? Read the article below about the factors that influence buying behavior. ? For each question 23-28 on the opposite page, choose the correct answer. ? Mark One letter (A, B or C) on your Answer Sheet. Factors That Influence Buying Behavior Throughout the buying process, various factors may influence a buyer's purchase decision. An awareness of these factors and consumer preferences enables companies to appeal to the group most likely to respond to its products and services. Some of these factors include the following. ? Culture. The cultures and subcultures we belong to shape our values, attitudes, and beliefs, and they influence the way we respond to the world around us. Understanding culture is therefore an increasingly important step in international business and in marketing in diverse countries such as the United States. ? Social class. In addition to being members of a particular culture, we also belong to a certain social class — be it upper, middle, lower, or somewhere in between. In general, members of various classes enjoy different activities, buy different goods, shop in different places, and react to different media. ? Reference groups. A reference group consists of people who have a good deal in common — family members, friends, co-workers, fellow students, teenagers, sports enthusiasts, music lovers, computer buffs. We are all members of many such reference groups, and we use the opinions of the appropriate group as a benchmark when we buy certain types of products or services. For example, shopping malls are today losing what has long been their most faithful audience — teens. That's because Generation Xers (those born between 1965 and 1978) think that malls are for parents and that malls have too many rules. So some retailers like Urban Outfitters and Tower Records refuse to open stores in most malls. ? Self-image. The tendency to believe that 'you am what you buy' is especially prevalent among young people. Marketers capitalize on our need to express our identity through our purchases by emphasizing the image value of products and services. That's why professional athletes and musicians are frequently used as product endorsers — so that we incorporate part of their public image into our own self-image. After all, doesn't everyone want to 'be like Mike Jordan'? Situational factors. These factors include events or circumstances occurring in our lives that are more circumstantial in nature. For example, you have a coupon, you're in a hurry, it's Valentine's Day, it's your birthday, you're in a bad mood, and so on. Situational factors influence our buying patterns. Consumer preferences help companies