This text is an introduction to the study of consumer behavior within a recognized social context, that is, in relation to the products, services and markets of the hospitality industry.䊉 This text is an introduction to the study of consumer behavior in a recognized social context, that is, in relation to the hospitality industry's products, services and markets.
An introduction to a discipline of consumer behaviour research
These interactions, together with the unpredictability of consumer behavior due to individual differences and the ways in which we categorize consumption decisions, make the study of consumer behavior a complex undertaking. This chapter is an introduction to the study of consumer behavior within the hospitality industry, with a specific focus on examining what is consumed and why it has become such a central feature of contemporary society, how the phenomena have been investigated, why we need to use theory to investigate hospitality consumption and the relationship between marketing and consumer behaviour.
Contemporary hospitality
The chapter will also discuss the nature and scope of hospitality, albeit briefly given the complexity involved. Hospitality is obviously very closely related to the study of tourism and leisure, so I don't want to be limited to the semantic concepts of hospitality that relate to the study of food, drink and accommodation.
Defining consumer behaviour
Horner and Swarbrook opted for a simple form of definition, contenting themselves with defining consumer behavior as "the study of why people buy the product they do and how they make their decisions". This focus on exchange is somewhat avoided by Wilkie, who defines consumer behavior as "the mental, emotional, and physical activities in which people engage when they select, purchase, use, and dispose of products and services to satisfy needs and wants." .
Why now, and what about hospitality?
The concept of consumer needs and wants is also included in definitions of consumer behaviour, for example in that of Solomon who, in a definition similar to that offered by Gabbott and Hogg (1998) defines it as 'the process involved when individuals or groups choose, buy, use or dispose of products, services, ideas or experiences to satisfy needs and wants'. Ritzer (1999) refers to the rise of consumer outlets as "the new means of consumption" or more lyrically "cathedrals of consumption", further highlighting a significant number of hospitality offerings as examples of these cathedrals.
The value of theory in researching consumer behaviour in hospitality
Contemporary literature reviews would suggest three broad approaches to consumption – the economic, positivist (rational) or cognitive consumer, the behavioral, interpretive consumer (learning) and the experiential consumer (postmodern): Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism. Considering that the orientation of the catering industry towards the consumer is supposed to be prescribed, this seems like a big oversight.
Hospitality as service
Prior to this period, services marketing was treated as an adjunct to the marketing of goods. Despite this, many academic texts still refer to the marketing of goods and services as if they were interchangeable.
The nature of products, goods and services
This leads us to the question “How does the consumption of services differ from that of other goods?”. As we have discussed, while it is possible to describe the nature and performance of physical products using objective criteria, this is very limited in the case of services.
Consuming services
For many restaurateurs and academics, this seeming chaos has encouraged a focus on individual components of the service encounter. This is evidenced by the desire to identify properties that can be manipulated to gain control over the service environment.
An introduction to consumer decision-making
The outlet/store patronage refers to the decision of which outlet hospitality consumers will use to obtain their goods and services. Finally, brand and style decisions refer to the specifications of the goods and services chosen, and again this area of consumer behavior has received considerable attention from hospitality consumer researchers.
Modelling consumer decision-making
䊉 descriptive models, which provide a qualitative description and explanation of the systems we are trying to model; in other words they can be seen as a word picture of the problem. The formulation of the model facilitates the understanding of the problem itself and gives directions for its solution.
Defining consumer decision-making
As a consequence, consumers are able to make a choice with full knowledge of the options available. The selection of venues such as restaurants exemplifies this type of decision for many people.
Generalized models of consumer decision-making
This is seen as the beginning of the decision process, for example, a person needs to buy food to satisfy hunger. Teare then develops a hypothetical model of the consumer decision-making process for hospitality services, emphasizing the proposition that, as Hospitality Hospitality, Leisure & Tourism Series.
Introduction
Consumer motivation
Most of the criticisms have been related to the value of research based on an individual's interpretation of qualitative judgment. We become more engaged in service than when we make what might be considered low-involvement decisions.
Learning and memory
Insight allows us to apply the solutions created for one case to a wide range of other problems, through an understanding of the relationship between means and ends. It enables us to retrieve our learning when we need it, a process known as recall.
Personality
䊉 self-reference – the relationship of advertising to people's own lives; Harvester Steak Houses, for example, ran a series of commercials using 'real' families and their experiences. Statt defines personality as 'the sum total of all the factors that make an individual human both individual and human; the thinking, feeling and behavior that all people have in common, and the particular characteristic pattern of these elements that makes each person unique.
