Abstract

The purpose of this research is to study how the different factors of consumer behavior
affect the consumers’ decision-making process during the selection of instant-coffee brand/s.
Consumer behavior consists of four factors: cultural, social, personal and psychological. In this
study the focus was limited only to social, personal and psychological factors.

The thesis was able to discuss important parts such as the theories and the empirical part
of the research. The theoretical part discusses the basics of factors affecting purchase decision,
decision-making process and brands. The empirical part of the thesis includes a survey that was
carried out through the Internet. The data used were collected through the use of a questionnaire.
The questionnaire was distributed to 78 Office Administration, 56 Entrepreneurship, 101 Human
Resources Management, 102 Marketing Management students; A total of 337 students under the
College of Business Administration. The quantitative research method was applied in this study.

Research has shown that consumers are taking different steps in the decision-making
process of buying. The results of the study give the general view that social, personal and
psychological variables are somewhat affected, but not strong statistical accuracy. The result
shows that the most significant factors influencing decision-making when choosing instant
coffee product, family and friends. Nevertheless, consumers also rely on psychological factors,
beliefs and attitudes to influence their choices.

Key words: consumer behavior, decision-making process, decision-making types, brand

Introduction

Consumer behavior is a widely studied field. Understanding it completely is impossible,

because it is related so closely to the human mind. However, forecasting how a human behaves
in purchasing situations can be estimated through previous purchasing decisions. Consumers
make buying decisions every day and many people do not even know the factors that drive them
to this decision. Buying a coffee comes almost automatically and does not need much
information search. There are characteristics behind every buying decision that can come from
cultural, social, personal or psychological factors. Each of these factors includes dimensions that
can be used in marketing. Marketers can use these factors so subtle that consumers might not
even recognize it. Consumers might think that “I have always bought the same brand or
product”, but they do not recognize that the affecting factor behind this decision can come from
their family.

This thesis studies these factors behind purchasing decisions through personal, social and
psychological factors of consumer buying behavior. The author has chosen coffee brands as a
research subject on this thesis. Coffee is a daily-used commodity and the purchasing decision can
be made routinely without any conscious activity. It is interesting to study how the consumer has
ended up selecting the specific coffee brand and what has been the effect of social, personal and
psychological factors.

The first objective is to examine if personal, social and psychological characteristics have
an effect on consumer buying behavior. The second objective of this thesis is to gain knowledge
on how the purchase decision process is being made by individual consumers.
Consumer behavior consists of factors that have an effect on consumers’ buying
decisions. These factors have distinct characteristics that can be divided into four categories:
cultural, social, personal and psychological factors. In order to have a manageable topic the
scope of the subject has been limited. Cultural factors have been left out intentionally.
Additionally, post purchase behavior is only shortly described in the theoretical part of the study,
because it is part of the buying process, but left out of the empirical part of the study. This
limitation has been made because the focus is only on the actual buying process and not on after
purchase actions.

Literature Review

Factors affecting consumers’ purchasing decision

 Consumer behavior studies individuals and groups as goods, concepts, services or
interactions are chosen, bought, used and disposed of. There is a huge variety of customers from
a small child asking mom to buy a new game from an international corporate executive making
an enormous investment deal. Consumers search for things that satisfy their basic needs and
desires. Consumer behavior is much more than studying what consumers buy; it attempts to
understand how the decision-making process goes and how it affects consumers’ buying
behavior. (Solomon 2004, pp. 6-8) Marketers study consumers’ buying patterns to solve where
they buy, what they buy and why they buy. However, why consumers buy a specific product is
not easy to solve because the answer is locked deep within the consumers’ mind. (Kardes et al.
2011, p. 8; Kotler&Armstrong 2010, p. 160) Cultural, economic, personal and psychological
factors affect the purchasing behavior of a customer. Consumer behavior is a part of human
experience and by observing past

purchase behaviour, marketers may predict how customers will act when making
purchasing decisions in the future. (2010 Kotler&Armstrong, p. 160)

