Business

Today, many consumers are educated and they keep on changing their characteristics. The study of consumer behavior assists organizations and companies promote their marketing strategies. For effective dealing with consumer characteristics, the organizations are required to  learn the psychology of how consumers reason, feel and choose between various alternatives learn how the consumers are influenced by their environment for example media and culture know the consumers behaviors while making marketing decisions know the differences of consumer decision and strategies of various products (Johnson and Scholes, 2002).

Applications of consumer characteristics
The most common application of consumer characteristics is the market strategy. For example, hotel managements can learn to advertise snacks in the afternoon when they understand that consumers are more amenable to advertisement of food when they are hungry. Having the knowledge that new products are often initially accepted by few consumers and they only get used to it later, organizations can learn that introduction of new products must be properly financed so that they can survive until they succeed commercially and that it is vital to please first customers because they might influence other customers.

As Lars (2008) puts it, consumer strategy is associated by passing relevant ideas to consumers and not simply selling something. As a long run benefit, study of consumer behaviour assists in making individuals good consumers. As an example, it is obvious that if one buys a 64 liquid ounce bottle of cleaning detergent pays less for every ounce pays less than if heshe bought two bottles of 32 ounce. Nevertheless, in practice, one pays a size premium by purchasing a quantity that is larger. Alternatively, the knowledge of this fact improves the consumers need to check the price labels to know if heshe is getting a bargain or not.

For organizations to be able to give consumers what they want, they have to assess their own organizational weaknesses and strengths and those of their competitors. For example if companies make a product to target older consumers which is a growing segment, a competing company aims at babies which is a shrinking market, is likely to move towards the latters market. To analyze a competing organizations probable threat, an organization is required to evaluate its assets. For example, technology, knowledge of market and patents.

According to Johnson and Scholes (2002), another thing required by organizations is to analyze conditions of environment marketing strategy. For example, even a new product may be developed by an organization, and that the product impresses a majority of consumers, a recession may dramatically reduce the demand. Examples of companies that have been successful in addressing the consumer characteristic changes are Lonrho Africa, deer consumer products and Hewlett Packard (hp).

Conclusion
Consumer and environment strategy is very important for any organization or business firm. The current consumer behaviour is very dynamic and a lot of research is needed to be carried out in the future to enable organizations and business firms give consumers what they need. There are a good number of companies that have been able to accomplish consumer satisfaction as illustrated in the paper.