Perception
Many of the factors outlined in this chapter can be interpreted as building blocks of consumer behavior; internal processes that guide us as hospitable consumers in our actions. However, as we see in the next chapter, it offers only part of the answer.
Introduction to environmental aspects of hospitality consumption
While it would be possible, and in some ways preferable, to consider environmental factors under the two broad headings of social and cultural perspectives, in other ways the synergy between these two areas is such that there are benefits from considering them separately. together, as I have chosen to do here. This chapter begins by considering how contemporary studies of consumer behavior have developed a sociological stance, as opposed to the more psychological and cognitive perspectives highlighted in the previous chapter.
The development of a sociological perspective in consumer behaviour
The impact of culture on hospitality consumption
As can be seen, many of the above affect the consumption of hospitality goods and services. Known in Yiddish as Kosherand in Hebrew as Kasherthis refers to the suitability of an object for ritual purposes, and although it is more generally applied to foods that meet the requirements of the dietary laws of kashruth, kosher is also used to describe, for example, such objects. such as a Torah scroll, water for ritual bathing (mikvah) and the ritual ram's horn (shofar).
Characteristics of culture
The dynamic nature of hospitality culture can also be seen in the increasing informality of many hospitality gatherings. Again, Western countries such as the USA and Great Britain are seen as having low energy distances, while those of the Far East, etc.
Hospitality consumption as ritual
For example, clambake is a traditional seafood picnic in the New England region of the USA, adopted by coastal Native Americans. One of the most ritualized food and drink experiences is that of the Japanese tea ceremony, a description of which is included as Case Study 5.2.
Summarizing the role of culture in hospitality consumer behaviour
The success of the Tokyo park convinced the management of Disney that the concept of a theme park could be immediately exported to the "foreign". Little did they try to understand why Europeans were so enamored of the Disney parks in the US, and they failed to understand that the theme park concept itself was only one part of the equation.
The influence of social class and status on hospitality consumption
The influence of social class or social stratification is that people within stratum interact largely with others from the same stratum. For example, the chance of marriage within social classes is much higher than between social classes.
An introduction to the influence of groups on hospitality consumption
These are the groups to which individuals belong based on, for example, the categories they fall into. As Assael argues, "the basis for comparative influence is in the process of comparing yourself to other members of the group and judging whether the group would be supportive."
The family as reference group
This means that the person responsible for activities on behalf of the family tends to be responsible for the purchases associated with it.䊉 Where relevant, the influence of the reference group on the marketing situation in question.
The evolution of the marketing concept
This chapter attempts to answer this question by first discussing the development of the marketing concept and then its role in the modern hospitality industry. The development of the marketing concept through the production-sales orientation to the marketing orientation from the mid-50s of the 20th century onwards is investigated and the penetration of the marketing concept in the hospitality industry is studied.
Market segmentation
However, as we have seen, the basic building blocks of the marketing concept are segmentation and positioning. Market segmentation is based on insight into the social, economic and, to a limited extent, psychological position of the consumer.
Segmenting hospitality markets
Segments, it is argued, should be the smallest unit to which it is practical to tailor a specific marketing program. Finally, the benefit model can be seen as too complicated to segment hospitality services, as it is clear that hospitality consumers do not seek an identifiable, individual benefit from the services offered.
The pervasive nature of the marketing concept
However, as we have seen, each of the proposed models has criticism associated with it. This is supported by Calver who suggests that "In recent years, many hospitality organisations, particularly in the UK and the rest of Europe, have understood the terminology and announced their conversion to the cause of marketing concept".
The collapse of the marketing concept
Indeed, some contemporary commentators are quite scathing about the role of the marketing concept in today's markets. The question this raises is whether this critique of the marketing concept really matters when looking at the consumption of .
Postmodern marketing
At a time when a number of academic disciplines are exploring the implications of the postmodern condition, it is clear that its implications for hospitality need to be explored. These beliefs have been fundamental to Europe and the rest of the Western world until now.
Consuming hospitality: learning lessons from postmodernism
According to Lyotard, postmodernism is characterized by a lack of security and a decline in belief in a uniform, coherent self. Postmodernism, according to Lyotard, is primarily characterized by a lack of security and a decline in belief in a unitary coherent self.