Social factors

Social factors have a significant impact on consumer behaviour. Everyone has someone
who influences their purchasing decisions. Social classes, family, position and status are the key
social influences. (Perreau, 2014) All customers are individuals, but they still belong to a group.
A member group is called the class to which a customer belongs. This is a direct and simple
classification. The second type of group is a collection of references. The reference group affects
the consumer's self-image and actions of customers. It provides comparison points about their
behaviour, lifestyle or habits to the consumers. Family members, close friends, colleagues,
working groups, or other individuals that are aligned with customers can also affect the classes to
which a customer does not yet belong to. (Kotler&Armstrong 2010, p. 164; Khan 2006, p. 58)

Members of the family can influence the purchasing behavior of individual consumers. A
family shapes an individual's environment for learning beliefs, forming and defining personality.
This setting offers the opportunity to establish attitudes and opinions on various topics such as
social relations, society and politics. First impressions of brands or products and consumer habits
are formed by the family. (Kotler&Armstrong 2010, p. 169; Khan 2006, p. 68) For example,
consumers who have developed product preferences when they were young can make the same
adult brand choices without even knowing that their families have affected those selections.

In their lives, people play a lot of different roles. Each role consists of activities and
attitudes that an individual is expected to perform in accordance with the people around him.
(Kotler&Armstrong 2010, p. 170) Social status represents the role of individuals based on things
like money and wealth, education or jobs. Status is important in many cultures as others want to
feel or be respected. Selection of products and brands can also represent the position and status
of a person. (Wright 200, p. 360)
Personal factors

Personal factors such as the age and life cycle state of a consumer, occupation, economic
situation, lifestyle, and personality and self-concept affect the decisions of an individual. The
transition in customers ' lives and the purchasing of goods vary depending on age and stage of
life. Factors related to age are like food, clothing, recreation and furniture taste. Moreover,
during lifetime, culture, beliefs, lifestyle, hobbies and consumer habits are changing. The
profession and buying power of a customer affects purchase decisions and buying behaviour.
The level of income influences what customers can afford and the demand for investment.
People who share similar occupations tend to have similar tastes. They usually socialize with
each other, and share the same kind of values and ideas. (Solomon 2004, p. 12)

The lifestyle of consumers tells how the individual lives and spends money. From
previous experiences, current situation and congenital characteristics, it is combined. Consumers
' brand preferences are linked to their lifestyle. The lifestyle of a person consists of different
dimensions. (Khan 2006, p. 18) These dimensions are:

1. Activities describe how consumers spend their time, e.g. work, hobbies or vacations.

2. Interests are consumers’ preferences and priorities e.g. family, home or food.

3. Opinions tell how consumers feel about different issues, e.g. themselves, politics or products.
(Plummer 1974, p. 34)

Personality distinguishes one person from another by individual traits. These personal
traits can be self-confidence, adaptability, sociability and dominance. (Kotler&Armstrong 2010,
p. 172) Personality defines how we see ourselves and the world around us, as well as how other
people see us. The character is influenced by beliefs, values and people around us. Personality
changes in life when a person grows up and changes settings. (Wright 2006, p. 296) Most brands
have developed an image and personality that fits the values and characteristics of consumers.
This helps consumers to make product decisions and express themselves. (Kardes et al. 2011, p.
230)

There are five dimensions of brand personality: sincerity, excitement, competence,

sophistication and ruggedness. Each of these dimensions includes different factors that relate to
human personality dimensions, as shown in Figure 1. In the first dimension sincerity brings
amiability of the brand by reflecting honesty and down-to-earth values. Excitement offers
consumers up-to-date information and a spirited alternative like technology brand Apple. When
using Mac computers, consumers can feel young and laid back; while a brand that stands for
competence offers responsibility and security to consumers. Sophistication affects upper class
consumers by charming with luxury, e.g. designer products such as Gucci or Rolex. The fifth
dimension is ruggedness that attracts consumers opposite of sophistication. Ruggedness
represents brands that are seen as tough, strong and outdoorsy. (Kotler&Armstrong 2010, p. 172;

Kardes at el. 2011, p. 243; Arpan 2011)

Figure 1. A brand personality framework (Arpan 2011)

Psychological factors

Psychological factors such as motivation, perception, learning, and beliefs and attitudes,
also influence the choices of a buyer. A consumer is an individual with different needs. Such
requirements may be biological as hunger or emotional as a result of the need to identify or
belong. When it affects a motive, a need can be stimulated to an appropriate level of intensity.
Essentially, a motive is a need that drives an individual to seek fulfillment.

