Consumer Behaviour Analysis: Sunscreen Decision-Making Process

This essay delves into the intricacies of consumer behavior concerning sunscreen products. It examines the crucial product attributes that influence consumer choices, such as SPF levels, photostability, and ingredient safety. The analysis explores the type of decision-making involved, highlighting the rational and habitual aspects of purchasing behavior. Furthermore, it identifies various perceived risks associated with sunscreen use, including potential skin damage and adverse reactions to ingredients, and proposes effective risk-reduction strategies. The essay also investigates the awareness and evoked sets that consumers utilize when selecting sunscreens, along with the dominant decision-making rules that guide their choices. Finally, the essay provides actionable recommendations for a sunscreen manufacturer planning to launch a new product tailored for Australian conditions, emphasizing the importance of consumer insights for successful market entry. The essay is based on academic literature and discussion with family/friends/work colleagues to explore consumer decision-making for sunscreen.

Running head: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Consumer Behaviour
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

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CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Introduction
Consumer Behaviour refers to study of the individuals along with the groups that are
related with the purchasing and the disposal of the goods along with the services. It is
indicative of the emotional, mental along with the behavioural response that precedes or
follows the buying of a product or a service by the customers. Consumer behaviour helps in
examining how the emotions along with the attitudes have an effect on the buying behaviour
of the customers (Nicol et al. 2007). Consumer decision making process helps the customers
in identification of their needs that makes them collect the information about a product. It
makes the customers evaluate the alternatives and make the buying decision. Sunscreen refers
to a lotion or a spray that helps in absorbing or reflecting the ultraviolet radiation of the sun.
It helps in offering protection to the skin of the people against any kind of sunburn. This
report throws light on the product attributes of the sunscreen that are important for the
consumers. The report also discusses about the kind and the level of the decision-making
process. The report also talks about the kind of the perceived risk and the risk-reduction
strategies in relation to the identified risks. The report also talks about the evoked-set
strategies along with the decision-making rules pertaining to the purchase of the sunscreens
by the customer.
Product attributes of sunscreens
The sunscreens helps in offering protection to the people against the radiation of the
sun and they are primarily used by the people at the time of vacation or the leisure.
Sunscreens serves an important purpose and it can reduce the developing of the precancerous
solar keratoses. The sunscreen should be able to protect the skin of the people from the UVA
along with the UVB rays of the sun. It can keep the skin of the people healthy that can make
their skin look young. It can help in treating the problems of the people like the wrinkles,

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hyperpigmentation along with the saggy skin. The sunscreens should have the photostability
that can help in maintaining its integrity in the event of being exposed to the sun. A good
sunscreen would not degrade in the event of being exposed to the sun that can be of value for
a customer. The sunscreen should contain the Helioplex that can offer further protection to
the people against the harmful influence of the UVA along with the UVB rays. The
sunscreens in order to be important for the customers should have high sun protection factor
(SPF) that can prove to be beneficial for the skin of the people (Hillhouse et al. 1997). The
ultraviolet rays of the sun can increase the risk of the skin cancer that can serve a useful
purpose for the people. The sunscreen should be comprised of ecamsule that can prove to be
of great use for the people. It should contain the stabilized avobenzone that can protect the
skin of the people. The sunscreen should be resistant to the water along with the sweat that
can be useful for the people when they are doing any kind of exercise (Kumar and Kapoor
2017). The skin of the babies along with the children is sensitive and they are easily irritated
by the chemicals that are present in the adult sunscreens. The kids should avoid the
sunscreens that have para-amino benzoic acid (PABA) that can prove to be harmful for their
skin.
Sunscreens Number of the
participants
Participant Responses
5 1. The sunscreens
should have the
ability of retaining
the youthful glow of
the skin of the
people.
2. Ingredients of

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sunscreen should be
thoroughly looked
into so that it does
not cause harm to
skin of people.
3. Should comprise of
photostability that
can act as a boon for
the people.
4. The sunscreen
should comprise of
Helioplex that can be
of use for people.
5. It should have a high
amount of SPF that
can serve the cause
of the people.
Kind of the decision-making
The type of the decision making that is involved in the buying of a sunscreen can be
said to rational. Rational decision-making refers to the multi-step process that helps the
people in identifying the problem and coming up with the solution in relation to a problem.
The rational process of the decision making can help the people in making the choices in
between the alternatives. This process helps in favouring the logic along with the objectivity
that can help the people in relation to the buying of a product (Solomon and Behavior 1994).

