Marketing | Practical Lesson 9
PhD. E. Khodjaniyazov
BUSINESS PLANNING
PRACTICAL LESSON 9
Consumer Markets & Consumer Buyer Behaviour
Duration: 90 min Individual & Group PhD. E. Khodjaniyazov
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Explain why consumer behaviour is an interdisciplinary field and cannot be explained by economics alone
• Identify and apply the four categories of factors affecting consumer behaviour (cultural, social, personal, psychological)
• Apply Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to explain consumer motivation for specific products
• Distinguish between the four types of buying decisions and match them to appropriate marketing responses
• Map the five steps of the buyer decision process for a given product purchase
• Explain the five product characteristics that influence the rate of adoption of new innovations
0 Lesson Timeline (90 min)
Time | Activity | Format |
0 - 10 min | Warm-Up Discussion | Pair work |
10 - 25 min | Task 1 — Factors Affecting Consumer Behaviour | Individual |
25 - 45 min | Task 2 — Maslow's Hierarchy & Buying Decision Types | Individual |
45 - 65 min | Task 3 — Buyer Decision Process Mapping (Group) | Groups of 3-4 |
65 - 80 min | Task 4 — Innovation Adoption Analysis | Individual |
80 - 90 min | Discussion, Peer Review & Wrap-Up | Full class |
1 Warm-Up (10 min)
Discuss the following questions with a partner:
STARTER QUESTIONS
Marketing | Practical Lesson 9
PhD. E. Khodjaniyazov
1. Think of the last significant purchase you made (clothing, phone, food, etc.). What really drove your decision — need, emotion, price, a friend's opinion, or advertising? Be honest!
2. Have you ever bought something impulsively — without planning to? What caused it? Does this behaviour make sense from an economic 'rational consumer' point of view?
3. Why do you think two people with the same income might buy completely different products? What explains this difference?
2 Practical Tasks
TASK 1 — Factors Affecting Consumer Behaviour | Individual • 15 min
For each consumer behaviour scenario below, identify: (a) the main category of influence (Cultural, Social, Personal, or Psychological), (b) the specific factor within that category, and (c) which marketing action could leverage this influence.
# | Consumer Behaviour Scenario | Category | Specific Factor | Marketing Action |
1 | A 22-year-old buys the same brand of running shoes as their favourite football player | | | |
2 | A family buys a larger refrigerator after the birth of their third child | | | |
3 | A consumer avoids buying pork products due to religious beliefs | | | |
4 | A customer feels anxious about a purchase and researches extensively before buying | | | |
5 | A teenager starts buying streetwear brands because their friends all wear them | | | |
6 | A consumer who recently got a pay rise upgrades from economy to business class flights | | | |
7 | A person buys a Porsche to signal success and status to others | | | |
8 | A customer repeatedly buys the same brand of tea without thinking — habit-driven | | | |
□ Tip: Four categories: Cultural (values, subculture, social class), Social (groups, family, roles), Personal (age, occupation, income, lifestyle, personality), Psychological (motivation, perception, learning, beliefs & attitudes).
Marketing | Practical Lesson 9
PhD. E. Khodjaniyazov
TASK 2 — Maslow's Hierarchy & Buying Decision Types | Individual • 20 min
Part A — Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:
Match each product or service below to the level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs it primarily satisfies. Then explain in one sentence why a marketer should understand this when designing a campaign.
# | Product / Service | Maslow Level | Marketing Implication |
1 | A home security alarm system | | |
2 | A luxury watch from a prestigious brand | | |
3 | A meal delivery service (food subscription) | | |
4 | A language learning app that connects users with a global community | | |
5 | A personal coaching program for achieving life goals | | |
6 | A health insurance policy | | |
Part B — Types of Buying Decisions:
Identify the type of buying behaviour for each scenario (Complex, Dissonance-Reducing, Habitual, or Variety-Seeking). Then recommend the most important marketing focus for each.
# | Scenario | Buying Behaviour Type | Key Marketing Focus |
1 | A consumer spends 3 months researching before buying a new laptop, comparing 12 models | | |
2 | A shopper grabs the same brand of shampoo every week without reading labels | | |
3 | A buyer switches between different flavours of yoghurt to try new tastes | | |
4 | A customer buys an expensive sofa, then worries afterwards if they chose the right one | | |
Marketing | Practical Lesson 9
PhD. E. Khodjaniyazov
TASK 3 — Buyer Decision Process Mapping | Group of 3-4 students • 20 min
Scenario: Your group will map the full 5-step buyer decision process for TWO different products: (A) a student buying their first smartphone in Uzbekistan, and (B) a family choosing a private school for their child.
