Principles of marketing/PMKT102/Assessing customer behaviour/Customer behaviour skills challenge

Challenge summary

Summary:	How would you assess customer behaviour and motivation for buying a new product?
	2-3 hours

During this challenge you will write a blog post in your Learning Journal blog, and respond substantively to at least two of your peers.

Start here

Stimulus resources

1. Review the previously assigned readings.
2. Look at the following supplemental resources:
   • Consumer behaviour, in Wikipedia.
   • Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, in Wikipedia.
   • 14 international movie posters that are very different from the US version, in Buzzfeed.
3. Use the following two resources to find out about a novel invention - the Human Hamster Wheel Standing Desk. You will use this invention as the subject for your Customer Behaviour Skills learning challenge (and also for the Researching needs skills learning challenge and the Value proposition skills learning challenge):
   • Video - Human Hamster Wheel for the Ultimate Standing Desk
   • Website - Hamster Wheel Standing Desk instructions

Purpose

The purpose of this learning challenge is to:

• Assess consumers' behaviour for this product, their decision-making process, and what marketing channels would be used (B2B, B2C or both) to reach customers, in facilitating them to buy this product.
• Document and share your learning experience by posting a blog entry.
• Learn from your peers regarding how they would assess consumer behaviour for this product.

Value of this exercise

With an understanding of customer behaviour and what motivates them to buy, it will be easier to select cost-effective sales tactics and promotions to successfully reach the customer and generate a positive return on investment.

In the 'real world', companies try to learn as much as they can about the customer's purchasing development process. This helps them convert browsing consumers into paying customers.