Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges
Tim
Professor Melanie A. Robinson
MKT 100 – Winter/2012
January 23, 2012

Question #1 – Describe the type of consumer buying decision that best describes the choice to indulge at Ethel’s.
When faced with making decisions on what to buy, when to buy it, and where to make the purchase consumers use three decision making techniques routine response behavior, limited decision making, and extensive decision making. Of these three choices, the one that best describes the choice to indulge at Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge would be Routine Response Behavior.
Routine Response Behavior is described a type of purchasing scenario whereby the purchaser of a product or a service has past experience with purchasing it and can automatically make a decision to purchase again, usually sticking with a particular brand (para-phrase book).
The decision to purchase chocolate is something very familiar with most consumers as we have been consuming and purchasing chocolate or chocolate flavored delights for as long as we can remember. The first spoon full of ice cream as an infant, trick-or-treating as a young child, Easter, and (last but not least) Valentines Day has turned many of us into connoisseurs. We know what we like and only need to see the “Now Open” sign so we can belly up to the bar. Question #2 – Discuss the factors that influence a consumer to spend money and time at Ethel’s.
Their are four factors that influence a consumer to spend their hard earned money at Ethel’s or any other business cultural, social, individual and, psychological influences. Of all these factors, cultural has the most influence on how consumers spend their money. Culture is the essential character of a society that distinguishes it from other cultural groups (direct quote from book). The values, language, myths, customs, rituals, and laws of a particular group make it the way it is.
Culture is pervasive, functional, learned and dynamic. But, the most important element of a culture is its values. Values are beliefs, shared by a society, that a certain way of being is more permissible than another. This has an overwhelming effect on consumer behavior. Consumers who share similar values usually seek out the same types of prices and react to similar marketing inducements. Values can also be correlated to consumption patterns and influences television and reading habits.
Cultures can be further broken down into subcultures. Subcultures are defined as “[a] homogeneous group of people who share elements of the overall culture as well as unique elements of their own group” (Kelly/McGown, 2009, p. 172). Within each subculture, the attitudes, values, and decisions on purchases are even more similar than within the broader since of the word.
A social class is a group in a society considered nearly equal in status and community esteem. They regularly socialize within their respective classes and share behavioral norms. Social classes are broken down into three groups upper, middle and lower class consumers. Ethel’s appears to be an upscale chocolate lounge geared towards an upper and middle class clientele. Question #3 – Justify which factor you think will motivate a consumer the most.
In my opinion, individual factors would be the biggest factor influencing a customer to patronize Ethel’s. These factors are usually stable over the course of a person’s lifetime. There are several factors that make up individual factors gender, age and family life cycle, personality, self-concept, and lifestyle.
This type of establishment is a perfect get away for allot of ladies looking to socialize with other ladies their own age, social class, and personality type. Here they can indulge in comfort food (chocolate) and talk about their business, social, and home lives in an environment that is appealing, warm, and safe.
The environment of Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge also makes it appealing to the ladies. The generously stuffed pink and brown couches, gourmet chocolates, and environment that invites chit-chat also makes it a place to sit for hours and order the high priced delights for hours on end.
Question #4 – Determine what needs the Ethel’s experience appeals to most. Explain your reasoning.
Ethel’s appeals to a variety of needs and motivations that helps consumers satisfy certain needs. A popular theory that explains what drives these particular needs is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. (book) describes this as “[a] method of classifying human needs and motivations into five categories in ascending order of importance: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. The needs that Ethel’s appeals to the most are a mixture of social and esteem needs.
The since of belonging is very important to the human side of all of us. The belonging to a social group or just the feeling of walking into an establishment and being recognized on site is a very powerful thing for human beings. It appeals to our egos and give us status, which can also propel us into different social classes.
This also co-insides with the since of self-esteem which includes self-respect and accomplishment. Since Ethel’s is considered an upscale establishment, being able to afford the treats served there and socialize with what some would consider an elite class would also play to their since of accomplishment or even elitism.
References
Lamb, C.W., & Hair, J.F., McDaniel, C. (2010). MKT100: Marketing: 2010 custom edition. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.