Product A — First Smartphone Purchase (Student)
Decision Step | What Happens at This Step? | How Should a Marketer Respond? |
1. Need Recognition | | |
2. Information Search | | |
3. Evaluation of Alternatives | | |
4. Purchase Decision | | |
5. Post-Purchase Behaviour | | |
Product B — Choosing a Private School (Family)
Decision Step | What Happens at This Step? | How Should a Marketer Respond? |
1. Need Recognition | | |
2. Information Search | | |
3. Evaluation of Alternatives | | |
4. Purchase Decision | | |
5. Post-Purchase Behaviour | | |
Marketing | Practical Lesson 9
PhD. E. Khodjaniyazov
Group Reflection: How do these two buying processes differ? What does this imply for marketing strategy?
A tech startup has launched a smart water meter for households in Uzbekistan that tracks real-time water usage and sends alerts when there is a leak or waste. Analyse this innovation using the five product characteristics that influence the rate of adoption.
Characteristic | Definition (from lecture) | Analysis for Smart Water Meter |
Relative Advantage | Is the innovation superior to existing products? | |
Compatibility | Does it fit the values and experience of the target market? | |
Complexity | Is the innovation difficult to understand or use? | |
Divisibility | Can the innovation be used on a trial basis? | |
Communicability | Can results be easily observed or described to others? | |
Based on your analysis, which adopter category (Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority, or Laggards) would most likely adopt this product first in Uzbekistan? Justify in 3 sentences:
Marketing | Practical Lesson 9
PhD. E. Khodjaniyazov
* Bonus: Design a 3-point marketing strategy to accelerate adoption of the smart water meter from the Early Majority adopter category. Which of the five product characteristics would you emphasise most in your messaging?
3 Group Discussion (10 min)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS — Full Class
• The lecture says consumers 'do not always act logically' and are influenced by emotion and social factors. Can you give an example of a marketing campaign in Uzbekistan that successfully used emotional or social influence? Was it ethical?
• How does the VALS 2 framework (Principle-Oriented, Status-Oriented, Action-Oriented) apply to Uzbek consumers? Which orientation do you think is most dominant, and how does this affect product marketing?
• Cognitive dissonance occurs when a consumer feels doubt after a purchase. How can a company's post-purchase marketing strategy reduce dissonance and build loyalty?
• Why do Innovators (2.5% of adopters) matter so much to a new product's success even though they are a small group? How can a startup in Uzbekistan deliberately target this group?
4 Assessment Rubric
Task | Max Points | Criteria |
Task 1 — Factors Analysis | 20 pts | 2.5 pts per row: category (1), specific factor (1), marketing action (0.5) |
Task 2 — Maslow + Buying Types | 25 pts | Maslow (12 pts: 2 per row), Buying types (13 pts: 3 per row plus explanation) |
Task 3 — Decision Process Mapping | 30 pts | Product A (12), Product B (12), group reflection quality (6) |
Task 4 — Adoption Analysis | 25 pts | 5 characteristics analysis (15), adopter category justification (7), bonus (3) |
TOTAL | 100 pts | 90-100: Excellent • 75-89: Good • 60-74: Satisfactory • Below 60: Needs revision |
5 Homework / Independent Study
ASSIGNMENTS FOR NEXT SESSION
1. Choose a recent purchase you made over 500,000 UZS. Write a one-page diary entry describing your full 5-step buyer decision process: what triggered your need, how you searched, what you evaluated, what influenced your final decision, and how you felt afterwards.
Marketing | Practical Lesson 9
PhD. E. Khodjaniyazov
2. Find a real advertising campaign (TV, social media, or billboard) in Uzbekistan. Identify which level of Maslow's Hierarchy it targets and which type of buying behaviour it is designed for. Write a half-page analysis.
3. Research the VALS 2 psychographic segmentation system. Take the online VALS survey (if available) or describe which VALS type applies to you and your immediate family members. How does this affect your purchasing patterns?
4. Design a 5-step buyer decision process map for the launch of a new electric scooter brand in Tashkent. Identify the most critical step where the brand could lose the customer — and propose one specific marketing intervention at that step.