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The Howard Sheth Model integrates social, psychological, and marketing influences on consumer choice, outlining a coherent process of information processing that leads to purchase decisions. It identifies three levels of decision making: extensive problem solving, limited problem solving, and habitual response behavior, while emphasizing the roles of various stimuli and perceptual constructs in shaping consumer behavior. The model has been recognized for its comprehensive approach to understanding consumer behavior, although it lacks consideration of the influence of religion on decision-making.

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9 views3 pages

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The Howard Sheth Model integrates social, psychological, and marketing influences on consumer choice, outlining a coherent process of information processing that leads to purchase decisions. It identifies three levels of decision making: extensive problem solving, limited problem solving, and habitual response behavior, while emphasizing the roles of various stimuli and perceptual constructs in shaping consumer behavior. The model has been recognized for its comprehensive approach to understanding consumer behavior, although it lacks consideration of the influence of religion on decision-making.

Uploaded by

samuel Osei
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Howard Sheth Model is a sophisticated integration of the various social,

psychological, and marketing influences on consumer choice into a coherent


sequence of information processing. It aims not only to explain consumer
behavior in terms of cognitive functioning but to provide an empirically
testable depiction of such behavior and its outcomes (Howard 1977).

The Howard Sheth Model proposes that a consumer’s purchase decision is


influenced by multiple individuals, such as family members. It recognizes
that family members take on different roles in the purchasing process, such
as gathering information or deciding budgets. The model also acknowledges
that retailers deal with a collection of individuals rather than a homogeneous
unit. It identifies three levels of decision making – extensive problem
solving, limited problem solving, and routinized response behavior – which
consumers progress through as they gain experience. The model aims to
depict rational brand choice over time as learning occurs.

The logic of the Howard Sheth model of consumer behavior summarizes like
this. There are inputs in the form of Stimuli. There are outputs beginning with
attention to a given stimulus and ending with purchase. In between the
inputs and the outputs, there are variables affecting perception and learning.
These variables are termed ‘hypothetical’ since they cannot be directly
measured at the time of occurrence.

The Howard Sheth model of consumer behavior suggests three levels of


decision making:

The first level describes extensive problem-solving. At this level, the


consumer does not have any basic information or knowledge about the
brand and he does not have any preferences for any product. In this
situation, the consumer will seek information about all the different brands in
the market before purchasing.

The second level Is limited problem-solving. This situation exists for


consumers who have little knowledge about the market, or partial knowledge
about what they want to purchase. In order to arrive at a brand preference,
some comparative brand information is sought.

The third level is habitual response behavior. At this level, the consumer
knows very well about the different brands and he can differentiate between
the different characteristics of each product, and he already decides to
purchase a particular product.

According to the Howard Sheth model of consumer behavior, there are four
major sets of variables; namely:

Inputs: These input variables consist of three distinct types of stimuli


(information sources) in the consumer’s environment. The marketer in the
form of product or brand information furnishes physical brand characteristics
(significative stimuli) and verbal or visual product characteristics (symbolic
stimuli). There are impersonal sources like mass media communication and
advertising, over which the firm has no control. However, the information
sources also include sales and service personnel who can add and help the
marketing efforts of the firm. The third type is provided by the consumer’s
social environment (family, reference group, and social class). This social
source is personal and the company/marketer has no control over this
source. All three types of stimuli provide inputs concerning the product class
or specific brands to the specific consumer.

Perceptual and Learning Constructs: The central part of the model deals with
the psychological variables involved when the consumer is contemplating a
decision. Some of the variables are perceptual in nature and are concerned
with how the consumer receives and understands the information from the
input stimuli and other parts of the model. For example, stimulus ambiguity
happened when the consumer does not understand the message from the
environment. Perceptual bias occurs if the consumer distorts the information
received so that it fits his or her established needs or experience. Learning
constructs category, consumers’ goals, information about brands, criteria for
evaluation alternatives, preferences, and buying intentions are all included.
The proposed interaction In between the different variables in the perceptual
and learning constructs and other sets give the model its distinctive
advantage.

Outputs: The outputs are the results of the perceptual and learning variables
and how the consumers will respond to these variables (attention, brand
comprehension, attitudes, and intention).
Exogenous(External) variables: Exogenous variables are not directly part of
the decision-making process. However, some relevant exogenous variables
include the importance of the purchase, consumer personality traits, religion,
and time pressure.

Howard Sheth Model of Consumer Behavior

The decision-making process, which Howard-Sheth Model tries to explain,


takes place at three Inputs stages: Significance, Symbolic and Social stimuli.
In both significative and symbolic stimuli, the model emphasizes material
aspects such as price and quality. These stimuli are not applicable in every
society. While in social stimuli the model does not mention the basis of
decision-making in this stimulus, such as what influences the family
decision? This may differ from one society to another.

Most scholars agree that the study of consumer behavior was advanced and
given an impetus by Howard Sheth Model. The major advantage and
strength of the model lied in the precision with which a large number of
variables have been linked in the working relationships to cover most
aspects of the purchase decision and the effective utilization of contribution
from the behavioral sciences.

Finally, no direct relation was drawn to the role of religion in influencing the
consumer’s decision-making processes. Religion was considered as an
external factor with no real influence on consumers, which gives the model
obvious weakness in anticipation of the consumer decision.

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