UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND IMPACT OF INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION ON DECISION MAKING

In a competitive economic system, companies can survive and develop if they are aware of the most accurate and detailed information about consumers. The concept of modern marketing highlights the need for having detailed information about the consumer needs, their motives, attitude and lifestyle. In the modern era it is almost a universally accepted idea that the main rationale of marketing is not about finding and persuading people to buy what a company produces, instead it aims in satisfying the consumer, which is the essence of consumer orientation. Marketers need to study consumer behaviour as this will help them in positioning their brand well and in developing effective marketing strategies .Culture and social class to which a consumer belong to also reflects his/her buying habits. Other social and personal factors do create an impact in purchase process. There are other psychological factors like perception, motivation and attitudes which impact the consumer decision making process. The intensity and degree of consumer involvement in product purchase also give marketers a clue in understanding their motive behind purchase. By making use of Integrated Marketing Communication brands can ensure that their messages are received by their target audiences. One of the main objectives of IMC is to develop effective ways by which consumers’ needs could be satisfied. Identifying the communication pathways which influence consumer purchase decisions is an indispensable marketing communications activity, with the ultimate goal of being able to create marketing messages to reach target audiences through the most suitable channels