Such human needs have been discussed by Abraham Maslow. He tried to explain how
people at different times were motivated by different needs. (Kotler&Armstrong 2010, p. 173)
Figure 2 shows Maslow's hierarchy of needs from the bottom of the most pressing and the top of
the least pressing. Before continuing the ladder, the basic rule is to satisfy the basic need first.
This stops being a motivator when that need has been met and a person focuses on the next most
important need.

1. Physiological: basic needs such as sleep, food or water.

2. Safety: need to feel secure and protected.

3. Belongingness: need to feel loved and be accepted by others.

4. Ego needs: to accomplish something and have status among others.

5. Self-actualization: to have enriching experiences and feel self-fulfillment.

 Consumers ' knowledge of the world is constantly changing as they are exposed to new
stimuli and circumstances. They will receive feedback that helps them to change behavior when
they are in the same situation as before. (Kotler&Armstrong 2010, p. 175; Solomon 2004, p.
83.) In the future, the customer who has bad coffee experience is more likely to avoid the
product as he remembers the previous experience with it. Consumers gain beliefs and attitudes
through learning and experience.

Decision-making process

The decision-making process of a customer involves five phases that are reached by the
consumer before the actual purchase. The customer identifies the need during these phases,
collects information, considers alternatives and makes the purchase decision.

The post-purchase behavior comes after the actual purchase, where the customer measures the
level of satisfaction earned. (Kotler&Armstrong 2010, p. 177.)
 The decision-making process begins with a realization of the need. There are a few forms
of need recognition classifications. One example is where the buyer identifies a need or issue that
internal or external stimuli can cause. Internal stimuli are the basic needs of a human being, such
as hunger that causes the stomach to grumble and causes the customer to buy a hamburger. For
example, external stimulation can be an advertisement that can make you think about buying a
new computer. (Kotler&Armstrong 2010, p. 178) A significant difference between the current
state and the desired state is often seen by customers at this point. The process of recognizing
need can occur naturally, but marketers can often put it in motion. Marketers try to create
competition by convincing customers to use a product regardless of the brand they want. Instead
of others, marketers may try to persuade customers to choose their brand. (Solomon 2004, p.
297)

The customer participates in information seeking at the second stage of the decision-
making process. Often customers can choose goods without any data, and other times it is
important to actively search for information to find all alternatives. (Solomon 2004, p. 299)
Consumers may collect information from multiple sources by talking to friends and relatives,
reading magazines, or using the brand search or handling on the Internet. The quantity of the
search will depend mostly on your drive obtaining the knowledge and satisfaction from the
search. Consumers today receive an enormous amount of information from advertising outlets
regulated by advertisers. Nonetheless, personal sources such as family or friends appear to be the
most powerful.

Upon collecting information, the user will be able to evaluate the various alternatives.
The evaluation of alternatives can differ between consumers and transactions. (Wright 2006, p.
28.) In some situations, customers make little or no judgment and make an impulse-based
purchasing decision. A normal decision process can arise in cases where little or no analysis of
alternatives is used. On the other hand, among several brands, customers engaged in an extended
problem-solving process should evaluate carefully. The alternatives are defined as the evoked
collection of consumers that are actively considered during the selection process. This evoked
collection consists of goods or brands that are already in the consumer's mind, plus important
items in the retail environment. Even if the user is considering a number of alternatives, the
evoked array usually includes only a small number of alternatives. Both alternatives share with
each other no similar characteristics. (Solomon 2004, p. 305)

