Can consumer purchasing behaviors be managed? How does consumer purchasing affect producers and manufacturers? To what extend do trends, technology and branding affect consumer purchasing? Are there any other factors that affect consumer behavior?

Student’s Name Instructor’s Name Course Name Business Research Methods Date BUSINESS RESEARCH PROPOSAL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Over the last few decades, the global market has experienced consumer purchasing changes that are brought about by changing trends, technology and branding. This has brought concern to dealers and producers who have to ensure that their products and services are upgraded according to the changes in order to meet consumers taste and preference. After an initial analysis and evaluation on this behavior, I came up with a principal management research question: how do trends, technology and branding affect consumer purchasing behavior? PROBLEM STATEMENT Consumers’ purchasing power and behavior are influenced by many factors including their economic status, change in prices of goods, change in technology, branding differences and changing fashion trends. This has created a lot of controversies in the market since producers do not know whether their products and services will fit the modern technological events and lifestyle. These influences can be negative, positive or both. F-commerce has lead to impulse buying over the internet as face book has become bigger than Google. Consumers need to have consistency in their purchasing so as to maintain the equilibrium between supply and demand. The aim of this research is to find out how technology, trends and branding affect consumer purchasing either positively or negatively. RESEARCH QUESTIONS What is the relationship among technology, trend, branding and consumer purchasing. Can consumer purchasing behaviors be managed? How does consumer purchasing affect producers and manufacturers? To what extend do trends, technology and branding affect consumer purchasing? Are there any other factors that affect consumer behavior? HYPOTHESIS To evaluate how trends, technology and branding affect consumer purchasing. LITERATURE REVIEW A consumer can be defined as someone who buys goods and services for personal use and who can make a decision on whether or not to purchase. The purchased goods are usually not for resale or manufacture but are meant for personal use. A consumer is also a person who is willing to buy a product or service at a given price over a given period of time. Consumers purchasing behavior are influenced by many factors including marketing, technological factors, economic factors, branding, changing trends, psychological factors and advertisements. It has been seen that trends, technology and branding are the most common factors affecting consumers purchasing behavior. Technology is defined as the new way of doing things and a particular way of applying knowledge to a particular area. It includes new ways of craft ships solving problems and new ways of performing activities. According to wikinvest; technology has created a way through which consumers shop for their products online through the internet. This involves placing an order for a product or service through the internet and also paying for the product or service using credit cards or banking systems. The goods will then be sent through post offices, courier services or the retailers will transport it to the consumer’s apartment. Consumers find it easy to shop through the internet while they are still at home than having to go a long way to buy the products physically. Technology has made it possible for customers to buy products internationally through the use of computer network. This however has made consumers to reduce domestic products services and preference is focused on international products. Shoppers can also subscribe for daily, weekly, monthly or yearly for products they need through websites. This has made consumers not to attend to market places to check if new and better products have been introduced in the market. The internet is the form of technology used by brand managers to track consumers’ behavior to determine what adverts to serve and enables marketers to target consumers individually (Wetfeet 17). These managers are then able to target consumers who visit specific websites by flashing adverts on their screen each time they open that site. This attracts consumers who always want to try out new products and services offered in the market. They will create an attractive display of products to attract the customers. Branding is the process followed in creating a unique image, name or feature in a product or service to distinguish it from its competitors. It may be in form of symbols, shape, colors packaging and advertising. A survey conducted by Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and Crone showed that many consumers purchased apparel products that were environmentally friendly and from environmentally responsible brands (Logue 156). They believed that socially responsible products were those that donated money to charity and used eco friendly practices. Consumers believed that these products were environmentally safe and giving also in the society was a responsible way of showing their ethical values. Consumers also purchase expensive products because they believe that the great value provided by it is worth the sacrifice (Perner Lars). Consumers purchase products because of their sales associates, store displays and layout. They will purchase products that suit their personal interest whether they are harmful to others or not. According to chaundhuri (130), branding leads to two commitments namely rational and emotional outcome. Rational outcome creates functional risk in that a consumer has greater trust in a particular brand of product and will continue to repurchase