Abstract:
The researcher discussed about the factors that affect the purchasing behavior of the consumer taking as a reference the foreign students in the University of Africa.
The thesis of the research was to identify to what degree the environment affects the purchasing behavior of the consumer. And does the consumer behavior depend on the subjective factors such as cost and income. Does having knowledge of consumer purchasing power help in planning marketing activity?
The most important assumption of this research was that the social changes surrounding the consumer and the cultural factors affect the spending behavior of the consumer. The research concluded that the social changes surrounding the foreign students and cultural factors affect their purchasing behavior.
Some of the results of this research were that the human behavior is directed towards meeting the basic needs and depends on the internal and external factors which affect his spending. The results also showed that even though the purchasing will is categorized, it is considered difficult to quickly pinpoint the factors which drive the consumer to purchase a specific product. The results also show that the individual behavior that affects the spending behavior of the consumer is something internal to the individual and hence its effect is limited and special to that individual. Social factors, on the other hand, are external factors and it is possible that different people get affected by the same social factor.
One of the most important recommendations of the researcher is that the marketing individual needs to understand the culture and tradition of the community so that he can use it as a ground for his products and convert this understanding into a marketing mix
suitable for this new culture. She also recommends reaching into new depths into knowing the consumer spending and factors. She also recommends the products and services to be within the purchasing power of the consumer.