At the fourth stage, the customer has measured alternatives and is ready to proceed with
the actual purchase itself. Usually, purchasing the most preferred brand is the consumer's
purchase choice. There are variables that may influence consumer purchasing decisions, such as
perceptions of others or opinions about the product generated by marketers. (Kotler&Armstrong
2010, p. 179) Sometimes to simplify purchasing decisions, consumers can make mental shortcuts
that can lead to hasty decisions, particularly when limited problem solving occurs before making
a choice. Such forms of shortcuts may vary from standard thoughts such as "higher price goods
are of higher quality" or "buying the same brand as last time" to "buying the same brand that my
mother used to purchase." These shortcuts may be detrimental to the user. (Solomon 2004, p.
312)

The decision-making process continues, as mentioned earlier, after the purchasing

decision has been made. The last phase of the purchasing process is the actions after purchase.
The customer must determine the level of satisfaction after the consumer has purchased the
product. If the consumer feels disappointment, expectations towards the product have not been
met. (Khan 2006, p. 168) The customer will be happy and willing to spend more on this
particular brand in the future if the service meets expectations. In addition, the high level of
satisfaction of customers can be converted into brand loyalty. This usually occurs when the
expectations of consumers have been exceeded. (Kardes et al. 2011, p. 91)

Hypothesis
A hypothesis for research can be refined from the objectives that have been set for
research. Traditionally there are two types of hypotheses: the null hypothesis and the alternative
hypothesis. In practice the null hypothesis is the opposite of truth and the alternative hypothesis
is the one that is true. Usually the null hypothesis is the one that is tested because standard
statistical tests are just for testing that hypothesis. (Muijs 2004, pp. 17-18.) Characteristics
affecting consumer behavior were presented earlier in the theory part and are based on those
factors the research hypothesis created. The following hypothesis was formulated:

− Family has no connection on individuals’ decision making process

− Consumers do not have any prejudgments towards coffee brands

Approach
 Quantitative research is adopted as a research strategy for this study. This research
approach was chosen because it helps the researcher to obtain the facts and not the intent of the
thesis to be abstract (Bryman and Bell, 2007). According to Matthews & Ross (2010),
quantitative research techniques are primarily applicable to data collection that is organized and
can be numerically interpreted. Generally quantitative data are collected when the positivist
empirical approach has been adopted by the researcher and data are collected which can be
analyzed scientifically. According to Creswell (2003), researchers mainly use post-positivist
methods to build expertise when choosing quantitative research (i.e. cause and effect analysis,
use of calculation and observations, and hypothesis testing), using analytical techniques such as
experiments and surveys, and collect data on predetermined instruments which produce
statistical data. Another reason to choose this method is because it is more effective, can test
hypothesis and is always aimed at clarifying features, counting them and constructing statistical
models to explain what is being observed during study.
A descriptive survey design was used. A survey is defined as a method of research used
to gather data from a predefined group of respondents in order to obtain information and
perspectives on different topics of interest. Survey research is described as "gathering
information from a survey of individuals by answering questions" (Check & Schutt, 2012, p.
160). This type of research allows a variety of methods for recruiting participants, collecting
data, and using various instrumentation methods. These methods were chosen to understand the
decision making process of the consumers’ when choosing an instant coffee brands and the
factors affecting it.

