CONSUMER BEHAVIOR: REVITALIZATION OF THE CONCEPT AND KEY MODELS

Abstract

The article is discus to the revitalization of the concept of consumer behavior and its core models. From the point of view of the convergence of various fields of science and practice, consumer behavior can be defined as the conscious or unconscious behavior of an economic subject, aimed at satisfying one's own rational or irrational motives, needs and desires and determined by personal psycho-emotional factors and features thinking, which is aimed at choosing the best alternative from the individual's point of view and conscious rejection of others. Modern investigations prove the mostly irrational, or rather "presumably irrational" nature of consumer behavior. According to the results of the research, it was established that the majority of respondents have a high level (76.9%) of subjective rationality and an average level of readiness for risk (60.0%), which determines their economic behavior: 64.8% of people have an average level of rationality of the distribution of funds, 72.3% – a high level of orientation to the opinion of others; 20.0% – a high level of flexibility in the choice of goods (rational features); 23.07 – a high level of formation of the "buying as getting what you want" factor (66.15%) (an irrational sign of economic behavior). The components of consumer behavior are: awareness or unawareness of consumer behavior; the purpose of consumer behavior and its main meaning, the determination of consumer behavior by personal psycho-emotional factors and features of the consumer's thinking ("black box" of the consumer's consciousness). The "black box" of the consumer's consciousness contains individual characteristics of the consumer and the decision-making process. All motivating factors, passing through the "black box" of the consumer's consciousness, are reflected in its corresponding reaction. As a result of this research, the understanding of consumer behavior as a combination of rational and irrational cognitions and behavioral manifestations in making consumer decisions and satisfying individual needs in situations of active social communications, limited resources and cognitive overload of individuals has been clarified.