Consumer Behavior: Issues, Solutions, and Coles Supermarket

This report provides an in-depth analysis of consumer behavior within the context of marketing. It defines consumer behavior, emphasizing its importance for organizations in understanding customer preferences and buying patterns. The report uses Coles Supermarket as a case study, examining its customer profiles and identifying issues related to consumer behavior, such as internal influences, misinformation, and product dissatisfaction. It then explores solutions by applying theories like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and social marketing strategies. The report concludes by highlighting the significance of consumer behavior for marketers in optimizing sales, understanding customer psychology, and adapting marketing strategies to meet consumer needs effectively, aiming to improve customer satisfaction and business outcomes.

Running head: CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Consumer Behavior
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Executive Summary
The report helps in analyzing the different issues that are faced by different marketers in the
entire competitive market. The different definitions of the consumer behavior have been
discussed, as this will help in analyzing the behavior and importance of the consumer behavior in
the entire competitive market.
The main aim and purpose of the report is to identify the different issues that are faced by the
marketers relating to the consumer behavior. The importance of the consumer behavior has to be
maintained, as this will help in understanding the behavior of the consumers.
The conclusion will be based on analysis of the different importance of the consumer behavior in
the entire competitive market. The different issues has to be solved in such a manner that this
will help in analyzing the issues and solving the matter in an effective manner.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
1. Overview on consumer behavior.................................................................................................2
2. Importance of consumer behavior in organizations.....................................................................3
3. Overview of Coles Supermarket..................................................................................................5
a) Primary and secondary Customer Profile for Coles Supermarket..........................................6
b) Identification of issues and solving such issues in consumer behavior..................................7
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
The report helps in analyzing the definition of the consumer behavior in the context of an
organization. The consumer behavior is the study of the different individuals, groups as well as
different processes that are used in order to dispose the different products and services to satisfy
the different requirements of the customers.
The main aim and purpose of the report is to identify the different importance of the
consumer behavior in the organization. The organization that has been taken in the particular
report is Coles Supermarket that is based in Australia. The identification of the interest of the
organization is essential in nature, as this will help in segmenting the different customers.
The structure of the report includes definition of the consumer behavior, importance of
consumer behavior in the organization as well as the identification of the organization interest.
The different issues faced by the consumers have to be highlighted to solve such issues with
proper insight.
1. Overview on consumer behavior
The consumer behavior is the study of different individuals along with organizations that
include different activities that are associated with it for disposal of goods and services to the
individuals in the entire society (Lantos, 2015). There are different factors that are considered in
order to satisfy the requirements of the customers in the society that includes marketing
campaigns, purchasing power of the individuals and personal preferences. There are different
models of consumer behavior that has to be considered, as this is essential to understand the
buying decisions of the consumers (Martin & Bateman, 2014).
Consumer behavior is influenced with the different personal factors that are essential in
nature that includes occupation, age, economic conditions, lifestyle of the individuals as well.
The economic model of the consumer behavior is the oldest model of the consumer behavior that
includes as well as explains the likely behavior of the consumers in buying decisions that are
applied by them. This model helps in including the monetary conditions of the individuals
regarding their purchasing power. In the economic model, the money is the crucial factor that is

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required to be analyzed, as this will help in influencing the behavior of the consumers
(Madzharov, Block & Morrin, 2015).
On the other hand, there are different other models of the consumer behavior such as
Engel, Kollat and Blackwell Model as well as Black Box Model that has different
implementations. However, there are different factors that influence the behavior of the buying
of customers such as psychological factors that include motivation, perception along with
attitude and beliefs. Consumer buying behavior is the total of the attitude and behavior of the
customers and this helps in analyzing the preferences of the customers while buying different
goods and services (Jerath, Ma & Park, 2014).
2. Importance of consumer behavior in organizations
There are different importances of the consumer behavior to the different marketers in the
organization. It is essential for the different marketers to understand the consumer behavior in
such a manner that they can understand the preferences of the consumers and satisfy the different
requirements in an effective manner as well. The importance of the consumer behavior in the
organization is explained as follows:
The main importance of the consumer behavior in organizations is to understand the
buying patterns of the consumers by creating and retaining different customers through
online stores (Krishna, 2015)
The consumer studies helped in making the marketers understand about the post purchase
behavior of the customers in the entire market. This will help the different organizations in the
market to become fully aware about the process of consumption in a detailed manner (Li, Linn &
Muehlegger, 2014)
This will help in increasing the knowledge of the sales person, as this will help in
influencing the behavior of the consumers while buying different goods and services.
Effective kind of marketing of different kind of products and services will help in
delivering the right product to the different customers (Napoli et al., 2014)
The behavior of the customers is essential in nature as this will help in optimizing the sale
of product and this will create focus on the different strategies of marketing. The