Principal results

1. Nescafe is the brand with the highest vote from the respondents
To know what coffee brands consumers consume, respondents were asked to state the name or
the names of the coffee brand that they usually consume. 177 (Figure2) chose Nescafe as their
usual coffee brand
2. Consumers voted for the brand that they have used for a month as the least and a
year as the longest
It shows that consumers have been using that brand for a month- 1 year. This result is interesting
because the age group consists of young people and it can be assumed that the information about
the brand could have come from their family. It can be that the person might have consumed the
same brand before moving out from home to study.
3. Consumers do have prejudices towards coffee brands
152 respondents had prejudices towards the coffee brand and 168 respondents said no and 16
respondents said they are not sure. 83 people indicated that the reason for this prejudice was
because of their previous experiences.
4. Information from their family members greatly influences how consumers’ choose
their instant coffee brands
51 percent of respondents said that the information received from family was very important.
5. The consumers are most likely to stay loyal to the same instant coffee brand
One of the claims was that consumers buy the same product every time. 41 percent of the
respondents are loyal to their brand.
6. Consumers look into the packaging because it gives them an idea of what the actual
instant coffee mix tastes like.
7. Consumers are more likely to switch to a different coffee brand if it tastes better
than their most used brand.

Main Conclusion
The findings of this empirical study showed that there is a link between cultural,
financial, and psychological factors when selecting an instant coffee product; but according to
the outcome, it was not conclusive due to some inconsistency between some of the results
presented. As customers make purchasing decisions, these factors can be said to have an impact.
The result shows that when selecting instant coffee brand, family and friends are the most
important factors that affect decision-making. Consumers can, however, often base their choices
on psychological factors, beliefs and attitudes. Research has shown that consumers are taking
different steps in the decision-making process of buying. The results of the study give the general
view that social, personal and psychological variables are somewhat affected, but not strong
statistical accuracy.

Method and Materials

 The method used in this research is quantitative. Quantitative research is usually referred
to as hypothesis testing research. The study starts from theory from which hypotheses is
generated. Data will be collected and analyzed by statistical tests according to the hypotheses. .
The conclusion can be drawn from the results to confirm or conflict with the theory. (Jha 2008,
pp. 45-48.) The quantitative research method is applied in this thesis. Quantitative research can
provide data from large number of units. These units are usually people or matters. The data that
is collected from the units is known as variables. Variables are characteristics that the researcher
is interested in, for example, age or gender.
The researcher should limit the variables before the study because there is a certain
number of variables that can be studied at once. In research, reliability is usually referred as
repeatability. A measure can be considered as reliable if the same results can be received over
and over again. When conducting research, the design should be so functional that different
researchers using it to study the same phenomenon would arrive to the same conclusion. This
means that reliable research can be replicated. (Vogt 2007, p. 113.) At the questionnaire,
consumers need to choose the alternative that indicates their opinion or attitude best. It can be
questioned, if consumers can analyze themselves objectively enough to respond truthfully to the
questionnaire.
A hypothesis for research can be refined from the objectives that have been set for
research. In practice the null hypothesis is the opposite of truth and the alternative hypothesis is
the one that is true. Usually the null hypothesis is the one that is tested because standard
statistical tests are just for testing that hypothesis. (Muijs 2004, pp. 17-18.) Characteristics
affecting consumer behavior were presented earlier in the theory part and are based on those
factors the research hypothesis created. The following hypothesis was formulated:

− Family has no connection on individuals’ decision making process

− Consumers do not have any prejudgments towards coffee brands

Sampling
The sampling technique had to be chosen according to the fact that all consumers do not
have an equal chance to take part in this survey. A cluster sampling method was selected to form
a suitable sample size. Cluster sampling is a technique in which clusters of participants that
represent the population are identified and included in the sample. Cluster sampling involves
identification of cluster of participants representing the population and their inclusion in the
sample group.

Data Collection
 Data for this study was collected via a personal survey (limited for CBA students).
Printed questionnaires were used by the author for the accessibility, respondents can stay
anonymous while answering and can complete the forms by themselves. This leads to the
situation that the sample is not representative.

