To handle this part we will need to understand what is meant by consumer behavior and family decision making. Consumer behavior involves the psychological processes that consumers undergo before they are able to understand their needs, look for better ways to solve them, make decisions about whether to buy or not, and if so, what preferences, interpretation information, processing of plans and finally the buyer must implement the plans. Implementing the plans means that the consumer must make an effort to compare different brands or products when purchasing. They should compare the package, the quality and the cost they will have to bear to purchase that product. Consumer behavior is largely influenced by many factors. While we take cultural influences for granted, they are truly significant when it comes to a customer's purchasing power. Other factors that contribute to a consumer's purchasing power are physical factors, self-image, social factors, and learning. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In case of family decision making, each family member has their own crucial role in the decision making process when it comes to purchasing. There are those who are information keepers or gatherers, influencers, decision makers and takers. To address this part effectively we sample a group of 20 children aged 6 to 10 in a cereal aisle of a grocery store. Half of the children expressed their preferences while the others did not. Children's preferences were known to parents because of the attitude they had towards the product or brand they liked. Attitude includes affects, beliefs, and behavioral intentions (Palmer, p. 45). Belief is the first component of attitude, and a consumer can have both negative and positive beliefs towards the brand they want to purchase. So, in order to buy into their children's ideas, parents first needed to consider the positive mindset they have for that particular brand. Affection means that consumers have certain feelings towards a certain brand or product, so it is not easy to convince them to consume it or not consume it. These feelings are based on beliefs. Behavioral intention indicates what the consumer intends to do with a certain product; whether to buy or not. Some parents overreacted due to their children's preferences, while the highest percentage tried to convince them to change their beliefs towards the product. They tried to explain to their children why they had chosen a certain brand over another. Most children were attracted to well-packaged brands and bright colors; even though the benefits they might get from the products might be too minimal. 80% of sampled parents did not follow their children's ideas and only 20% agreed with their children's choices. Parents' choices could be triggered by the cost, quality and merits it will have for children's health. It is the young people who collect the cereals and put them in the cart even without bothering to ask permission. They put all the cereals that caught their attention, regardless of whether the parents wanted to buy them or not. There is a big difference between children based on their age; for children aged 7 and above, before they could add something to the cart they had to ask permission and where understanding while the little ones are too difficult.
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