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salesperson of the different markets will help in gaining knowledge on the consumers
buying patterns (Oliver, 2014).
The consumers are the heart of the business, as this will help in increasing the sales of the
customers (Zeugner-Roth, Žabkar & Diamantopoulos 2015). The marketers are
responsible for satisfying the different requirements of the customers and this will help in
influencing the decision of the customers. The marketers need to analyze the preferences
of the customers by conducting different surveys through questionnaires as this will help
them in knowing the requirements of the customers (Gruber & Schlegelmilch, 2014)
The psychology of the customers has to be analyzed by the marketers in an effective
manner, as this will help in improving the marketing techniques that can solve such
issues with the implementation of effective strategies.
Lastly, the sales of the different organizations will be increased with the analysis of the
purchases of the consumers. This will help the marketers in increasing their sales and
knowing the likes and dislikes of the customers (Chiu et al., 2014).
For instance- Suppose in a respective market, there are different customers who are the target
customers of the company. There is a launch of a new product in the market purchased by
different customers on that day; it is the duty of the marketers to analyze the different
preferences of the customers. This will help in understanding the popularity of the product and
this will help in analyzing the profits that has been generated from the particular product as well.
This example helps in analyzing the preferences of the customers and this is providing proper
importance to the customer behavior in the entire competitive market as well.
3. Overview of Coles Supermarket
Coles supermarket is the Australian supermarket, retail as well as consumer service chain
that is headquartered in Melbourne ("Coles Supermarkets", 2018). The entire company is owned
by parent company Wesfarmers that was founded in the year 1914. There are 801 supermarkets
throughout Australia having 100,000 employees and they are operating online as well. The total
asset that has been generated by Coles is $1 billion and the net revenue that is generated from the
company is around $33 billion. The CEO of the respective supermarket Coles is John Durkan
and the respective company is performing well in the different operational activities as well.

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a) Primary and secondary Customer Profile for Coles Supermarket
Primary Customer Profile
Brand Loyalists Value for money buyers Taste Seekers
There are different buyers
who are indifferent in nature.
These are the ones who are
loyal to single brand and the
age group is around 29-35
years of age and usually not
married in nature. The main
target is the different kind of
refreshments and other soft
drinks
The price is the essential
factor and the age group
targeted is more than 40 years.
The income of the entire
family has to be12000-15000
per month. The preferred
brands are the different kinds
of healthy foods, fruits as
well.
The taste is the essential factor
that is considered and the age
group that is targeted is less
than 39 years of age. The
female customers are the main
target customers as they have
huge knowledge relating to the
different products that are
required in the day-to-day life.
The main target are the
different oil, fruits, vegetables
and other necessary
ingredients that are required in
the day to day life
Secondary Customer profile
Restaurant Owners School/College Canteens
These are the secondary
customers as they are the ones
who require different kind of
ingredients that are required
for their restaurant.
The age group varies from
29 years and above and this
will help in sale of the
These are the secondary
customers as well who
purchase different ingredients
that are required to prepare the
snacks and other items in the
canteens. The main age group
varies from 25-35 years of age
and they help in increasing the

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different goods and services
such as for the different
vegetables and other spices
sale will increase
sales of the business
b) Identification of issues and solving such issues in consumer behavior
There are different issues that are faced by the consumers in the entire competitive
market relating to the purchase of different goods and services. The issues that are faced by the
consumers while purchasing goods from Coles Supermarket are as follows:
There are different internal influences such as attitude of the customers along with the
marketers will be one such reason. There can be different situation in the market that is
related to the behavior of the marketers in the organization towards the consumers. The
marketers may not be able to understand the requirements of the customers and they
deliver goods and services that are not essential in nature (Carrington, Neville &
Whitwell, 2014)
Secondly, when a new product is launched in the market, it is the duty of the marketer to
guide the customer thoroughly relating to the characteristics of the product. When wrong
information is generated to the customers, it will create a wrong impression on the
individuals in the entire competitive market
Thirdly, when the customer is not satisfied with the product that is provided by the
respective supermarket. The situation can be such that the customers demanded a
product, however such product was not available in the market and the marketer provides
the replacement to the customer that did not meet the expectations that is required in the
market (Xiang, Magnini & Fesenmaier, 2015).
However, there are different ways and processes through which the issues relating to the
consumer behavior can be solved with proper implementation of different theories and models.
The theories and models will help in analyzing the importance of the customer behavior in such a
manner that this will help in solving such issues relating to the marketing strategies. The
Maslow’s hierarchy theory helps in analyzing the different requirements of the customers that
include:

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Physiological Needs
Safety Needs
Social Needs
Esteem Needs
Self Actualization Needs
The requirements of the consumer behavior has to ascertained in an effective manner as
this will help in solving the different issues that are faced by them. The different needs have to
be ascertained that will help in solving the matters. Social marketing is essential in nature, as this
will help the marketers in understanding the preferences of the customers in the market. The
purchase decision of the customers has to be analyzed, as this will help the organization in
preparing proper availability of the goods and services in such a manner that this will help in
understanding the importance of the consumers.
The different steps that can be followed by the marketers in the organization are as
follows:
The social marketing is essential in nature as the company will help in introducing new
products in the market that will increase the marketing of the different goods and services
(Couture et al., 2015)
The choices of the brand has to be analyzed by the marketers in the respective
organization as this will help in influencing the customers towards a particular brand as
this will increase the marketing activities (Zhao et al., 2014)
The psychology of the customers has to be understood by the marketers in the
organization that will help in differing the marketing strategies for selling of different
range of goods and services
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be concluded that proper ascertainment of the consumer behavior is
essential in nature, as this will help in understanding the alternatives that can be adopted to make
the customers satisfied. It has been seen that it is the duty of the different marketers in the
organization to analyze the requirements of the customers as this helped them in delivering the
goods and services in a proper manner. The behavior of the customers played an essential role as

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this helped in influencing the decisions in an effective manner. Lastly, the marketers require
adopting different strategies to improve the marketing campaigns as this will help in
implementing the strategies in an effective manner in the future.
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