BE201 Consumer Behaviour: Technology and its Impact on Consumers

This essay examines the impact of technology on consumer behaviour, highlighting the shift from traditional to online purchasing methods. It discusses how technology has empowered consumers, providing them with greater flexibility and choice. The essay also explores the strategic marketing recommendations employed by Carrefour, utilizing the 4P's marketing mix theory (Price, Product, Place, Promotion) to illustrate how the company adapts to changing consumer expectations and maintains a competitive edge in the global market. The analysis incorporates academic articles to support its claims, emphasizing the importance of technology in shaping consumer behaviour and business strategies. Desklib provides a platform for students to access similar solved assignments and study resources.

Running head: TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Technology and its Impact on Consumer Behaviour
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Question 1(a):
As stated by Christensen (2013), before the substantial development of technology,
the communication between the customer and business was not flexible. The business firms
and their potential customers in the earlier times faced difficulties in communicating with
each other. The only means of communication they had was through the means of face-to-
face interaction. In the context of purchasing any goods or getting oneself viable to a service,
a customer had to visit the required business firm and store physically. However, they could
have a verbal communication over the phone but to receive the desired product or service the
physical presence was essential. There was no flexibility of time. The time limit to purchase
and sell the goods and services was strictly bound to the timings the business store remained
open. Based on the article Changing Business Context: Challenges and Opportunities:
Dialogue with Thought Leaders, Bhandarker (2014), opined that the impact of technology,
globalisation and sustainable growth in the market, both the national and international level
of organisation has emerged into intense competition. The significant trends analysed by the
author has been declared as the emergence of the Global Tilt and the Change in the Axis of
Business. It was claimed that business organisations could turn competitive if they are
successful in creating better-embraced technologies and cultures.
Question 1(b):
An article named Business Communication and the Natural Environment: Using
Traditional and Contemporary Perspectives to Understand the Connections, Bullis (1997)
opines that the practices of an organisational structure are not liable to ignore the importance
of business communication. In the connection of gaining success in future, the
communication process in a business firm needs to be smooth and efficient. As opined by
Ngo and O'cass (2013), it was stated that the customers are connected to business and thus

2TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
the satisfaction of their sophisticated needs is the responsibility of the business firm. With the
help of the study of an article Foundations of Consumer Behaviour Analysis, Mills and Law
(2014), it was examined how technology brought a change in the behaviour pattern of the
consumers. The new technology has emerged with advancements of social and mass media
which allows the customers and business to connect globally. The choice to select the desired
product has increased from local to national and international. This will enable customers to
choose from a wide range of products available globally. The article also focused on
examining why technology had created changes in the consumer behaviour, and it was
analysed that the modern era of technology allows the consumers to access to their needs and
requirements of purchase at any flexible time and place by introducing online marketing.
Question 2:
As opined by Rehman and Cooper (2017), the expectations of the consumer have
changed. They have shifted from traditional means to online means of purchasing. The hard
and fast rule of visiting stores at some stipulated time is no more a necessity for the
consumers. As examined by an article Hyper-power, the marketing concept and consumer as
‘boss’, Tadajewski and Brian Jones (2016), stated that the consumers are now positioned as
the real boss of the business firms because technology has highly placed the power in the
hands of the consumer. This allows them to shift from one business firm to another at any
given point of time. The customers are free to choose their required products from a different
range of stores available online. This, in turn, has also made it cost useful for the consumers
as online marketing provides them with huge discounts and offers and the cost of travelling
also gets eliminated. Not only this, they can analyse the product they wish to purchase by
reviewing the user ratings of the product that is available online before-hand from its
previous users. This allows consumers to have high flexibility of choice between products
and stores.

3TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Question 3:
The strategic marketing recommendations used by the management at Carrefour can
be determined with the help of marketing mix theory of 4P’s (Spotts 2014). The 4P’s that
affects consumer purchasing behaviour concerning Carrefour can be specified as below:
Price:
Carrefour follows cost leader strategy to offer high quality products and services to
the customers and that too at very affordable prices in comparison to its competitors
(Osterwalder et al. 2014). The non-sensitive products are priced reasonably whereas the
imported products are priced high. However, the personalised branded products at Carrefour
are priced at par rate as per the demand of the customers.
Product:
Carrefour offers a wide range of products and services to the customers starting from
groceries, fruits and vegetables, personal and baby care to home appliances, furniture,
electronic appliances and entertainment (Varley 2014).
Place:
Carrefour is widespread all across the globe. It has over 12000 stores operating in
more than 30 countries. It is claimed to own 1481 hypermarkets, 7181 convenience stores,
3462 Supermarkets and 171 Cash and Carry stores (Stewart and Shamdasani 2014).
Promotion:
The promotional strategies of Carrefour are supported by IBM and its partners
(Frynas and Mellahi 2015). However, the same is operated by Carrefour to attract target
audience and receives feedback.

4TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
These marketing mix strategies used as the manager of the Carrefour makes it band
renowned and attractive in the eyes of its potential customers and initiates a big hand in the
success of Carrefour all around the globe.

5TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
References
Bhandarker, A. 2014 ‘Changing Business Context: Challenges and Opportunities: Dialogue
with Thought Leaders’, Global Business Review, 15(3), pp. 611–621.
Bullis, C. 1997 ‘Business Communication and the Natural Environment: Using Traditional
and Contemporary Perspectives to Understand the Connections’, The Journal of Business
Communication (1973), 34(4), pp. 455–477.
Christensen, C.M., 2013. The innovator's dilemma: when new technologies cause great firms
to fail. Harvard Business Review Press.
Frynas, J.G. and Mellahi, K., 2015. Global strategic management. Oxford University Press,
USA.
Mills, J.E. and Law, R., 2004. Handbook of consumer behaviour, tourism, and the Internet.
Psychology Press.
Ngo, L.V. and O'cass, A., 2013. Innovation and business success: The mediating role of
customer participation. Journal of Business Research, 66(8), pp.1134-1142.
Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y., Bernarda, G. and Smith, A., 2014. Value proposition design:
How to create products and services customers want. John Wiley & Sons.
Rehman, F. and Cooper, R.J., 2017. Consumer Expectations: A Residual-Based Approach.
Review of Income and Wealth, 63(4), pp.841-866.
Stewart, D.W. and Shamdasani, P.N., 2014. Focus groups: Theory and practice (Vol. 20).
Sage publications.
Tadajewski, M. and Brian Jones, D. G. 2016 ‘Hyper-power, the marketing concept and
consumer as ‘boss’’, Marketing Theory, 16(4), pp. 513–531.

6TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Varley, R., 2014. Retail product management: buying and merchandising. Routledge.