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It can help in the formulation of a goal that can help the people in making the purchasing
decisions in relation to a product. It can help the consumers in understanding the reason for
which they should buy the sunscreen that helps them in making a valid decision (Nicol et al.
2007). Rational model of the decision-making helps the people in making the choices which
can maximise their benefits along with minimizing the aspect of the costs. The people want to
buy a useful product in the lowest price and this compels them to make a rational decision.
The people want to judge benefits pertaining to certain objects that makes them undertake the
purchasing decisions. The people think along the rational lines that helps them in comparing
the advantages of the various kinds of the products. The rational decision-making process can
be said to be involved in relation to buying of a sunscreen as one can buy this product that
can help them in getting various kinds of benefits. The individuals in the society have the
cognitive ability for the evaluation of the alternatives and they make of the aspect of the
reasoning before purchasing a sunscreen.
Level of the decision-making
The level of the decision-making that is involved in the buying of the sunscreen can
be said to be the habitual process of the decision making. This process of the decision making
comes of use when a person has to buy the things of the every-day life. A consumer does not
have to do any kind of thorough research before purchasing a sunscreen so it can be said that
decision making process that is involved pertains to habitual decision making. The people
want to buy the sunscreens in their everyday life so that it can offer them protection from the
rays of the sun that can help them in having healthy skin. The customers have the tendency of
sticking to a single brand as they feel more comfortable in using the same product. The
customer does not switch to that of the other brands as he wants to invest minimal amount of
time in the aspect of the decision-making (Boniol, Dore and Autier 2008). The
advertisements play an important role in influencing the decision of the customer and the

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advertisements that are played over the television plays an important role in convincing the
decisions of the customer for buying the sunscreen. The consumers are careful about their
skin and they want to buy the sunscreen of the best brand that can help them in retaining the
healthy skin. The people have the tendency of finding the product that suits their skin and
they want to continue using it so that it can them in maintaining healthy skin (Bruce, Theeke
and Mallow 2017). The customer keeps on buying the same product as they have the
tendency of growing comfortable after using the product. The customers have the tendency of
buying the sunscreens and repeat buying it as it can help them in offering protection from the
harsh rays of the sun (Turrisi et al. 1999). The cosmetic companies take due amount of care
in order to ensure the fact that the customers stay loyal and this makes the consumers take
recourse to process of the routine decision-making (Hoffner and Ye 2009).
Kind of the risks and the risk-reduction strategies
There are various kinds of risks that are involved in relation to purchasing of the
sunscreens. The use of sunscreen can damage the skin of the people and it can pave the path
for skin cancer of the people. The ingredients that are found in the sunscreens can prove to be
damaging for the skin and due amount of consideration should be laid on the process of the
decision making that can help in offering protection to the customers. There are risks as the
skin of one person varies from one person to another and so the decisions are individual in
relation to the purchase of the sunscreens (Xu et al. 2016). The consumers have to make the
decisions that is appropriate for themselves. The active ingredients of the sunscreen can be
absorbed through skin and it can enter the body of the individuals thus raising risks in relation
to the using of the sunscreen. The infants have to face the risk of various kinds of the side
effects like rash and hence it can pose risk for the infants.
There are various strategies that can be employed that can help the consumers in
avoiding the risk in relation to the use of the sunscreens. The health groups along with the

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consumer groups have concerns in relation to the ingredients of the sunscreens and the
individual decisions should be made after taking into consideration the opinion of the
different kinds of the environmental groups. There should be abundant information in relation
to the product that can help the consumers in checking the important details before they buy a
product (East et al. 2016). The companies that make the sunscreens should share the data
regarding safety along with the effectiveness that can help the consumers in reducing the risk
pertaining to the use of the sun screen.
Awareness set and the evoked set strategies
The awareness set refers to the number of the brands about which the consumer is
aware about that is normally less as compared to total set of the brands. The human brain
cannot process various kinds of choices at the same time and the consumer has to get rid of
the options that can help the people in making a valuable purchase. The consumers can take
the help of the sales person that can help the people in buying a sunscreen that can suit their
particular needs along with the demands (Parsons, Maclaran and Chatzidakis 2017). The
sunscreens are the beauty products that are of great value to the people as it can help them in
having a healthy skin. The consumers are aware about a large number of sunscreen
companies among which they make the choices on the basis of the needs along with the
particular demands.
The evoked set is indicative of the various kinds of brands about which a consumer is
familiar in the event of making a purchase. The marketing campaigns want to establish the
business brand among the evoked set of the products that are considered by the target
customers in the event of making the purchase decisions (Szmigin and Piacentini 2018). The
evoked set in relation to the sunscreens are Neutrogena, Hawaiian Tropic, Aveeno, La Roche-
Posay along with the Australian Gold that are very popular among the customers of the

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present age. They have been able to make a mark as they contain ingredients that are not
harmful for the health of the skin of the people.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Consumer Behaviour is indicative of study of individuals that is related with the
buying of a product or a service. The sunscreens can protect people against harsh rays of sun
and they are mainly used by the people when they are on the vacation. Rational process
pertaining to decision making can be employed in the event of the people buying the product
of the sunscreen. The use of the sunscreen can be harmful for the health of the people and it
can lead to skin cancer. The risks can be reduced in relation to the usage of the sunscreen in
the event of the manufacturers displaying large amount of information on the labelling that
can help the customers in buying the right product.
It can be recommended on the basis of the primary research that has been conducted
that the sunscreen manufacturer in Australia should formulate the sunscreen on the basis of
the Australian conditions that can help the sunscreen in becoming popular in the market. The
secondary research brought out the fact that the sunscreens in Australia should have the SPF
of around 50 + that can help in filtering 98 % of the ultra-violet radiation from the sun. The
sunscreens of Australia should be of SPF30 along with the SPF50 that can offer excellent
protection to the skin of the Australians. It can be said that the maximum amount of the water
resistance that is claimable is around four hours for that of SPF30.

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