Analyzing Consumer Behaviour: Brand Communities, and Ethical Issues

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of consumer behaviour, focusing on the impact of brand communities, the concepts of hedonism and ethical consumption, and sociological issues within the Japanese market. It explores how brand communities like Unilever and Marks & Spencer influence consumer purchasing decisions through sustainability and online presence. The report further examines the relationship between hedonistic and ethical consumption, advocating for a balance between consumer pleasure and ethical responsibility. Additionally, it utilizes Hofstede's cultural dimensions to understand how collectivism and values towards quality of life in Japan affect consumer preferences for organic products. The study concludes that understanding consumer behaviour is crucial for businesses to effectively influence purchasing power while aligning with ethical and cultural values. Desklib offers similar resources for students seeking to deepen their understanding of marketing and consumer behaviour.

Consumer Behaviour

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
TASK-1............................................................................................................................................3
Analysation of brand communities and consumer behaviour......................................................3
TASK-2............................................................................................................................................4
Hedonism and ethical consumption.............................................................................................4
TASK-3............................................................................................................................................5
Identifying the sociological issues in consumer behaviour.........................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Consumer behaviour refers to the study of different parameters that affects the purchasing
power of consumers. The current study will describe how brand communities affects consumer
behaviour. Furthermore, the report will highlight the concept of Hedonism and Ethical
consumption. Moreover, the sociological issues in consumer behaviour under the Japan will be
highlighted in the report.
MAIN BODY
TASK-1
Analysation of brand communities and consumer behaviour
Brand community refers to the scenario where the people possess emotional connection
with the particular brand. Consumer behaviour is concerned with the behaviour pattern of the
customers that affects their purchasing decision. However, different brand plays different kinds
of role in influencing the customers. As there are large number of brand present in the market
and all of these brand makes different types of influence over the behaviour pattern of customers.
For example: Unilever is a brand that assures eco-friendly products, Zara has been considered as
that brand that deals in the fashionable clothing line and Coco-cola deals in providing soft drinks
to the customers. Different brand assures different kind of products and services. Consumer
posses different set of mentalities regarding various brand thus, the concept of understanding
consumer behaviour is highly different by all brand communities (Dalen, 2021). Currently, it is
highly important that business must become environment conscious as harming the environment
while performing operations leads to create harm over the goodwill of the brand. Often, those
brand communities that provides eco-friendly products makes higher influence over the
customers. It has been found from various studies that, consumers gets highly influence by the
brand that performs the concept of sustainability. Thus, this clearly depicts that, sustainability
has become the one of major factor in assuring impact over consumer decision. Unilever has
been determined as that brand community that makes focus over reducing the waste and achieves
100% renewable energy process in terms of performing the operation.
The another brand community that is Mark and Spencer is offers eco-friendly products
within involving recycled materials. Thus, these brand communities makes the influence over the
purchasing power of customers The customers are likely to reduce the consumption of the

products that are made with the single use plastic pattern. As consumers in market are highly
knowledgable and aware about the threat towards the environment that has been created by the
brand communities while performing their operations (Carolina, 2019). Brand communities that
offers eco-friendly products influence the purchasing power of the consumers as the trust of
customers has ben gained within saving environment and assuring safety to the customers. The
marketer analyse the consumer behaviour and on the basis that, most appropriate online platform
has been selected that can influence the purchasing power of the customers. Online brand
communities plays crucial role in generating the reviews and feedback of on-going products and
services in the market and when consumers get in touch with the uploaded content then, it makes
influence over their purchasing power (Cherubino ans et.al., 2019). Often, the influencers has
been appointed by the online brand community in order to attract the favour of the customers.
For example: Unilever has made its official page over Instagram and reviews and feedback by
customers after using products has been uploaded over the social medial platform. As a result,
the consumer gets influence with the review of another consumer and makes purchase. This is
how the cycle goes on at online platform and online brand community has been used in effective
manner for influencing the decision power of customers.
TASK-2
Hedonism and ethical consumption
The Hedonism theory reflects the relation among the consumer and products and services
used by the customer. When customer use any product and services and gets the satisfaction
along with full-filling needs. This leads to create the emotional attachment among the product
and customers and this has been determined as Hedonism consumption. On the other hand,
Ethical consumption refers to purchasing those products and services that has been produced
without causing social and environment harm (do Paço, Shiel and Alves, 2019). However, In
accordance with the current consumer trend, there is link establish in Hedonism and ethical
consumption. The Hedonism consumption refer to assure the pleasure to the consumers and
ethical consumption suggest the ways that depicts use of those products and services that are
eco-friendly in nature. Also, ethical consumption suggest the ways of disposing goods that dos
not cause the harm to environment. Thus, the concept of Hedonism and ethical consumption is a
mixture in which consumer must consume goods within increasing their pleasure and assuring
their obligation towards ethical concern. Brands that are assuring Hedonic needs must make a

