Abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to review the current position in buyer behaviour theory, with particular reference to an approach that is gaining increasing popularity, and which places major emphasis upon consumer decision processes. The paper is in three parts. The first briefly sketches in reasons for the growing interest in theory; the second describes three main approaches to theory building prevalent in market research; the third indicates the practical value of theory both for day to day problem solving and for basic marketing research - the attitude-behaviour issue has been selected as the chief illustration.