it for a long time. This may be due to the good service and functionality features that the product or service offers. Emotional outcome is created when a consumer originates pleasure in the product and has a great attitudinal commitment on the product. Normative influence in brand choice means that there is a likelihood that consumers will buy what others buy. If you compare your lifestyle, hairstyle, cars, music and clothes you buy you will notice that they are similar to those of your friends (Reference for business). Trend is a pattern of gradual change in output, condition, process or the general direction of the market. (Talcie open ed). It is also a theoretical diagnosis through which meaning is given to a group of developments described by indicators of one societal domain. Many consumers will purchase products that are same to their friend’s so that they can be in the same social class. Changing trends in fashion, lifestyle and economy influences consumers’ purchasing power. Need for cash and hunt for better value has reduced the purchasing of some of the products and consumers now prefer buying products that are low in costs but higher in quality. Climate is also considered as a trend as change in climate affects consumer purchases behavior. During hot climate consumers will purchase light dressings and buy cold drinks and the consumer will then shift to purchasing warm and heavy dressings and hot drinks during cold climates. Inflation, which is the gradual rise in prices of goods and services, is also affecting the purchasing behavior of individual consumers. RESEARCH DESIGN The following research design has been implemented as based on the research questions and hypothesis: The research will be conducted on formal and explanatory study. The study will be based on research in literatures and interviews with consumers who will be selected at random. The design will attempt to answer the research questions with focus on the hypothesis. Primary data will be collected from consumer interviews and interrogation Secondary data will be collected from books, literature and different websites. Statistics in form of questionnaires data filed by consumers will be presented. The study will attempt to cover exclusively on the factors affecting consumer purchasing behavior. Open-ended interviews will also be conducted to uncover opinions from different consumers. An exploratory study which is conducted when not much is known about the situation at hand will be conducted to gain familiarity of the topic and also to gain a better understanding of the topic. Sampling will be done to a selected population since the research cannot be conducted on the entire population or one hundred populations. Closed-ended questions will be asked in questionnaires to ensure that responses narrow down the field enquired. NATURE AND FORM OF RESULTS The findings of the research are intended to be used by manufacturers and producers to be able to track consumers’ behavior and be able to produce goods and services that fit the current trends. They will be able to improve on their branding techniques. It will also be used by scholars to be able to study and understand how trends, technology and branding affect consumer behavior. The study will determine how consumer purchasing behavior is affected by trends, technology and branding. The research will also show to what extend trends, technology and branding affects consumers. These effects will be presented as either positive or negative impacts. The research will analyze the relationship between technologies, trends and branding and discuss other factors that affect consumer purchasing behavior. The research will also provide information on whether consumer purchasing behavior can be managed and whether factors affecting consumer purchasing can be controlled. Statistical data from questionnaires will be tabulated and presented to give perceived and satisfying compensation pack. Qualitative and quantitative research will be able to provide a report which has significant, logical and useful findings. The findings and results will be presented in form of literature, tables and charts. Information retrieved from the websites, books, articles and journals will be appropriately cited in references or appendix page. RESEARCH BUDGET ACTIVITY AMOUNT Materials and stationeries Typing and printing of questionnaires Travelling Internet and library access Miscellaneous Expenses TENTATIVE SCHEDULE TIMELINE SIX MONTHS BEFORE DEADLINE SIX MONTHS BEFORE DEADLINE FIVE MONTHS BEFORE DEADLINE THREE MONTHS BEFORE DEADLINE ACTION Conduct research questions for questionnaires and interviews. Sample the population and determine the sampling technique to be used. Pass out questionnaires. Conduct interviews Collect questionnaires BY WHOM Researcher and support team Researcher and support team. Researcher and support team Researcher and support team TIMELINE TWO MONTHS BEFORE DEADLINE ONE MONTH BEFORE DEADLINE ONE WEEK BEFORE DEADLINE DEADLINE ACTION Consolidate data Carry out data analysis Generate results Submit results BY WHOM Researcher and support team Researcher and support team Researcher and support team Researcher WORK CITED Chaudhuri Arjun. Emotion and Reason in Consumer Behavior, United States: Butterworth- Heinemann, 2006. Print. Logue Ann. Socially Responsible Investing for Dummies, United States: For Dummies, 2008. Print. Perner Lars. Introduction to Marketing. University of Southern Carlifonia. 1999-2008. Web. 1st August 2011. Reference for Business, Encyclopedia of Business. 2nd ed. Web. 1st August 2011. Talcie open ed. Teaching and Learning for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Web. 1st August 2011. Wetfeet. Careers in Brand Management, United States: Wetfeet, Inc, 2008. Print. Wikinvest. E-commerce. 2006.web. 1st August 2011.

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