In about every moment of our lives, we engage in some form of consumer behaviour. When we look for posts on social media, watch an ad on TV, send a text message to friends about a movie we just saw, brush our teeth, go to a ball game or to a beach party, visit a website, download a new song, or even throw away an old pair of shoes, we are behaving as a consumer. Being a consumer reaches into every part of our lives. Of course, we are much more than just consumers. We are students, teammates, family members, employees, citizens, voters, patrons, patients, clients, neighbours, basketball fans, ice-cream lovers, bloggers, inventors, and more. This module is dedicated to our role as consumers. Given its omnipresence, the study of consumer behaviour has implications for areas such as marketing, public policy, and ethics. It also helps us learn about ourselves—why we buy certain things, why we use them in a certain way, and how we remove them from our lives through practices like throwing them away, selling, re-gifting, and donating them.
In this module we explore the world of consumer behaviour, looking at a number of interesting and relevant topics. This module recognises that consumer behaviour includes a set of decisions (what, whether, when, where, why, how, how often, how much, how long) about acquisition (including, but not limited to buying), usage, sharing, and disposition decisions. Focusing on more than what products or services consumers buy provides a larger set of theoretical and practical implications for both our understanding of consumer behaviour and the practice of marketing. Finally, the module highlights the relevance of consumer behaviour to many stakeholders, not just marketers.