Measurement
The questions in the questionnaire were based on the theory of factors affecting consumer
behavior and the consumer decision-making process. The questionnaire included a series of
multiple-choice questions. Questions were planned in the way that respondents can choose a
numerical answer that describes best the respondents’ attitudes or opinions. Likert-type scale
allows the respondent to express how much they agree or disagree with the statement. (Vogt
2007, p. 88.) These agree/disagree categories can be analyzed as ordinal scales of the
measurement level. The nominal level measurement has distinct categories, and questions related
to gender, age and status were scaled to this measurement (Mirola 2011.) The results of the
questionnaire were analyzed with statistical program RStudio. The program provides an
opportunity to analyze and interpret the results in a numerical form. This numerical data can be
refined by a statistical method and modeled into a format that supports conclusion making.
Statistical measures help to find correlations between variables and relations between issues.
Results

The questionnaire generated a total of 337 responses. The questionnaire started with basic
questions about the demographics of the consumer. 220 of the respondents were females and 117
were males. 4.2 percent of the respondents’ ages were 17 years old, 32 percent were 18 years
old, 43 percent were 19 years old, 19.3 percent were 20 years old, .6 percent were 21 years old, .
6 percent were 22 years old and .3 were 28 years old. 19.3 percent of the respondents were in a
relationship, but not married. .9 percent were married and 79.8 percent were single. 73.9 percent
of the respondents’ religion were Roman Catholic, 5.6 percent were Iglesia ni Cristo,1.2 percent
were Baptist, 10.7 percent were Christian, 7.7 percent were Born Again Christian, .6 percent
were Agnostic and .3 percent were Islam. 43 of the respondents were working students and 294
were students.
 Respondents’ income level per month showed that 29.1 percent were receiving 26,000 –
40,000php (Figure 1) which is the average income level of a household in the Philippines. This
leads to the assumption that most of the respondents were in the class c market.

FIGURE 1

To know what coffee brands consumers consume, respondents were asked to state the
name or the names of the coffee brand that they usually consume. 177 (Figure2) chose Nescafe
as their usual coffee brand
and 151 chose Great taste
as their usual coffee brand.
These two were the
biggest brands given in the
survey.

FIGURE 2
 The following question was how long consumers have consumed that brand. It shows that
consumers have been
using that brand for a
month- 1 year. This
result is interesting
because the age group
consists of young
people and it can be
assumed that the
information
about the brand could
have come from their
family. It can be that
the person might have
consumed the same
brand before
moving out from home to study.

FIGURE 3

To find out factors behind buying decisions, consumers were asked to tell if they were
having prejudices towards their current coffee brand. 152 (Figure 4) respondents had prejudices
towards the coffee brand and 168 respondents said no and 16 respondents said they are not sure.
83 people indicated that the reason for this prejudice was because of their previous experiences,
63 people indicated that the reason for this prejudice was because of their knowledge of the
brand, 45 people indicated that the reason for this prejudice was because of the brand reputation,
57 people indicated that the reason for this prejudice was because of the information received
from family, friends or someone close to you and 38 people indicated that the reason for this

prejudice was because of the Information received from ads, Internet, TV, blogs . This disproves
the second hypothesis: Consumers do not have any prejudices towards coffee brands. To this
question respondents were able to choose more than one alternative, because attitudes can consist
of many factors.

FIGURE 4

To gain knowledge of why people decide to buy specific brand, it is first important to
know where they receive information about the product and how important it is for them.
Consumers were asked to choose from scale 1 (not important at all) to 5 (very important). 51
percent (Figure 5) of respondents said that the information received from family was very
important . This result disproves the first hypothesis set for this study that family has no effect on
the decision making process. Another source were their neighbor 37 percent (Figure 6) of the
respondents said that they are neutral. 45 percent (Figure 7) of the respondents said that
information from friends were important. 39 percent (Figure 8) of the respondents said that
handling the product very important and also 39 percent said that it was important. 43 percent
(Figure 9) of the population was neutral to the information from the internet. Also 39 percent
(Figure 10) of the respondents said that consumer rating is important. 39 percent (Figure 11) of
the respondents are neutral to the information from blogs. 40 percent (Figure 12) of the
population said that advertisements are important. Lastly, 35 percent (Figure 13) of the
respondents are neutral to the information from salespeople and 35 percent also said that it was
important. It seems to be that
consumers rely on family and
people close to them when
searching information about
products. It is interesting that
consumers are neutral to the
information from the Internet and
blogs when in these days social
media is so powerful.

