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Introduction
Consumer satisfaction is a key aspect in any business enterprise. This is because; dissatisfied customers are less likely make a repeat purchase. Thus, it is significant for a marketer to understand the factors that influence the consumer purchase decision. In order to understand the consumer behavior, a marketer should understand the consumer motivation factors, nature of the target market and consumer buying process. Many business enterprises believe that they have a superior understanding of their customers and thus do not commit resources towards researching on consumer behavior. Other business may be having the urge to research on consumer behavior but lack the resources (in terms of money and time) to put their plans into action. Indeed, because of the importance of understanding consumer behavior this paper explores the external factors affecting consumer behavior in marketing of Toyota brand in Australia and the entire globe as explained below.

Social influences and household structures
Social influences and household structures affect consumer behavior in various ways. As the word suggests, social factors involve the things that a consumer is in close contact with e.g. age and gender, lifestyle. Age is a demographic factor that affects consumer behavior. The age composition of Australia society and the entire globe at large is composed of youth more than any another group. Youths are most likely to be associated with demanding commodities that are most current and more efficient. According to Hoyer (2008), Age is a crucial factor in market segmentation. In addition, age group influences consumer behavior in different ways. For example, medium aged people, make a purchasing decision based on the quality of the vehicle they are buying i.e. they consider the quality and durability of the car. On the other hand, the youth may not have enough bargaining capacity thereby making price as the key factor to be considered before making any purchase decision. Also, with the enforcement of new consumer laws, the behavior of households in Australia has taken a new look (Commonwealth of Australia, 2012). Gender is another factor that also affects consumer behavior, based on the expected roles that men and women are supposed to play in society. In Australia, men are associated with tasks that are more manual than women (Blackwell, 2006). Thus, men would be expected to demand cars with high performance that would help them in carrying out their tasks. However, women prefer to buy cars that are less manual. This is because of the kind of the tasks they perform. Gender also influence consumer choice in making car purchase decision e.g. in Kenya the Toyota brand Vitz, is always associated with women while those men who own them (Vitz) are ridiculed in the society. Another gender aspect that affects purchasing decision is that when women are more demanding in issues of security and safety, comfort and convenience. Lifestyle is another factor that can be used in segmenting the market. Lifestyle relates to how people devote their energy, money and time (Schiffman, 2005). In understanding how lifestyle influences consumer behavior researchers, the use psychographic analysis is crucial. It entails combining both the demographic and psychological traits that determine consumer purchasing decision (Hoyer, 2008). In conducting psychographic analysis, the researcher tries to establish the consumer’s interests, opinions and activities. Psychographic analysis is imperative in that; when a marketer understands how consumers live, he is more able to predict their purchasing decisions. Lifestyle has significantly influenced marketing of Toyota product. Different people prefer different lifestyles demand different models of cars e.g. footballers demand cars that are sportier. Contrary, accountants given their nature of conservations would demand a Toyota Corolla. Household structure also influences customer behavior. This is because, when people stay together they tend to exhibit the same ways of living. The ways of living, in most cases, are different from ways of living that each individual had before the association. The unmarried population demonstrates different consumer behavior from those married. Subsequently when the married couples gets children their value system changes due to increased financial obligations and other family commitments (Leonard, 2011). In this line, married couples are more likely to demand cars that would enable them move around with their family e.g. a Toyota G-Touring, while singles are most likely expected to prefer cars with lower capacity e.g. a Toyota Supra Twin Turbo.

Group influences
Behavioral analysts argue that Group influences may affect consumer behavior. A group consists of those individuals that have either direct or indirect effect on an individual attitude, examples of groups may include but not restricted to churches, colleges, family or work place (Quester, 2011). Group influences establishes an inner tone on how one should behave uprightly in the society. Reference group influence consumer behavior in that, an individual would make a purchase in reference to the group value system. For example, the government as a consumer, purchases cars of the same model that have low fuel consumption, due to the agency relationship between the government and the citizenry. Group influences through learning from others, can be associated with drop in sales of Toyota brand in Australia. It is alleged that Toyota Company has been manufacturing cars that of less quality, also there have been claims that, spare parts of some cars are not available. According to marketing experts, for Toyota Company to boost its sales, it must engage in promotions that will help in recapturing and winning the confidence of customers. The promotions can be carried out through direct selling, more TV adverts and increasing traffic to their website.

Social Class
Social class is the position one holds in the society. It is influenced by factors such as wealth, occupation and level of education to name but a few. Social class is also dictated by factors such as the accepted cultural system and society’s expectation (Schebeck, 1977). For example in Australia, people that are highly educated prefer to buy prestigious cars, so as to fulfill what the society expects of him. Therefore, marketers make an assumption that people in the same class are most likely expected to demand similar models of cars. Generally, consumers with a high level of income are more likely to spend it on expensive models (Quester, 2011). In western countries, it is common for people to change from their family social class to another social class. Despite this improvement, the society still has the class system i.e. high income level, medium income level, and lower income level. Low economic resource households depend on monetary support from their family members and friends up to 20% of their expenditure (Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2012). Indeed, in most countries the space between the unfortunate and the wealthy is widening. In order to change the influence of social class on consumer behavior, promotional campaigns e.g. advertising can be used to break the value systems and change attitudes. In addition, it is important adopt appropriate brand positioning. Ries (2006) asserts that positioning is a critical factor in marketing since it cuts across the 4 Ps.

Culture
Culture is another key factor influencing consumer behavior. Culture relates to beliefs and norms that individuals possess. Consumers in Australia and across the globe have different cultural system which in turn affect how consumers behaviors and communication (Schebeck, 1977). Thus, in satisfying their needs consumers behave in ways that fits in the society culture. Marketing of Toyota brand across the world should appreciate the different cultures and origins and specifically attend to those needs. In the recent past, there has been cross-cultural globalization as the Western culture is spreading through the whole world. Cross-cultural integration has influenced marketing of Toyota brand in that; people are coming up with unique needs on how cars should function, more frequently.

Reference list

 * 1) Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2012. Australian Social Trends.  [Web]. Available at:  [Accessed 25 April 2012].
 * 2) Blackwell, R. et al., 2006. Consumer Behaviour, an Asia Pacific Approach. Australia:  Cengage Learning.
 * 3) Commonwealth of Australia., 2012. Know your rights when a salesperson knocks– checklist for consumers. [Web]. Available at:  [Accessed 25 April 2012].
 * 4) Hawknis, D. I., Mothersbaugh, D. L. and Mookerjee, A., 2011. Consumer behavior building marketing strategy. New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill.
 * 5) Hoyer, W. D. and Macinnis, D. J., 2008. Consumer behavior. Mason, OH, South-Western.
 * 6) Leonard, A., 2011. Consumer spending. The New York Times, [Web] 2 November. Available at:  [Accessed 25 April 2012].
 * 7) Quester, P., Pettigrew, S. and Hawkins, D.I., 2011.Consumer Behaviour. Australia: McGraw-Hill.
 * 8) Ries, A., and Trout, J., 2006. Positioning: the battle for your mind. New York: McGraw-Hill.
 * 9) Schebeck, F. and Thury, G., 1977. Consumer behaviour in Austria. Empirica, 4(2), pp. 141-178.
 * 10) Schiffman, B. et al., 2005. Consumer behavior. Australia: Pearson Australia Group Ltd.