keen focus over advocating ethical consumption. Only assuring the pleasure to consumer is not
enough along with this, certain obligation is required to perform in the context of Ethical
consumption. For example Hedonism consumption involves, eating chocolates, drinks, coffee
and so on. Thus, this attribute assures higher pleasure to customers.
Examples of ethical consumption refers to using those products and services that
performs charity and performs obligation towards society and environment. Also, this involves
disposing the used goods in systematic manner. The business must advocate and teach the
customers within mentioning proper information regarding dispose of goods over the packaging
of products. Thus, in this manner, the consumer makes Hedonism consumption within using
goods and services and within following the instruction of disposal consumer makes the ethical
consumption as well. The biggest example of Hedonic consumption behaviour is Sports car. This
assures higher level of satisfaction to the user along providing the pleasure (Caruana, Glozer and
Eckhardt, 2020). However, sports cars found to be generate higher environment pollution as
well. Thus, here the ethical consumption behaviour has been ignored. Therefore, companies are
trying hard to involve battery features in car so, the pollution towards the environment can be
minimized. Thus, in this manner, Business plays vital role in affecting the ethical consumption
pattern of the consumers. Theory of reasoned reaction under consumer behaviour suggest that,
the impact over behaviour pattern of consumer can be made within providing them a specific
reason that is concerned with the satisfaction of consumer (Subawa and et.al., 2020). Thus, in
similar manner Hedonism concept assures pleasure to customers and provide them reason to
make purchase and ethical consumption concept also provides the reason in terms of making
purchase within teaching the methods of using ethical consumption guidelines.
TASK-3
Identifying the sociological issues in consumer behaviour
Hofstede’s national cultural dimensions theory is based on cross-cultural
communication that affects the behaviour pattern of consumers. Customers are from different
nations and they are concerned with the different background and culture. The sociological
model in consumer behaviour describes that, the buying pattern of consumer is often derives
from the role and influence of society (Zainuddin and et.al., 2018). In similar manner, Hofstede’s
national cultural dimensions says that, cultural dimension impacts the consumer behaviour
pattern as their culture is aligned with the role and influence of society. In order to understand

this concept with more clearance, here is the description of two dimension from Hofstede’s
national cultural dimensions in terms of analysing consumption behaviour of customers
purchasing organic products in Japan:
Individualism-Collectivism- This dimension refers to the rate in which society focuses on
individual's interest in terms of increasing self-satisfaction of consumers and the degree at which
community makes focus over the group satisfaction in society. In Japan, society highly follows
the cultural element and all the people are guided towards maintaining collectivism. Thus, in
increasing the purchasing of organic products the behaviour pattern of the consumers can only be
influence by the focusing on the different groups of the society. It has been found from various
studies that, In Japan people are conscious about saving environment and prefers organic
products more that assures effective health to them and environment as well. Thus, this is the
collective thought of society in Japan (Razzaq and et.al., 2018). It clearly depicts that, business
that produces organic foods can easily influence the behaviour pattern of consumer in Japan.
Masculinity-Femininity- This has been considered as that degree in which society assures values
materialism in comparison of feelings and quality of life. Thus, applying this dimension over
consumer behaviour clearly states that, those countries that assures higher value to materialism
does not think about the ethical consumption behaviour only thinks about Hedonism
consumption behaviour as the major focus has been only made over acquiring pleasure. In case
of Japan, the people are aligned with the culture that provide higher value to the living pattern of
consumer. Thus, value towards feelings and quality of life has been given more than materialism.
Thus, the consumption behaviour of consumer in purchasing of organic products can be easily
influence (Beugelsdijk and Welzel 2018). As organic products ensures more quality to life also,
these products enables consumer in performing collective combination of Hedonism and Ethical
consumption. Hence, It has been proven that culture of Japan has been entitled with providing
higher value to life thus, the behaviour pattern of consumer is Japan is also aligned with it.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that, understanding of consumer behaviour
plays vital role in influencing the purchasing power of the consumers. Often, the report has
highlighted the various aspects that impacts the behaviour patter of consumers.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Beugelsdijk, S. and Welzel, C., 2018. Dimensions and dynamics of national culture:
Synthesizing Hofstede with Inglehart. Journal of cross-cultural psychology, 49(10),
pp.1469-1505.
Carolina, Ț., 2019. DIMENSIONS OF NATIONAL CULTURE–CROSS-CULTURAL
THEORIES. Studies in Business & Economics, 14(3).
Caruana, R., Glozer, S. and Eckhardt, G.M., 2020. ‘Alternative Hedonism’: Exploring the Role
of Pleasure in Moral Markets. Journal of Business Ethics, 166(1), pp.143-158.
Cherubino ans et.al., 2019. Consumer behaviour through the eyes of neurophysiological
measures: State-of-the-art and future trends. Computational intelligence and
neuroscience.
Dalen, J.H., 2021. Communicating sustainability in marketing advertisements: the influence of
visualisation and advertisement claims on Instagram advertisements of sustainable
clothing brands (Bachelor's thesis, University of Twente).
do Paço, A., Shiel, C. and Alves, H., 2019. A new model for testing green consumer
behaviour. Journal of cleaner production, 207, pp.998-1006.
Razzaq and et.al., 2018. The impact of utilitarian and hedonistic shopping values on sustainable
fashion consumption: The moderating role of religiosity. Global Business
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Subawa and et.al., 2020. Hedonism on the behavior of consumer society as a global cultural
transformation. International research journal of management, IT and social
sciences, 7(2), pp.59-70.
Zainuddin and et.al., 2018, December. Alternative Cross-Cultural Theories: Why Still
Hofstede?. In Proceedings of International Conference on Economics, Management and
Social Study (pp. 4-6).