FIGURE 5

FIGURE 6
 FIGURE 7

FIGURE 8

FIGURE 9

FIGURE 10

FIGURE 11

FIGURE 12
 FIGURE 13

To understand what kind of purchasing decisions consumers make, questions including

seven different claims were set. Consumers were asked to choose from scale 1 (never) to 5
(always) what describes the best consumers’ attitudes towards the claim. One of the claims was
consumers buys the same product every time. Figure 14 shows that 41 percent of the respondents
are loyal to their brand. 35 percent (Figure 15) of the respondents said that they always look for
the information about the product this shows that product information plays a crucial role in the
decision-making process when they are contemplating products. This is a clear route to build
customer loyalty.

FIGURE 14
 FIGURE 15

Another claim related to the same question regarding the preferences or opinions as a
basis when buying instant coffee. Results showed that 39 percent (Figure 16) of the respondents
stated often to base decisions on their own preferences or opinions. This indicates that one of the
psychological factors, beliefs and attitudes affects consumers’ decision making.

FIGURE 16

To understand how people can consume the same coffee brand for so long periods,
consumers were asked to indicate why they are consuming coffee. 37 percent of the respondents
stated that the reason was habit and 13 percent said that is was addiction (Figure 17). This result
arises a question if respondents have been totally honest while answering because a habit is
almost like an addiction. Some people can have different symptoms if they have not drunk their
morning coffee. But does the habit cause for example headache or you feel that you have not
even woken up? However, it is hard to indicate motivation that drives consumers to consume
coffee.
 FIGURE 17

Question 11 was asking how consumers describe themselves as buyers. 58 percent

(Figure 18) of the respondents described themselves as simple consumers.

FIGURE 18

To find out the consumers preferences when it comes to the packaging, consumers were
asked about the most important feature of the packaging that affects their decision in purchasing
an instant coffee. To this question respondents were able to choose more than one alternative,
because attitudes can consist of many factors. As a result, 220 (Figure 19) of the respondents the
idea that the packaging gives the feeling of what the coffee inside tastes like.
 FIGURE 19

The last question asked the reason for changing a coffee brand. 30 percent of the
respondents said that the primary reason why they choose to change their coffee brand it is
because it has better taste and the least specific is the lack of interest in the current brand.
Assumptions here are that the taste and preference of the consumers varies over time.
 FIGURE 20

