Solomon Michael R. Consumer Behavior

[Zareen Zapata]

ProfSolomon's primary research interests include consumer behavior and lifestyle issues, branding strategy, the symbolic aspects of products, the psychology of fashion, decoration, and image, services marketing and the development of visually-oriented online research methodologies. He has published numerous articles on these and related topics in academic journals, and he has delivered invited lectures on these subjects in Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Latin America. He is the author of 30+ books including Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being -- the most widely used textbook on the subject in the world. His most recent trade book is The New Chameleons: How to Connect with Consumers Who Defy Categorization.

The field of consumer behavior covers a lot of ground: It is the study of the processes involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use, or dispose of products, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy needs and desires. Consumers take many forms, ranging from an 8-year-old child who begs her mother for a Frozen Elsa doll to an executive in a large corporation who helps to decide on a multimillion-dollar computer system. The items we consume include anything from canned peas to a massage, democracy, Juicy jeans, Reggaeton music, or a celebrity like Taylor Swift. The needs and desires we satisfy range from hunger and thirst to love, status, and even spiritual fulfillment.

Marketing practitioners rely heavily on consumer behavior research to guide strategic decisions that may range from the most effective way to phrase an advertisement to the optimal way to configure a store environment or how to design a public policy campaign to encourage responsible consumption.

In its early stages of development, consumer behavior researchers referred to the field as buyer behavior; this reflected the emphasis at that time (1960s and 1970s) on the interaction between consumers and producers at the time of purchase. Most marketers now recognize that consumer behavior is in fact an ongoing process, not merely what happens at the moment a consumer hands over money or a credit card and in turn receives some good or service.

Does marketing imitate life, or vice versa? After the movie Wedding Crashers became a big hit, hotels, wedding planners, and newlyweds reported an outbreak of uninvited guests who tried to gain access to parties across the United States. For better or for worse, we all live in a world that the actions of marketers significantly influence.

Our motivations to consume range from the practical to the fanciful. In some cases, we decide to try a product because we want to learn more about the experience and in some way grow personally. For example, in one study undergraduates who were asked to try a new (fictitious) brand of beer were more likely to do so when they believed their level of expertise with the product was relatively low (imagine that!), and thus there was an opportunity to enhance their knowledge about different attributes of beer. In other cases our choice of a product links more to our broader identity as a member of a larger entity such as an ethnic group or a country.

By now it should be clear that the field of consumer behavior encompasses many things, from the simple purchase of a carton of milk to the selection of a complex networked computer system; from the decision to donate money to a charity to devious plans to rip off a company.

consumer behavior researchers work on many types of topics, from everyday household products and high-tech installations to professional services, museum exhibits, and public policy issues such as the effect of advertising on children.

In recent years, some consumer behavior research has become more proactive, as adherents try to influence consumer behavior rather than just understand it. Consumer culture theory (CCT) refers generally to consumer behavior research that regards consumption from a social and cultural point of view rather than more narrowly as an economic exchange. CCT studies embrace a variety of consumer behavior topics that range from how the media shapes our conceptions of our bodies or how underprivileged people cope with poverty to how Harley-Davidson riders participate in an active community of bike lovers.

The key to marketing is understanding and satisfying consumer needs, thus a knowledge of consumer behavior is essential to any organization dealing with customers, users, or clients. This book promises to be a contemporary classic. It brings together an international set of scholars, many of whom are "household names", to examine the diverse approaches to consumer behavior topics.

The editors employ a micro to macro structure, dividing each topic into three parts: one reflecting foundational work, one focused on emerging trends, and one covering practical applications. Each part examines the relationship between consumer behaviour and motivation, including well-being, gender, social class, and more, and concludes with practitioner perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that come with understanding customers. Readers will gain insight into how drives that are constantly in flux relate to other aspects of human cognition and behavior, allowing them to reach customers successfully, and to meet their needs. With contributions from leading scholars, including Sidney Levy and Jagdish Sheth, this volume sets the standard as the most comprehensive, cutting-edge resource on the subject of consumer behavior.

