This chapter defined consumer markets and consumer buying behavior and discussed the buyer’s black box, the concept that attempts to mark the pattern consumers follow when making a purchase decision. It also categorized consumer buying behavior into four types: complex buying behavior, dissonance-reducing buying behavior, habitual buying behavior, and variety-seeking buying behavior.

This chapter also looked at the cultural, social, personal, psychological, and situational factors that influence consumer behavior and scrutinized the stages of the consumer decision process. Finally, it examined the role of ethics in consumer buying behavior and discussed ethical consumerism.