Discussion
The objective of the research is to investigate how the different factors of consumer
behavior affect the consumers’ decision-making process during selecting an instant-coffee
brand/s. A number of conclusions can be drawn from the results as it was presented. Although,
the sample from which the data was gathered is considerably small, the research is of the opinion
that the results still provide relevant findings along with the insights that could be generalized to
normal practice as carried out by the average coffee drinkers.
The in-depth survey questionnaires revealed that the different factors of consumer
behavior and its impact to the consumers’ decision-making process during selection of instant
coffee brand/s is multiple yet the similarities and almost exact preferences of the respondents
makes it easier to understand as to why they choose a specific product when it comes to their
purchases.
Drinking coffee has its own pros and cons. It is consumed by almost every adult or every
person nearing adulthood as the tasks in their lives keep on adding up and the list never ends.
According to a research about beverage consumption by the Department of Science and
Technology, out of 3,291 Filipinos aging from thirteen to nineteen, 1,280 of them drink coffee or
tea and the reports from other studies indicated that coffee consumption in children and
adolescents may lead to caffeine exposure above the recommended threshold. From the results of
the survey questionnaires, the top reasons for coffee consumption are 1) habit, 2) preference and
3) addiction. These reasons are all connected with the reason that a person can first start off as
his or her own choice to drink coffee until it becomes a habit. According to psychology, it takes
fourteen days to develop a habit and since this is coffee, the substance in it, specifically caffeine
can be addictive. Caffeine is proved to be an addictive drug because of the way that the drug
affects the human brain and produces that alert feeling which the people crave for. Coffee is
coffee, it has the same taste as it is and has the same effect on people once consumed and that is
why fifty eight percent of the population said that they prefer to have a simple kind of coffee
drink. Although, there is a consideration for consumers who choose to purchase luxurious and
trendy coffee but at the end of the day, it still holds that same impact to the consumer.
Most of the population said that they always have their own preference or opinions as
their basis when buying instant coffee. This is just one of the factors and the consumers are
unconsciously aware that even their environment can affect their buying behaviors. Aside from
themselves, they will also rely towards the information they receive from the people around them
or the internet. A high percentage of them mentioned that they conduct research to gain
information about a product which is a smart move in order for them to get what their money is
worth. In resonation with the research, consumers can see the ratings and reviews of a product in
different blogs or even in videos uploaded on the internet. This creates a bias for them to
conclude with what they want to purchase. In the case that there are some consumers who do not
or very rarely conduct research about a product, there are advertisements that they can view on
their TV screens, laptop or computer screens and even their cellphones. This is a marketing
strategy now used by multiple companies in order to get the word out that their product or
products is or are worth purchasing. There are advertisements that have taglines which have
stuck to the minds of consumers and they have found this meaningful enough to purchase from
their brand.
Since people have different views and perspectives, they can have reasons to switch their
instant coffee brand if they have found something better. The number one thing to consider is the
taste according to a number of people who answered the survey questionnaire. When buying a
product that is literally consumable, people will definitely have different tastes and this is
something that a lot of companies have adjusted to. When it comes to coffee, multiple coffee
brands presented a wide array of choices from black coffee to creamy coffee and it just depends
on the person to decide how strong they want their coffee.
Other than their own research, the population said that receiving details about an instant
coffee brand from their family and friends are also important. This is seen that way with the
reason that they receive information from people who have already consumed the product and
their experience from it. The opinions from other people has that informational influence towards
the buying behavior and they tend to trust these opinions with the reason that it came from
people that they trust.
The results have presented huge diversity when it comes to preferences but at the end of
it all, they will still stick to their own opinions and a lot of them choose to just have a simple
tastes that gives them what they want and soothes their needs. It is evident that the only
difference between instant coffee brands are their taste and price and the consumers have said
their part. They would rather have simple coffee and stick to the brand which they have found a
liking for and would only change it if they have found a better brand with better taste.
Overall, instant coffee consumption by consumers and their buying behavior has multiple
factors to be considered such as cultural, social, personal and psychological and it is clear to see
that the consumers consider personal and social the most. The consumers have found brands who
are credible enough to be a loyal consumer of and they have come to their own personal
preferences when it comes to consuming these such as the price and the taste.
Conclusions
The purpose of this study was to investigate how social, personal and psychological
factors affect consumer behavior when selecting an instant coffee brand, and gain knowledge of
the decision-making process. The theory part included a description and actions based on this
issues, a questionnaire was created. The empirical research focused on finding these social,
personal and psychological factors behind consumer behavior and the effect of those in the
decision-making process.
The results of this empirical study showed that when choosing an instant coffee product
there is a correlation between social, personal, and psychological factors; but because of the
outcome, it was not credible because of some mismatch between some of the presented results.
These factors can be said to have an effect when consumers make purchasing decisions. The
result shows that family and friends are the most important factors that affect decision-making
when selecting instant coffee brand. However, consumers can also base their choice on
psychological variables, beliefs and attitudes. Research has shown that consumers use different
steps of the buying decision-making process. The study results give the general view that there is
some impact on economic, personal and psychological factors, but not strong statistical accuracy.
It is advised to have a larger sample and to establish smaller groups when analyzing data
for future studies on this subject. Relationships with multiple correlation indications could then
be pursued. However, if the item was more costly or rarely bought in this study, the results could
have been different.

Factors Affecting
Consumers’ Buying
Decision in the
Selection of an Instant
Coffee Brand

Kaharian, Katherine Reanne C.

Llorente, Maecaella Xelline L.
Ong, Matthew Rouwie O.