Consumer behaviour is the study of the motivations surrounding a purchase of a product or service. It has been linked to the field of psychology, sociology and economics in attempts to analyse when, why, where and how people purchase in the way that they do. However, little literature has considered the link between consumption behaviour and the basics of human biology. Segmentation by biological-driven demographics such as sex and age are already popular and pervasive in marketing. As more knowledge and research is known, targeting based on consumers' biology is of growing interest and use to marketers.
As "human machines" being made up of cells controlled by a brain to influence aspects of behaviour, there must be some influence of biology on consumer behaviour and how purchase decisions are made as well. The nature versus nurture debate is at the core of how much biology influences these buying decisions, because it argues how much is can be explained through environmental and by biological factors. Neuromarketing is of interest to marketers in measuring the reaction of stimulus to marketing.
Lawson and Wooliscroft (2004) drew the link between human nature and the marketing concept, not explicitly biology, where they considered the contrasting views of Hobbes and Rousseau on mankind. Hobbes believed man had a self-serving nature whereas Rousseau was more forgiving towards the nature of man, suggesting them to be noble and dignified. Hobbes saw the need for a governing intermediary to control this selfish nature which provided a basis for the exchange theory, and also links to Mcgregor's Theory of X and Y, relevant to management literature. He also considered cooperation and competition, relevant to game theory as an explanation of man's motives and can be used for understanding the exercising of power in marketing channels. Pinker outlines why the nature debate has been suppressed by the nurture debate in his book The Blank Slate.
Nature and consumer behaviour
Genes
Cells are the building blocks of all living organisms. Within these cells are coils of DNA, genetic information instructing for how cells will develop and operate. A small segment of DNA is a gene which codes for the making of proteins and passing on traits to offspring in reproduction. The main goal of a gene is to reproduce and thrive in its environment in relative to competitors. Practical implications in crime investigation, disorders and increasingly talent prediction and career decision making have considered their association with genes and biology, but the idea of biology and marketing is a growing body of knowledge. Neuromarketing is a new phenomenon studying consumer's reactions to marketing stimuli.
Biology affecting behaviour
Gene-centric view
Richard Dawkins outlines in The Selfish Gene (1976) that humans are machines made of genes, and genes are the grounding for everything people do. The gene-centric view outlines that natural selection, evolution and all behaviour must be traced back to the survival of competing genes as an extension of Darwin's theory being the survival of competing individuals. The main goal of individuals, coming from genes, is to reproduce and thrive, where thriving involves protection, conquering competition and future growth. Therefore, everything that people do relates to thriving in their environment above competition, including the way people consume as a form of survival in their environment when simply purchasing the basic physiological needs of food, water and warmth. People also consume to thrive above others, for example in conspicuous consumption where a luxury car represents money and high social status and the application of makeup makes the person and their genes seem more attractive and worthy of passing to offspring.
At least some behaviour must be influenced by genes because behaviour depends on the interaction of molecules and neurons in the brain. These interactions are a result of genes, however the influence on behaviour cannot go much further than this. Dawkins likened genes to a computer. They have been pre-programmed to build cells, develop cells and make them work together. Like a computer, the hardware is set in stone, but the software can change how they work, just like their environment. Genes indirectly influence behaviour as the nervous system and the brain is the intermediary in the transaction decision because it reasons and processes all of the gene instructions into one decision, movement or behaviour. The way neurons connect is dependent on the environment, learning and experience. This introduces the nurture side of the nature nurture debate.