Students of consumer behaviour and marketing will find this a useful exploration of a fast-moving field, fundamental to the welfare of companies, government, non-profits, and consumers. It will also benefit new and established academic researchers as well as practitioners who want to stay on top of current knowledge.

"Featuring leading scholars in the field, this book surveys the breadth of consumer behavior research while providing sufficient depth for readers to appreciate both the existing knowledge and knowledge gaps in the domains it covers. It is a must-have reference for anyone wishing to perform research in consumer behavior."

"In this new edited volume on consumer behavior, Solomon and Lowrey bring together a broad range of contributions that address many relevant topics in contemporary consumer research. The book not only reports on a broad range of topics, but also provides insights from many of the different scientific disciplines involved in consumer studies, making it a showcase of the multidisciplinary nature of the field."

"This volume is an excellent companion to the study of consumer behavior. It covers the basic components, such as perception, motivation, attitudes, and learning. More importantly, it provides cutting-edge updates and new topics including effects of climate, the quantified self, retail therapy, and poverty. It clearly deepens and broadens our understanding of consumers."

In this eighth edition of Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being, Solomon highlights the significance and dynamic nature of consumer behavior in seventeen chapters spread across five sections: Consumers in the Marketplace; Consumers as individuals; Consumers as Decision makers; Consumers and subcultures; and Consumers and Culture.

However, the emphasis of this text is too American and therefore of limited relevance to students outside North America. There are not enough examples or illustrations from other regions of the world on parade in the text and as a consequence this may limit the international appeal of the text.

This contemporary text goes beyond the "act of buying" and presents a balanced and global perspective. Grounded in the very latest research, the sixth edition probes the psyche of consumers around the world as it explores their diverse experiences with buying, having, and being. Solomon's captivating writing style and ability to weave the most current research, real-world examples, global coverage, and managerial applications throughout have made this text a market leader edition after edition.

Michael R. Solomon, Ph.D., is Human Sciences Professor of Consumer Behavior in the Department of Consumer Affairs, College of Human Sciences, at Auburn University Prior to joining Auburn in 1995, he was Chairman of the Department of Marketing in the School of Business at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. He earned B.A. degrees in Psychology and Sociology magna cum laude at Brandeis University in 1977, and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981. He received the Cutty Sark Men's Fashion Award for his research on the psychological aspects of clothing. In 1996 he was awarded the Fulbright/FLAD Chair in Market Globalization by the U.S. Fulbright Commission and the Government of Portugal.

Professor Solomon's primary research interests include consumer behavior and lifestyle issues, online research methodologies, the symbolic aspects of products, the psychology of fashion, decoration, and image, and services marketing. He has published numerous articles on these and related topics in academic journals, and he has delivered invited lectures on these subjects in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Australia, and Latin America. His research has been funded by the American Academy of Advertising, the American Marketing Association, the International Council of Shopping Centers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Commerce. He currently sits on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Consumer Behaviour and the Journal of Retailing, and he was elected to the Board of Governors of the Academy of Marketing Science. Professor Solomon was ranked as one of the fifteen most widely cited scholars in the academic behavioral sciences/ fashion literature, and as one of the ten most productive researchers in the field of advertising and marketing communications.

In addition to his academic activities, Professor Solomon is a frequent contributor to mass media. He is the author of Conquering Consumerspace: Marketing Strategies for a Branded World, which was published in 2003. His feature articles have appeared in such magazines as Psychology Today, Gentleman's Quarterly, and Savvy. He has been quoted in numerous national magazines and newspapers, including Allure, Elle, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Mirabella, Newsweek, New York Times, Self, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal. He has been interviewed numerous times on radio and television, including appearances on Today, Good Morning America, CNBC, Channel One, Inside Edition, Newsweek on the Air, the Wall Street Journal Radio Network, and National Public Radio. Professor Solomon advises numerous companies on issues related to consumer behavior, services marketing, retailing, and advertising and he is a Director of Mind/Share, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in online consumer research. He frequently addresses business groups on strategic issues related to consumer behavior. Professor Solomon currently lives in Auburn, Alabama, with his wife, Gail, their three children, Amanda, Zachary, and Alexandra and Chloe, their golden retriever.

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