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GCSE Home Economics Teachers Conference
Barriers and Influences Affecting Consumer
Behaviour Philippa McKeown Senior Consumer
Affairs Officer Consumer Council
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Barriers

• I went to the market but I didnt buy
• disability
• age
• ethnicity
• knowledge
• resources (time, money, location)

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Disability

• Physical barriers
• Perceived barriers
• Hidden disabilities
• Socially isolated

disabled people have a fear of complaining which
is related to their low levels of
confidence Quote from Consumer Proficiency
research1
BBC Learning Zone Clip
http//www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/6034.bb.wm
v
1.Consumer Knowledge well, what do you know?
March 2004
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Age Older Consumers
Those buy one get one free are no good for me
because by the time I use one, the other is out
of date.
Those who cant jump into a car are losing out
and are at the mercy of family and friends, home
help or deliveries.
Cooking information is usually small and
virtually unreadable, very difficult to compare
like with like.
Quotes from Silver Service? Are supermarkets
meeting the needs of older consumers? Consumer
Council in partnership with Age Concern, November
2007
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Age Older Consumers

• Older people in Northern Ireland are the least
  likely to shop online.
• Elsewhere in the UK, the number of over 55s
  buying online has more than doubled in the years
  2004 2006 from 1.4. million to 3.4 million
  (Verdict, UK e-Retail 2007).

Source Well, what do consumers know now? A
Consumer Council Progress Report on Consumer
Proficiency 2003 2007, March 2008
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Age Younger Consumers

• Young people are less well informed about their
  rights (57 per cent compared to 63 per cent
  average)
• They are least likely to take further action if
  unhappy about goods or service (55 per cent
  compared to 64 per cent)
• Young people were the least likely to be
  satisfied with the way their complaint was
  handled.

Source Well, what do consumers know now? A
Consumer Council Progress Report on Consumer
Proficiency, March 2008
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Age Younger Consumers

• Three quarters of young people and adults believe
  shops treat young people differently to adults
• One in four felt that shop staff did not act in a
  respectful way to young people
• Source Consumer Council Children Shopping
  Research, 2006

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Ethnicity

• Language barriers
• Prejudice
• Cultural differences
• Social isolation

Polish Cultural Week The festival of Polish arts
and culture is aimed at helping local people
understand more about the backgrounds of those
families whove settled here in search of work
and a better way of life. Belfast Telegraph
6/5/2009
Friends awarded 7,500 compensation over racist
bouncer at Belfast nightclubthe doorman made
racist remarks to Mr Lopez, who is Portuguese and
black. http//news.bbc.co.uk
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Knowledge

• In general, consumer skills remain less well
  developed among
• young people (15-24)
• older people (55)
• those living on a low income

Source Well, what do consumers know now? A
Consumer Council Progress Report on Consumer
Proficiency 2003 - 2007
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Knowledge
Consumers in rural areas tend to be less
confident about expressing their consumer rights
and taking further action and were less aware of
where to go to for help and advice1. Research in
20032 also showed consumers from minority, ethnic
and disability groups and those living in areas
of social need having fewer consumer skills.

• Well, what do consumers know now? A Consumer
  Council Progress Report on Consumer Proficiency
  2003 2007, March 2008
• Consumer Knowledge well, what do you know? March
  2004

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Other barriers
1 in 4 people of working age have low literacy
levels. Source Adult literacy in Northern
Ireland, NISRA, 1998
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Resources
Time Money Location
Working hours Low income Rural
Dependents Access to credit Food deserts
Lack of time to do research Financial capability Transport
N.B This list is not exhaustive!
Shopping around is a luxury that some cant afford
Quote from Consumer Council Disability Panel
member
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7 Consumer Tests

• Access can people get the goods or services they
  need or want?
• Choice is there any?
• Safety are the goods or services dangerous to
  health or welfare?
• Information is it available, accurate,
  accessible and useful?
• Fairness are some consumers unfairly
  discriminated against?
• Redress if things go wrong, is there a system
  for putting them right?
• Representation do consumers have a say in how
  goods or services are provided?

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Impact of Marketing
Advertising is the art of convincing people to
spend money they dont have for something they
dont need. Will Rogers I have always
believed that writing advertisements is the
second most profitable form of writing. The first
of course is ransom notes Philip Dusenberry
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Targeting Young Consumers
advertising at its best is making people feel
that without their product, youre a loser. Kids
are very sensitive to that. If you tell them to
buy something, they are resistant. But, if you
tell them that theyll be a dork if they dont,
youve got their attention. You open up emotional
vulnerabilities Nancy Shalek, Shalek Agency,
cited in Juliet. B. Schors Born to Buy the
commercialised child and the new consumer
culture, Scribner, 2004
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Social Psychology of Food
Parents struggle hard to protect their children
from bullying and make sure that their
childrens lunchboxes are as full as their
classmates. In this way, snacks like crisps or
chocolate are not seen as luxuries but a way for
their children to participate in conventional
behaviour
Middleton, S., Ashworth, K. and Walker, R.,
Family Fortunes pressures on parents and
children in the 1990s, Child Poverty Action
Group, 1994
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Influencing Factors

• Cultural
• Economic
• Environmental and ethical
• Personal
• Physiological
• Psychological and
• Social

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Influencing Factors

• Cultural
• Someone of Chinese origin might shop for specific
  ingredients at an Asian supermarket

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Influencing Factors

• Economic
• A person living on a tight budget would be
  unlikely to buy luxury items as part of their
  weekly food shop.

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Influencing Factors

• Environmental and ethical
• A shopper opposed to animal cruelty may choose
  not to buy products that have been tested on
  animals.

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Influencing Factors

• Personal
• A teenager might feel more comfortable ordering
  a CD online, whereas an older consumer might
  prefer to go to a high-street music store.

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Influencing Factors

• Physiological
• Someone who is trying to lose weight may wish to
  avoid fast food and high sugar snacks.

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Influencing Factors

• Psychological
• Some shops play music designed to make consumers
  feel good, stay longer and buy more.

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Influencing Factors

• Social
• Some consumers are influenced by trends and want
  the latest must-have toys, fashion items or
  technology.

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You Were Spotted! Activity

• Cultural
• Economic
• Environmental and ethical
• Personal
• Physiological
• Psychological and
• Social

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You Were Spotted! Activity
1. Spottedshopping for chilies, sausages and
sweet potatoes at Saturdays Farmers Market.
2. Spottedbuying fresh haddock reduced to 1
because its nearing its use-by date.
3. Spotteddisposing of used plastic carrier bags
at the supermarket collection bin.
4. Spottedcoming back from the sales, trying to
juggle several shopping bags whilst chatting on
the mobile.
5. Spottedloading a trolley with half price
bedding plants and compost.
6. Spottedat the till, filling a rucksack with
shopping essentials.
7. Spottedqueuing at a late night Spar to buy
milk.
8. Spottedat the electrical counter in Tesco
discussing the merits of a camera phone with the
salesperson.
9. Spottedtaking delivery of shopping which was
ordered online.
10. Spottedat the cinema with a home-made picnic
of sandwiches, crisps and fruit juices.
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Recap on resources

• Lesson Plans
• Being a consumer
• What influences consumer behaviour
• What type of yoghurt are you?
• Multimedia
• BBC Learning Zone Clip disability
• Silver Service DVD - older consumers
• Buy Rights Have Your Say young consumers