A study was conducted to understand the factors that influenced the buying behavior of 120 rural families living in the sub-mountainous region of Hoshiarpur District, Punjab. Consumer behavior is influenced by factors such as personal, economic, and psychological.
A study was conducted to understand the factors that influenced the buying behavior of 120 rural families living in the sub-mountainous region of Hoshiarpur District, Punjab. The study concluded that factors such as personal, economic, psychological, and socio-cultural factors played an important role in consumer behavior.
At all stages of a person’s life, clothing plays an important role in developing their personality. Clothing is a way to express oneself and enjoy aesthetic pleasure. In addition to being a necessity, it is a way of achieving social status and economic standing in a community. It also fulfills people’s comfort and luxury needs. In today’s fashion-conscious society, it is important to consider the needs, desires, and personalities of the person wearing the clothing (Purwa 1996).
Consumers’ buying behavior is affected by globalization, increasing competition, and shorter fashion cycles. Consumer buying behavior is a sum of the consumer’s perspective, inclinations, and goals with respect to their behavior when purchasing a product.
Stars are now treated as role models. People copy the style of dressing their favorite stars. This has a huge impact on people’s buying behavior and their perception when selecting any product. With the increasing awareness of mass media, people today are more conscious of current fashion trends and spend more money on clothing. This study was conducted to examine the impact of different factors on the buying behavior of rural families.
Research Methods
Hoshiarpur District conducted a study in the sub-mountainous region. The villages were selected using stratified random sampling. The villages were chosen from two blocks in each tehsil and three villages within each block. A sample of 10 respondents(families) were selected from each town. So, 30 respondents from each block, or 120 families, were chosen. The families were determined using a snowball sampling method. A schedule of interviews was designed to obtain relevant information about factors such as economic, psychological, and socio-cultural influences on buying behavior. The interview data was coded and tabulated. Frequency and percentages have been calculated to interpret the results comprehensively.
Discussion and research findings
Consumer buying behavior refers to people’s actions and decisions when they purchase goods and services for self-consumption. Four major factors influence buying behavior: personal, economic, psychological, and socio-cultural. Emotional factors can vary from person to person and produce different perceptions. Age is one of the most influential personal factors. Youthful people make other buying decisions than middle-aged individuals. The buying habits of older people are completely different. Income is another important factor. The higher the income of the consumer, the greater their purchasing power. A consumer with a high income can spend more on luxury goods. Low-income and middle-income consumers tend to spend the majority of their incomes on necessities such as food, clothes, and other basic items.
The third factor is occupation. People tend to purchase items that match their profession. The data in Table 1 show that the majority of respondents (83.33%) were of the opinion that age was always the biggest influencing factor. Individuals plan their mode of purchase, color, texture, and number of products according to their age group. About 72.50 percent of respondents said that income always affected their buying behavior. The respondents bought according to the income they had or the money they had in their hands, while their buying behavior is often influenced (59.17%) by their occupation. Only 22,50% of respondents believed that their occupation always influenced their purchasing behavior, followed by 12,50% who said that it sometimes affected their behavior.
In the same way, a consumer’s decision to save money is heavily influenced by their income. The data in Table 2 show respondents’ opinions on the influence of economic factors. Disposable income is the money left over after a person has met their basic needs. A person’s purchasing power automatically increases when he has a high level of disposable income. Increased disposable income leads to increased expenditures on different items. When disposable income decreases, spending on various items also reduces. The total income of all family members is called the family income. More family members earn money, so there is more income to spend on basic and luxury goods. According to 35.00 percent, the savings of the family can influence consumer purchases in many ways.
Other important economic factors are consumer credit (getting loans with easy installments through banks or other financial institutions), liquid assets (cash and savings accounts, and certain types of investments, which may include jewelry). These were mentioned by 53.33 percent and 40.00 percent, respectively.
Liquid assets are more likely to be spent on luxury and comfort consumers. Assets that can easily be converted to cash are liquid. Even when we expect an increase in income or some additional income, 58.33 percent of respondents reported that their buying behavior is affected.
Psychological factors that influence buying behavior
To understand their impact, various psychological factors, such as motivation, perception, and attitudes, were studied.
Fig 1 shows that about 50 % of respondents are sometimes motivated by attractive displays in the store. They also tend to alter their buying preferences based on what others are purchasing (or are searching for). However, 37.50 % of respondents buy based on the promotions offered by the store. Almost 58.33 percent of respondents seldom look at TV stars and models to learn about the latest fashion trends. 50% of respondents have never seen fashion models prior to purchasing, while 41.67% are rarely motivated by advertisements. Customer perception is the process by which a customer gathers information and interprets it to form a meaningful impression about a particular product. Data from Fig 2 shows that 55.0% of respondents seldom buy without bargaining; that is, they bargain with the storekeeper before the actual purchase. This gives them a sense of satisfaction. Nearly 50 percent of respondents buy the best-selling brands and reliable ones for longer usage. About 34.16 percent often believe that personal opinion matters when buying fashionable clothes. For 58.33 percent of respondents, quality is more important than the price.
Color and design were also factors that respondents considered, with 50.00 percent and 35.83 percent, respectively. However, 41.66 percent sometimes thought expensive products were better than cheaper products.
Certain attitudes and beliefs influence the buying decisions of consumers. A consumer will behave in a certain way towards a specific product based on their attitude and belief. Around 46.00 percent of respondents felt they looked young when wearing trendy clothing, while 41.67 percent believed that the right choice of product (such as clothing) could enhance their appearance. Nearly 55% of respondents said they rarely buy expensive clothes to impress their friends. Fewer than 50% of respondents sometimes choose clothing based on the occasion. Around 58.33 percent of respondents prefer to mix and combine wardrobe pieces in order to create a different look. 54.17 percent consider clothing durability, and 50.0% buy easy-to-wear and comfortable clothing.
Like psychological factors, socio-cultural influences also have a significant impact on the purchasing behavior of individuals. This includes three main factors: Reference group, lifestyle, and culture.
A reference group is a group with which a person associates. In general, people who are part of a reference group share a common purchasing behavior, and they influence one another. Fig. 4 shows that acceptance by peers (66.67%) and belongingness (54.17%) are sometimes seen as the most important factors that influence respondents’ buying behavior. Respondents sometimes took into account the individual’s tendency (62.50%) to purchase different clothing items recommended by friends. Figure 4 reveals that the opinions of their friends did not influence 62.50 percent of respondents. This was followed by 58.33 percent who said they weren’t compelled to buy branded clothing based on peer pressure.
A lifestyle is an attitude and the way an individual lives in society. Lifestyle is a major influence on a consumer’s buying behavior. In Fig 6, 72.00% of respondents choose expensive brands rarely, while 10.83% never do. It could be because they are not interested in showing off their wealth or faking it.
Around 50 percent of respondents keep their wardrobes up-to-date only rarely, while only 2.54 percent do so always. 45.83 percent of respondents prefer to have stylish clothes in their closets at times so they can keep up with the changing trends. Respondents rarely reported brand loyalty (80%) and purchases from branded outlets (49%).
Conclusion
The choice of clothing is often affected by the occupation and age of the buyer. The majority of respondents chose based on economic factors such as personal and family income. However, other factors such as expected income, liquid assets, savings, and consumer credit also influenced their purchasing behavior. More than 50 percent of respondents have reported that they are motivated by the attractive displays in the store, by peer acceptance, and by a sense of belonging. Cultural factors such as social status, religious beliefs, and cultural values often influence clothing purchasing behavior.
