Page 194 - Foundations of Marketing

Consumer Buying Behavior | Chapter 6 161

Table 6.2 Types of Family Decision Making

Decision-Making Type Decision Maker Types of Products
Husband dominant Male head of household Lawn mowers, hardware and tools,
stereos, automobile parts
Wife dominant Female head of Children’s clothing, women’s
household clothing, groceries, household
furnishings
Autonomic Equally likely to be made Men’s clothing, luggage, toys
by the husband or wife, and games, sporting equipment,
but not by both cameras
Syncratic Made jointly by husband Vacations, TVs, living room furni-
and wife ture, carpets, fi nancial planning
services, family cars
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Within a household, an individual may perform one or more roles related to making
buying decisions. The gatekeeper is the household member who collects and controls in-
formation, including price and quality comparisons, locations of sellers, and assessment
of which brand best suits the household’s needs. For example, if a family is planning a
summer vacation, the gatekeeper will compare prices for hotels and airfare to determine
the best deal. The infl uencer is a family member who tries to impact buying decisions by
expressing his or her opinions. In the vacation example, an infl uencer might be a child who
wants to go to Disney World or a teenager who wants to go snowboarding. The decider
is a member who makes the buying choice. This role switches depending on the type and
expense of the product being purchased. In the case of a vacation, the decider will more
likely be the adults, who possess information, infl uence, and their own preferences. The
buyer is the family member who actually makes the purchase. The user is a household
member who consumes or uses the product. In the Disney World example, all members of
the family are users.

Reference Groups

A reference group is a group, either large or small, with which a person identifies so strongly
that he or she adopts the values, attitudes, and behavior of group members. Most people have
several reference groups, such as families, work-related groups, fraternities or sororities, civic
clubs, professional organizations, or church-related groups.
In general, there are three major types of reference groups: membership, aspirational,
and disassociative. A membership reference group is one to which an individual actually
belongs, with which the individual identifies intensely enough to take on the values, atti-
tudes, and behaviors of people in that group. An aspirational reference group is one to which
a person aspires to belong. The aspiring member desires to be like group members. A group
that a person does not wish to be associated with is a disassociative or negative reference
group. The individual does not want to take on the values, attitudes, and behavior of group
members.
A reference group may serve as an individual’s point of comparison and source of infor-
mation. A customer’s behavior may change over time to be more in line with the actions and
reference group A group that
beliefs of group members. For instance, a person may switch to a different brand of shirt based a person identifies with so
on reference group members’ advice and preferences. An individual may also seek informa- strongly that he or she adopts
tion from the reference group about other factors regarding a prospective purchase, such as the values, attitudes, and
where to buy a certain product. behavior of group members

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