AB406H8 Hospitality Consumer Behaviour | Royal Lancaster London

Learning Outcomes

LO1 Analyse the factors that impact hospitality consumer behaviour and attitudes.

LO2 Determine the ability to show a path to purchase in a hospitality context, including the decision-making process attractions

LO3 Discuss appropriate forms of research to understand influences on the hospitality consumer decision-making process

LO4 Determine how marketers influence the different stages of the hospitality consumer decision making process.

Scenario and Activities

Activity 1- Giving a Presentation on Hospitality Consumer Behaviour and Attitude

A company that specialises in consumer behaviour insight and analytics have recently appointed as a consumer behaviour specialist at www.shiftconsultancy.co.uk.

Give your valuable advice in relation to a leading hospitality client about consumer behaviour dynamics. Your first activity for this client is to be in the form of a presentation, giving specific facts and findings, with sources in support.

Your presentation should include the following: -

• a brief overview of consumer behaviour;
• an evaluation of the factors that impact hospitality consumer behaviour and attitudes - cultural, social, personal and psychological; and
• an examination of how consumer trends are changing due to the impact of digital technology in the hospitality industry.

For an outstanding presentation you would go on to; -

• Evaluate how cultural, social, personal and psychological factors that influence consumer behaviour and attitudes are changing and driving trends in the hospitality industry; and even
• Briefly evaluate the emerging trends in consumer behaviour and attitudes using specific examples from the hospitality industry to support your arguments

Activity 2- Reporting on Consumer Decision-Making

 Next you are asked to; -

• analyse the stages of the consumer decision-making journey (you might want to consider e.g. problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, product/ service choice and outcomes);
• draw a path to the purchasing for a specific hospitality service (any service of your choice – here you might want to consider e.g. the consumer decision journey through from pre-purchase, purchase, and receipt to post-purchase)

 Additionally, you are required to prepare some further supporting material in which you; -

• examine why it is important for marketers to map a path to purchase and understand consumer decision-making in the hospitality sector.

(Here it is suggested that you might want to discuss matters such as the following; (a) the four views of hospitality consumer decision-making - economic, passive, emotional and cognitive; (b) factors that impact decision-making; (c) the impact of heuristics on decision making; (d) the impact of elements of the marketing mix on decision-making; and (e) the impact of new technologies.)

For a better evaluation, you should either; -

• analyse how marketers are responding to the decision-making process, applying relevant examples from the above hospitality sector business; and, if you can,
• briefly analyse the application of appropriate theories, concepts and models that influence and impact upon the hospitality decision-making process, supported by specific hospitality examples and contexts.

Activity 3 - Evaluating Forms of Research on the Decision-Making Process in Hospitality

Your manager has requested you to continue on the project and write another report to analyse some of the forms of research on how the decision-making process is impacted.

For this work to be considered at least satisfactory, it should; -

• determine the differences between the decision-making process in the hospitality industry for Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B);
• evaluate the key differences in the decision-making processes between B2B and B2C, giving specific examples from the hospitality industry.
• examine some of the different approaches to market research and offer your evaluation; and
• discuss some of the different approaches to methods of research that are used to understand the customer decision-making process and offer your evaluation of them.

Once again, a better evaluation will; -

• present a coherent and justified evaluation of how different factors influence hospitality decision-making and buying behaviour, supported by specific hospitality examples; and
• briefly analyse the application of appropriate theories, concepts and models that influence and impact upon the hospitality decision-making process, supported by specific hospitality examples and contexts

Activity 4 - Analysing the Marketers’ Influence on the Consumer Decision-Making Process 

You are finally asked to make an additional section to be added on to your report. You are informed that this document needs to; -

• explain and analyse how marketers can influence the different stages of the hospitality consumer decision-making process, give specific examples from the hospitality industry.

 Yet again your work will receive a higher evaluation if you can;

• briefly analyse how marketers influence each stage of the decision-making process with reference to relevant methods and models applied; or
• briefly analyse the application of appropriate theories, concepts and models that influence and impact upon the hospitality decision-making process, supported by specific hospitality examples and contexts