Types of customers in marketing and how to use a typology of buying behaviour

In marketing, a satisfied customer is the key to success. But how do you achieve that? It is important to understand your customers. A typology of customer buying behaviour can help. What is it and how do you work with it? Let’s explain everything in the following article.

Buying vs. consumer behaviour

To start with, it helps to specify how these two terms differ. Buying behaviour concerns the act of purchase itself, from the stage of recognising a need to buying a product or service. In contrast, consumer behaviour is understood more broadly as: “the sum of all activities related to the consumption of a product, while buying behaviour is part of it. ” In other words, consumer behaviour covers the whole purchasing process as well as post-purchase behaviour, when the customer is already using and evaluating the product.

What does a typology of buying behaviour deal with?

A typology of buying behaviour deals with the buying behaviour of customers. Definitions differ slightly. According to Vysekalová, a customer typology can be defined as: “the division of a set of people, objects or phenomena into groups according to a certain criterion, feature or set of features.” The aim is therefore to group customers according to character traits, temperament or other shared features.

One typology is the Gretz and Drozdeck model, which they describe in the book The Psychology of Selling (Psychologie prodeje). This approach divides customers into four types based on basic character traits (superiority, submissiveness, friendliness, hostility). In this article, we will introduce three basic classifications: by decision time, by character traits, and by the customer’s lifestyle and personality.

Tip: Interested in customer typology? Don’t forget to read an article on a similar topic: How to use archetypes in marketing?

How the consumer buying behaviour model works

Before you sort customers into types, it helps to understand how a purchase decision forms. The most widely used consumer buying behaviour model is the stimulus and response model, often called the black box model. External stimuli, such as the product, its price, the place of sale and promotion, together with economic, cultural and technological influences, enter the buyer’s mind. There they are filtered through the buyer’s characteristics and decision process. The result is a visible response, such as the choice of product, brand, seller, timing and amount.

The decision process inside the black box is usually described in five stages:

• Need recognition, when the customer notices a problem or desire.
• Information search, when they look for options.
• Evaluation of alternatives, when they compare products and sellers.
• Purchase decision, when they choose and buy.
• Post-purchase behaviour, when they judge whether the purchase met their expectations.

Each customer type moves through these stages at a different pace and with different needs. A short-term customer may skip most of the search, while a long-term customer spends weeks on evaluation.

a) Classification by decision time

The first criterion is the time it takes a customer to decide on a purchase. There are three basic groups:

• Short-term customer

• Medium-term customer

• Long-term customer

Short-term customer

This is the ideal type for marketing, as it represents immediate income without much effort. This customer is characterised by having a clear idea of exactly what they want. If they find what they are looking for with us, they will buy without further thought. If they are satisfied, there is a good chance they will come back again.

Medium-term customer

This customer is usually a smaller company. The sales process takes longer than with a short-term client, and we meet the customer several times before the final purchase decision is made.

Long-term customer

In this case, the customer is mainly a large company. Compared with the previous types, the whole process takes a considerable amount of time, mainly because of price calculations, delivery terms and other important matters that need to be settled before buying the goods or service.

b) Classification by character traits

As already mentioned, according to Gretz and Drozdeck, customers can be further divided into four groups based on two main characteristics: submissiveness and dominance. Submissive customers tend to be indecisive and therefore often prefer to defer to others. This group is not hard to persuade. It includes the sociable type and the bureaucrat. Dominant customers have firm opinions and are not easy to persuade otherwise, as they are very critical of other people’s views. This group includes the performer type and the dictator.

1. Sociable type

A customer of this type is pleasant, kind, non-confrontational and will listen to you. They try not to stand out and to blend in with the crowd. Their weak points are their insecurity and vulnerability.

How to deal with them: When communicating with them, we should spend time above all on creating a pleasant atmosphere. Given their indecisiveness, it is a good idea to present several possible solutions and reassure them. You should avoid any pressure or persuasion, so act with sensitivity.

2. Bureaucrat

The bureaucratic type is characterised above all by distrust. These people tend to believe that sellers are trying to sell them goods they do not need or that are not of sufficient quality. They do not like to stand out from the crowd, like to follow instructions, keep their distance from others and check others thoroughly before making a final decision. Because they avoid unpleasant conversations, instead of refusing directly they often respond evasively or prefer to stay silent.

How to deal with them: With this customer, the most important and also the hardest step is gaining their trust. So do not act hastily, and give them time to believe you. Try to follow the rules they care about. It is important not to show your superiority and to give advice only when the customer asks for it.

Tip: Did you know that colours can also influence customer buying behaviour? Find out more in the article How does colour psychology work in marketing?

3. Performer type

Unlike the previous type, the performer type is friendly and polite. They respect other people’s opinions but like to form their own opinion based on their feelings and information. These people are open to new ideas and will try to listen to you. You should make use of this when dealing with them.

