Cultural and Social Forces Affecting Perfumes Purchase

Smell is not just a biological and psychological experience, it is also a social and cultural phenomenon.  The choice of perfumes is a complex decision making process that the customer has to go through. There are different elements that marketing gurus such as Kottler and Keller recognized as consumer behaviors factors : cultural, social and personal factors.

Culture is one of the most major influencers in consumer behaviour. Consumption choices cannot be understood without taking into consideration the culture in which they are made. Consumer products and services are a part of the system of meaning. The system is often culturally shared and culture specific and it is passed on from one generation to another. One of the world’s largest cosmetics companies L’Oreal has realized the importance of tailoring products according to consumers’ culture. 

Family, social roles and statuses as well as different reference groups are some of the social factors that, in addition to culture, affect consumer behaviour. In terms of choosing the perfume one’s decision can be easily influenced by the fact that someone in the family has used the perfume before or simply has recommended it.  Social roles and statuses also affect the way people choose to buy or not to buy a certain product or a service. Therefore the  choice of a certain perfume distinguish one from the different social classes and gives other a hint on the message the person is sending to the society. Furthermore, personal characteristics also influence a consumer’s behaviour. Examples of personal characteristics include the consumer’s age, occupation, economic circumstances, personality, self-concept, lifestyle and values.Last but not least ,probably the most important factor while choosing the perfume is personality of the customer. It refers to the person’s way of living as expressed in activities, interests and opinions  that often reflect unconscious motives underlying purchasing decisions.

Perfumes show the personality of the person who is using it, or who are we trying to be that is why  personality is probably one of the most important traits while trying to identify why customers are choosing this and not the other brand .

References:

http://www.sirc.org/publik/smell_culture.html

https://publications.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/26464/Thesis.pdf?sequence=1

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/dec/22/recession-cosmetics-lipstick