INTRODUCTION
Different factors interact with each other in influencing the decisions of the buyer. With a focus on two principles in consumer psychology, the analysis will integrate attitude towards and brand and psychographic dimensions and main influencers in the case study brand ( Hoyer et al., 2018). Under the consumer goods category of food as a fast-moving consumer good, the focus is on the Starbucks Coffee brand. The sections in the analysis, therefore, include section one, which provides a background on the coffee product with Starbucks as the brand. In section two, the analysis provides insights on the principles in focus that include attitudes towards the brand and psychographic dimensions, with the third section in the analysis applying the principles to the select brand of Starbucks and the consumer group of millennials in the UK (Liu, 2022). Overall, the popularity of coffee among millennials can be attributed to its ability to fuel their active lifestyles. There are also consumers who prioritize the experience and ambiance of a coffee shop, valuing the opportunity to unwind and socialize during their limited free time, which makes Starbucks, with its high-quality coffee and friendly service provision in relaxing settings, ideal.
SECTION 1
The selected category is fast-moving consumer goods with the illustration of food. Coffee falls in this category, which fulfills the need to satisfy hunger and thirst, with the goal being the desire for food (Muthhukkannu & Manoharan, 2023). Starbucks is a brand in the illustration that shows the industry application of consumer behavior in consumer decision-making and application that includes purchase decisions for the consumer. Starbucks, being a well-known brand in the fast-moving consumer goods industry, exemplifies the application of consumer behavior in the decision-making process (Chuang, 2019). Consumers often choose Starbucks not just for the taste of their coffee but also for the overall experience and image associated with the brand (Samoggia et al., 2020). The company’s success can be attributed to its ability to understand and cater to the desires and needs of its target consumers, ultimately influencing their purchase decisions.
A further analysis of the product category is the integration of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, in which food is at the bottom of the pyramid as a physiological need for survival (Samoggia et al., 2020). In the analysis of coffee, with reference to Starbucks coffee, it is essential to acknowledge that while coffee may be classified as a food that falls in the category of physiological need, a critical understanding is that the goal for people in taking coffee extends beyond satisfying hunger and thirst to satisfying the social need of remaining alert and active, which places is in the category of psychological needs that encompass social interaction and egoism.
SECTION 2
Attitudes towards the brand
The importance of understanding attitudes in consumer psychology is that they include perceptions and judgments. Therefore, attitudes toward a brand play a crucial role in consumer psychology as they shape consumers’ perceptions and judgments (Hoyer, 2013). According to Hoyer et al. (2013), attitudes are the overall evaluations that express how much consumers like or dislike a particular brand. The application of attitudes toward the brand in the realm of consumer psychology shows the intersection of cognitive and affective processes (Ismoyowati et al., 2023). From a cognitive perspective, attitudes toward a brand are formed through the evaluation of the brand’s attributes, benefits, and overall image. This evaluation process involves comparing the brand to other alternatives and considering personal beliefs and values. For Starbucks coffee, this first develops from the need of the user to feel alert, awake, and active, which is the main reason behind overall coffee intake. That comes down to the Starbucks brand, which includes customer-friendly services, the use of high-quality coffee, and the social status of the individual, which encourages a positive attitude towards the brand (Chuang, 2019). Therefore, understanding attitudes towards a brand is crucial in consumer psychology as it provides insights into how consumers perceive and judge a brand, ultimately influencing their decision-making processes.
Psychographics
In applying the principles of psychographics, the subsections for consideration include values, personality, and cultural background, which add to the lifestyle of the targeted consumers in the review. Values point to a belief in an overall good of an outcome. An integration of personality factors into the same category veers toward behaviors and patterns that are shaped by the values of the consumers ( Hoyer et al., 2018). The final component of lifestyle in Starbucks coffee consumption draws out the manifestation of patterns and behavior. Since the target audience is millennials in the UK, the analysis of values, personality, and lifestyle integrates what is termed as the Western culture and its values, with the personality of the individuals creating behaviors and patterns that manifest the culture (Vij, 2012). Conversely, in integrating Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions, the Western culture and values that apply in the psychographic dimensions for the principles of consumer behavior point to capitalistic tendencies that maximize output, including health and lifestyle outcomes that include levels of activity. The target consumers of UK millennials, with their intake of coffee and subscription to the Starbucks coffee brand, often juggle multiple responsibilities, such as demanding careers, family obligations, and social commitments. As a result, they rely on coffee as a way to combat fatigue and stay productive throughout the day (Thomas, 2017). Additionally, this demographic is likely to value convenience and efficiency, making coffee an ideal choice for a quick energy boost.
SECTION 3.
