Brand Choice Behavior Research Based On Consumer's Cognition

With the rapid development of information technology, global competition is increasingly furious and the consumer-oriented market will be more complex and changeable, which has brought unprecedented challenges to the survival and development of enterprises. Enterprises are increasingly aware that only deeply understand consumers can a competitive brand be created. Therefore, the study of consumer brand choice process and its inherent cognition has gradually become the hot spot of consumer behavior research.The present consumer brand choice behavior research can be divided into two major categories that are research on influencing factors of brand choice and research on the overall behavior of brand choice, of which the latter mainly researches from macro perspective, enterprise perspective and the consumer perspective. Among them, the macro perspective tends to use quantitative analysis method to express the statistical results of a variety of macro-research in consumer brand choice; the enterprise perspective mainly focuses on utilizing right brand strategies to improve brand competitiveness, thus affecting the consumers' brand choice behavior; most of the consumer perspective research focus on research on brand choice mathematical model and selection strategies as well as research on brand choice formation mechanism. These existing documents lay a solid theoretical basis for further research. With the gradual deepening of research on consumer brand choice behavior, research results of traditional consumer behavior have gradually emerged out a number of shortcomings when explaining part of the phenomenon shown in consumer brand choice process, for instance, it can not better explain the cognitive learning process behind consumer brand choice behavior and the reasons for consumers forming unconscious purchase after buying on many occasions.For this, this study introduces cognitive psychology knowledge and makes on in-depth study and analysis on inherent cognition of consumer brand choice. The major work and conclusions that have been done by this article are as follows: 1,Identifying the cognitive components of consumer brand choice process and building a cognitive structure model of consumer brand choice. First of all, collect cognitive statements sentences with verbal report method when consumers choosing simulant brand, and then prepare and grant questionnaires based on collecting and coordinating the results, and finally deal with data results with factor analysis, and identify three cognitive components in the course of consumer brand choice, consumer meta-cognition, brand-related knowledge and brand choice strategy, respectively. On this basis, a cognitive structure model of consumer brand choice is built. In the basic structure of the model, the consumer meta-cognition is in the highest level, which plays the role of surveillance, regulation, control and evaluation for the use of two ingredients brand choice strategy and brand-related knowledge in brand choice process.2,Expanding the cognitive structure model of consumer brand choice. First of all, use declarative knowledge to represent theory—spreading activation theory to carry out expansion of brand-related knowledge. On the basis of referring to previous studies, this article points out that the brand-related knowledge can be regarded as constituted by four components, i.e. , brand name, product category, associated attributes and subjective evaluation. The four components inter-link between each other, forming six types of associations of consumer-related brand, namely association of brand name and the product category, association of brand name and subjective evaluation, association of brand name and associated attributes, association of brand associated attributes and subjective evaluation, association of product categories and subjective evaluation as well as association of product categories and associated attributes. Then use the producing representation theory of procedural knowledge to expand the brand choice strategy. Eventually build an expansion model (MKP I Model) of brand choice cognitive structure model.3,Building consumer brand choice cognitive processes model and explaining the dynamic learning phenomenon of brand choice cognitive processes. On the basis of the comments on consumer learning theory, this article choose Anderson's ACT * theory as the theoretical basis of building consumer brand choice cognitive process model. Based on the theory, this article puts forward five main stages in consumer brand choice cognitive process, including understanding external information and gaining declarative knowledge, using procedural knowledge of general field to solve problems, producing editors, producing feasibility judgment and producing adjustment and so on, every stage is not in the strict order relationship with another.4,Building the overall cognitive model of consumer brand choice. On the basis of respectively constructing the cognitive structure model of consumer brand choice and brand choice cognitive process model, combining the relationship between consumer cognitive structure and cognitive processes this article constructs consumer brand choice overall cognitive model (MKP II model), and studies deeply in the relationship of five major stages, cognitive processes and cognitive structure, as well as the influence of cognitive structure on consumer brand choice cognitive processes, and then bring forward the corresponding research hypotheses.5,To verify related hypotheses of the cognitive model. This article has totally designed three empirical researches to study and verify several research hypotheses put forward on the basis of brand choice overall cognitive model. In the empirical study, statistical software SPSS16.0 and AMOS6.0 are used for data processing. Methods used include cluster analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, logistic regression analysis and structural equation model analysis. And we make results analysis on this basis to make corresponding marketing recommendations for enterprise managers and marketing staff.Wholly speaking, focusing on the main line of building a consumer brand choice cognitive model, this study respectively carries out in-depth study and analysis for consumer cognitive structures and cognitive processes, the main innovations of this article are:1,Identifying the three major cognitive components in brand choice process by using empirical study and building a consumer brand choice cognitive structure.2,For the first time, Anderson's ACT * theory is introduced in the research on consumer brand choice cognitive processes, and the cognitive process model built on this basis can better explain the phenomenon of dynamic learning existing in consumer brands selection.3,For the first time, meta-cognition is introduced in the study of consumer brand choice behavior, and meta-cognition is verified its existence and effect in consumer brand choice with empirical research, thus not only expanding the scope of brand choice research fields, but also providing interpretation of a new perspective to cognitive mechanism behind consumer brand choice behavior.4,For consumer brand choice cognitive processes, this paper presents a new perspective, that is, after the consumers' many brand choices, their familiarity improves constantly, and the consumers will have a knowledge of dimensionality reduction through abstracting a number of specific declarative knowledge (attributes). In addition, by using empirical research this article validates this conclusion.Because of the conditions, there are still some limitations in this research. Further research in the future can be done in the following directions: Firstly, to expand sample scope and sample size by using cross-regional comparative studies and dynamic follow-up study; Secondly, to design specific psychological experiment to make scientific measurements of eyeball rolling and cerebral cortex reaction of consumers by using advanced research tools in psychological disciplines to study the low-level apperception of cognitive processes of consumers; Thirdly, to simulate the consumer brand choice behavior in a computer. In view of the ACT * theory being a theory based on the producing system framework, thus computer system belongs to the research field of computer artificial intelligence and is the basis of the development of expert system. Development tools of expert system can be used, such as PROLOG, LISP and other computer programming languages, to develop the corresponding computer program, to simulate decision-making and treatment process that human beings solve practical problems of brand choice, to measure the probability that consumers select some brand, and then to provide a more specific marketing recommendations to enterprise marketing.