Influence of Social Factors on Consumer Behaviour: Context of Euro Integration
Influence of Social Factors on Consumer Behaviour: Context of Euro Integration

Summary/Abstract: This article highlights the conception of consumer behaviour and its beginning, it analyzes manifestation of social factors in consumer bahaviour in the theoretical level and points out the main social factors that influence consumer behaviour. Consumer behaviour and influence of social factors on it was researched by these authors: W. J. Stanton, M. J. Etzel ir B. J. Walker, E. J. McCarthy and W. D. Perreault Jr., E. N. Berkowitz, R. A. Kerin, S. W. Hartley and W. Rudelius, W. G. Zikmund and M. d‘Amico, S. Dibb, L. Simkin, W. M. Pride and O. C. Ferrell, Ph. Kotler and F. Bliemel, D. A. Statt, M. Solo-mon, G. Bamossy, S. Askegaard and others. Theoretical studies on how social factors influence consumer behaviour exhibited that the main social fac-tors, which influence consumer behaviour, are family, influence groups, social class and culture. Determination of separate social factors’ influence and fluctuation ten-dencies helps to ensure the efficiency of marketing pro-gramme and to project the perspectives of the company‘s development in the future. Currently, marketing special-ists unanimously agree that consumer behaviour is de-fined not only by what is going on at the moment when money in the hands of consumer is exchanged for goods or services; consumer behaviour must be treated as a non-stop process. Having summarized different defini-tions of consumer behaviour, we may state that consumer behaviour is a continuous process that covers individual acts from the origination of the problem, which may be resolved by purchasing a commodity, to the reaction re-lated to the commodity already purchased. The importance of consumer behaviour recognition unfolds in the stage of strategical planning of the com-pany. As practice shows, consumer behaviour research still lacks proper attention from business subjects. When marketing strategies are created, they very often narrow to the main marketing elements. A consumer’s attitude towards an item, his motivation to act in one way or an-other, determine the creation of marketing complex pro-gramme. Euro integration processes are closely related to economic, legal, cultural and social changes of the environment and open new opportunities to business as well as the coming of new foreign companies to Lithua-nian market, so when forming the strategy and trying to maintain as well as to increase the competitiveness of Lithuanian business companies, it is necessary to con-sider the changes related to these processes in consumer behaviour.

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