. Situational influences are factors that result from circumstances, time, and location that affect the consumer buying decision process.
- Can influence a consumer’s actions in any stage of the buying process
- Can shorten, lengthen, or terminate the buying process.
- Situational factors can be divided into five categories:
- Physical surroundings include location, store atmosphere, aromas, sounds, lighting, weather, and other factors in the physical environment in which the decision process occurs.
- Social surroundings include characteristics and interactions of others who are present during a purchase decision or who may be present when the product is used or consumed (e.g. friends, relatives or salespeople), as well as conditions during the shopping environment (e.g. an overcrowded store may cause the buyer to terminate the buying decision process).
- The time dimension influences the buying decision process in several ways, such as the amount of time required to become knowledgeable about a product, to search for it, and to buy and use it.
- a) Time plays a role as the buyer considers the possible frequency of product use, the length of time required to use the product, and the length of the overall product life.
- b) Other time dimensions influence purchases, including time of day, day of the week or month, seasons, and holidays.
- c) The amount of time pressure a consumer is under affects how much time is devoted to purchase decisions. A customer under severe time constraints is likely either to make a quick purchase decision or to delay a decision.
- The reason for the purchase raises the questions of what the product purchase should accomplish and for whom. For example, people who are buying a gift may buy a different product from one they would buy for themselves.
- The buyer’s momentary moods or conditions (e.g., fatigue, illness, having cash) may have a bearing on the consumer buying decision process. Any of these moods or conditions can affect a person’s ability and desire to search for information, receive information, or seek and evaluate alternatives. They can also significantly influence a consumer’s post-purchase evaluation.
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