Environmental and Consumer Influences Analysis
Environmental and Consumer Influences Analysis
Nikki Casalena-Pogue
PSY322
March 19, 2012
April Ward

Environmental and Consumer Influences Analysis
People should not be pigeonholed into one or two categories therefore companies have to expand their brands to fit into the lives of consumers. People are unique and so are the preferences of each man and woman. A product, such as laundry detergent, that so many consumers use, the manufacturer has to expand that product to suit the various needs and desires of the consumer. Many factors influence the purchase of a product: psychological factors and social factors. Along with external factors that affect consumer behavior, such as social, ecological, and cultural.
Psychological factors are termed by a science dealing with the study of behavior in people (Psychological Factors, 2012). The factors that influence consumer behavior toward laundry detergent purchases are personality and family, among others. The personality of the purchaser determines which type of detergent he or she buys. The consumer can choose from more than 80 different laundry detergent brands in the United States (Laundry Products: Laundry Detergents, 2012), but the consumer typically will choose just one and maintain purchasing that brand. Personality influences why people continue with one brand through consistency. Consistency shows there is generally a recognizable order and regularity to behaviors. Essentially, people act in the same ways or similar ways in a variety of situations (Cherry, What Is Personality, n.d.)
When consumers purchase detergent for a family of one or a family of many, some of the following are significant to his or her purchase: factors that will clean the clothes, such as stain remover, brighter clothes, less fading, or the addition of fabric softener or Oxy Clean, along with price, and smell. The brands’ product factors into the purchase along with the...