• Perform a market segmentation analysis to identify relevant consumer groups
• Provide a solid conceptual foundation for understanding the behaviour of consumers within society and the marketplace
• Identify internal and external influences of consumer behaviour
• Identify consumer decision biases and heuristics and discuss potential debiasing strategies
• Critically discuss how marketers and policy makers can influence consumer behaviour

Aim of the course

To be successful as a marketing decision maker, a theoretically grounded anticipation and understanding of how consumers will react to marketing stimuli and activities is required. The aim of this course is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of consumer behaviour and to demonstrate the value of this knowledge for the development of effective marketing decisions and strategies, and ultimately, to provide consumer value. In particular, the course will introduce key concepts and theories to better understand, predict and influence consumers’ behaviour. The module will achieve these goals with a blended learning approach and a mixture of teaching tools, including case discussions, guest lectures, experimental demonstrations, and student projects.

Content

In this course, students will develop an in-depth understanding of consumer behaviour through the cutting-edge ideas that are gaining prominence in marketing academia. They will apply these key concepts to develop and evaluate marketing strategies and ultimately, to influence consumer behaviour. The course will cover topics from market segmentation and how companies can find their target consumers to the consumer decision process (pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase processes) to essential domains of consumer psychology (e.g., perception, learning, motivation, personality, attitudes, emotions). 

Course progression

Consumer Behaviour is one of two foundational courses in the study program.