From the understanding that consumers buy benefits and not needs, the section goes back to integrating Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs theory as the primary illumination behind the decision-making process for consumers, which ultimately leads to the purchase of a brand such as Starbucks Coffee. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs theory, individuals strive to fulfill their physiological needs, such as hunger and thirst, before moving on to higher-level needs, such as belongingness and self-esteem (Hoyer, 2013). The pyramid contains the levels of safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. The decision-making process in consumer purchases under the category of fast-moving consumer goods of food, with the brand of Starbucks coffee, the decision to purchase first starts with need recognition, which goes back to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs theory (Samoggia et al., 2020). However, while coffee falls in the category of food, a physiological need at the bottom of the pyramid, it is also essential to acknowledge the position of coffee in the psychological category that includes the social and egoistic needs of socialization and pursuing an active lifestyle. The decision-making process then extends into the additional stages of information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decisions, and post-purchase evaluation. In the information search stage, consumers may seek out reviews, recommendations, and information on the different types of Starbucks coffee available. This is followed by the evaluation of alternatives stage, where consumers compare the different options based on factors such as taste, price, convenience, and brand reputation (Lozančić, 2018). The purchase decision is made based on the consumer’s perceived value and satisfaction with the product. Finally, the post-purchase evaluation stage involves reflecting on the decision and evaluating whether the coffee meets their expectations and needs.
Contribution of Attitudes towards the brand to decision-making
From the previous section, the primary understanding generated is that consumers’ attitudes towards a brand can significantly impact their decision-making process. Also, the section shows that attitudes toward a brand are formed by cognitive and affective processes that intersect and influence each other ( Hoyer et al., 2018). Cognitive processes refer to the rational and logical thinking that consumers use to evaluate a brand, such as considering its features, benefits, and reputation. On the other hand, affective processes involve consumers’ emotional responses and feelings toward a brand, which can be influenced by factors like advertising, word-of-mouth, and personal experiences ( Hoyer et al., 2018).
In contributing to decision-making and the five stages of need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase evaluation, attitudes towards the brand first impact the judgment and perceptions of the buyer. For a repeat user of the Starbucks coffee brand, the attitude formation process constitutes previous experiences and interaction with the product; however, for the first-time user of Starbucks coffee, cognitive foundations that include the cognitive response and the expectancy value with the theory of reasoned action impact attitude formation (Lozančić, 2018). Since attitudes exist at an unobservable level with varying dimensions, the marketing processes for Starbucks coffee come back to the simplicity of the inferences, decision heuristics, frequency of the ads, and their closeness to the truth, which can drive the individuals to try out the brand for the first time. The combination of factors in decision-making for the Starbucks coffee brand, therefore, goes back to the individual consumers with an understanding of their needs. From the background in the analysis, the needs of these individuals when it comes to ascribing to the Starbucks coffee brand include the need for alertness, wakefulness, and being active. The processing and interpretation of stimuli go to the connection where the marketing campaigns for the brand take the consumer to the view that Starbucks coffee has the qualities required to meet their needs.
Contribution of Psychographics to decision-making
In applying the principles of psychographics, the subsections for consideration include values, personality, and cultural background, which add to the lifestyle of the targeted consumers in the review. Values point to a belief in an overall good of an outcome ( Hoyer et al., 2018). Integration of personality factors into the same category veers toward behaviors and patterns that are shaped by the values of the consumers (Lozančić, 2018). The final components of lifestyle in Starbucks coffee consumption draw out the manifestation of patterns and behavior. The section has three components of values, personality, and lifestyle, which all play a role in the decision-making process for the Starbucks coffee consumer. From the previous section, the five stages in the consumer decision-making process include the stages of need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase evaluation (Lozančić, 2018). Values, personality, and lifestyle as psychographic factors each have the potential to influence each of these stages in the consumer decision-making process.
For instance, a consumer’s values may drive their need recognition with an illustration of the Starbucks coffee consumer prioritizing an active lifestyle with demanding careers for social mobility and the capitalistic society and its outcomes of hard work (Ajzen, 2008). In the information search stage, a consumer with a particular personality type may be more inclined to extensively research and compare different alternatives before making a purchase decision. For the stages of evaluating alternatives, purchase decisions, and post-purchase evaluation, the psychographics of values, behavior, and lifestyle all contribute differently with illustrations of consumers seeking convenience and efficiency in their busy lives, while others prioritize quality and sustainability (Vij, 2012). The Starbucks consumer, with their active lifestyle and demanding career, may value convenience above all else, seeking a quick and reliable option to fuel their day. However, there may also be consumers who prioritize the experience and ambiance of a coffee shop, valuing the opportunity to unwind and socialize during their limited free time.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the popularity of coffee among millennials can be attributed to its ability to fuel their active lifestyles. There are also consumers who prioritize the experience and ambiance of a coffee shop, valuing the opportunity to unwind and socialize during their limited free time, which makes Starbucks, with its high-quality coffee and friendly service provision in relaxing settings, ideal. The coffee house meets both the physiological need for sustenance and the psychological need for being active, leading consumers to choose the brand. The decision-making process for consumers can be understood in the context of the principles of attitude towards the brand and psychographic factors that include the values of the individual, their personalities, and lifestyles. While on one hand, the attitudes towards the brand inform the reception of the marketing messages for the Starbucks brand through cognitive and affective processes that shape the overall perception of the brand; psychographic factors play a crucial role in determining whether consumers resonate with the brand’s values and lifestyle.
SECTION 4. References
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