Course: Understanding Consumer Behaviour credits: 5
- Course code
- CIVB25UCB
- Name
- Understanding Consumer Behaviour
- Study year
- 2026-2027
- ECTS credits
- 5
- Language
- English
- Coordinator
- J. Jager
- Modes of delivery
-
- Tutorial
- Assessments
-
- Understanding Consumer Behaviour - Assignment - Other assessment
- Understanding Consumer Behaviour - Theory - Computer, organised by STAD examinations
Learning outcomes
After completing this course the student is able to:
- Show understanding of how consumers learn and retain new product information and how the sense of self, needs, emotions, and motivations of consumers influence their purchases
- Show understanding of how consumer attitudes are formed, how decision-making works, and how these processes can be influenced through various marketing stimuli or aspects of the shopping environment, both online and at physical stores
- Select and apply different market research methods, qualitative and quantitative, to design appropriate research approaches to solve marketing issues related to consumer behaviour and evaluation of marketing stimuli
- Analyse real-life consumption choices over a given period of time, critically evaluate them through the lens of applicable theory taught in the course, and reflect on what was learned from this analysis
Content
This course explores how and why people make buying decisions. You will learn how consumers perceive, process, and remember product information, and how factors such as emotions, needs, motivations, and sense of self influence their choices. The course also examines how consumer attitudes are formed and how decision-making processes work in practice.
You will study how organisations can influence consumer behaviour through marketing activities such as advertising and the design of physical stores and digital environments. Both online and in-person shopping experiences are addressed.
In addition, you will develop practical skills in market research. Both qualitative and quantitative research approaches are covered. This will help you understand how market research supports organisations in making informed marketing decisions.
You will analyse real-life buying decisions consumers make and apply relevant theories to understand these choices. You will also reflect on what these decisions reveal about consumer behaviour.
By the end of the course, you will be able to explain how consumers make decisions, assess how marketing influences these decisions, and apply research tools to study consumer behaviour effectively. These skills are relevant for careers in marketing, advertising, and business strategy.
Literature/study materials
See Brightspace or intranet.
Included in programme(s)
School(s)
- Entrepreneurship, Communication & Marketing