea markets and informal resale markets.

What are maladaptive consumer behaviors, and what specific types are highlighted in the buying and using stages?

Harmful or destructive consumption habits, including substance-related addictions (alcohol, tobacco, opioids) and behavioral addictions such as compulsive shopping, gambling, hoarding, and Internet/tech addiction.

What is 'showrooming,' and why does it raise ethical concerns for brick-and-mortar retailers?

The practice where a consumer visits a physical store to inspect a product and utilize sales assistance, but then purchases the item online from another vendor at a lower price, exploiting the local retailer's resources without a purchase.

What is the deceptive pricing practice known as 'bait and switch'?

An unethical retail tactic where a seller advertises an attractive, low-priced item to draw consumers into the store, but then claims the advertised product is unavailable and aggressively pushes a higher-priced alternative.

What is hoarding in the context of consumer disposition behavior?

A maladaptive psychological behavior characterized by persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, leading to excessive accumulation and clutter.

What are end caps at registers, and what is their primary marketing purpose?

Display shelves positioned at aisle ends or near checkout lines designed to capture shopper attention and trigger last-minute, unplanned impulse purchases.

What does each letter in the PESTLE macro-environmental framework represent?

Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental factors affecting market environments.

What is a 'staycation' in leisure and consumption behavior?

A period in which an individual or family stays home or participates in leisure activities within local driving distance rather than traveling away from home.

In consumer perception, what does it mean when a consumer begins to 'habituate' to a stimulus?

The consumer becomes accustomed to a familiar, repetitive stimulus over time, resulting in decreased attention and sensory responsiveness.

What is the core principle of Gestalt psychology in consumer perception?

People perceive sensory stimuli as organized, complete, and unified wholes rather than as individual, separate parts.

What is expectancy disconfirmation in post-purchase evaluation?

A framework where consumer satisfaction is determined by comparing product performance against prior expectations; performance exceeding expectations causes positive disconfirmation (satisfaction), while performance below expectations causes negative disconfirmation (dissatisfaction).

What is post-purchase cognitive dissonance, and when is it most likely to occur?

A state of psychological tension or doubt (buyer's remorse) experienced after choosing between two or more attractive, mutually exclusive alternatives.