How to deal with them: You need to be assertive while respecting the customer’s opinion. As they dislike manipulation, we must argue very carefully and try not to push the customer into anything. A suitable strategy is to demonstrate the product and show the benefits the customer will gain by buying it.

4. Dictator

The dictator can often catch you off guard with tricky questions. They come across as self-confident, are very dominant, try to show their power and always have to be right. Dealing with them is not at all easy, and above all requires patience and a large dose of assertive warmth, as these customers will often tell you frankly what they think of you.

How to deal with them: Above all, it is important to stay calm and not get flustered. Often the customer is just testing your knowledge and trying to prove their superiority. Present clear facts; a practical product demonstration can also help. If you gain their trust, they become one of the most loyal customers, and dealing with them then usually becomes easier.

c) Classification by the customer’s lifestyle and personality

A typology of Czech shoppers was created by dividing customers according to lifestyle and personality. The companies Incoma Research and GfK Praha took part in the survey. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews. 2,097 households took part in the survey. So what are Czech customers like according to the survey? Let’s briefly introduce them.

1. Economist

They shop less often but in larger volumes. They often travel by car to shop. They prefer high-quality shops with a wide range. At the same time, price matters to them. Who is a typical representative? A middle-aged person with a university degree and a higher income.

2. Easily influenced

They make emotional purchase decisions. They are often influenced by advertising or the attractive look of a product. They like trying new products. Who is a typical representative? A younger person with a university degree or secondary school leaving exam, with a higher income.

3. Mobile pragmatist

They shop less often but in large quantities. They are often willing to travel to a more distant shop. They prefer large-format stores. They like paying by card. Who is a typical representative? A middle-aged father with a university degree and an above-average income.

4. Demanding shopper

They have high expectations for quality, modernity and range size. They also value additional services and like paying by card. Who is a typical representative? A younger to middle-aged woman with a university degree or secondary school leaving exam, a higher income, living in a medium-sized town.

5. Loyal homemaker

These are mostly women. Above all, she values pleasant and helpful service. She shops more often and in smaller quantities, most often near where she lives. So she usually does not travel far to shop, or she uses public transport or walks. She prefers smaller shops she is used to. Who is a typical representative? Women (55+), no longer economically active, with a lower level of education, mostly from a smaller town or village.

6. Thrifty type

As the name suggests, this customer’s goal is to save as much as possible. This customer buys only what they really need. They focus mainly on price, taking advantage of various promotions and discounts, and know all about them. They usually go shopping by public transport rather than by car. Who is the typical representative? An older person with basic education and a lower income, usually a pensioner.

7. Undemanding conservative

They usually have no particular demands and do not worry much about prices either. They see shopping as a necessary evil and try to spend as little time in the shop as possible. They shop at the nearest store and do not travel to go shopping. Who is the typical representative? Mainly men of all age groups, mostly from medium-sized or larger towns, with average or above-average incomes.

Four types of consumer buying behaviour by involvement

Another well-known classification, associated with Henry Assael, looks at the purchase rather than the person. It combines two factors: how involved the customer is in the purchase and how much the available brands differ.

• Complex buying behaviour occurs with expensive, infrequent purchases where brands differ a lot, such as a car or business software. The customer needs detailed information and comparisons.
• Dissonance-reducing behaviour occurs with high involvement but little difference between brands, such as flooring. After buying, the customer looks for reassurance that they chose well.
• Habitual behaviour occurs with cheap everyday products, such as salt or bread. The customer buys out of routine.
• Variety-seeking behaviour occurs with low involvement but clear brand differences, such as snacks. The customer switches brands to try something new.

Types of customers in retail

Shop owners often use a simpler, practical split. Loyal customers return regularly and recommend you. Discount customers come mainly for sales. Impulse customers buy on the spot when something catches their eye. Need-based customers come for a specific item and leave. Wandering customers browse without a clear goal. For example, if a store with 20 regular visitors a day sees most of them arrive only during promotions, it knows it is serving discount customers and can plan stock and staffing around that.

How can customer typology help us?

A typology of buying behaviour lets us find out what kind of customers buy our products and adapt our sales strategy accordingly. It also helps us understand their needs better. Each customer group should have its own unique profile, with shared traits that define it and set it apart from the others. It is also useful to specify each group by gender, age, location, education or social class.

How to deal with different types of customers step by step

• Collect data first. Use purchase history, customer feedback and observations from your sales staff rather than assumptions.
• Choose one typology. Pick the classification that fits your business, for example decision time for B2B sales or lifestyle types for a shop.
• Train your staff. Show them how to recognise each type in the first minutes of a conversation.
• Adapt your communication. Offer facts to critical customers, reassurance to hesitant ones and speed to those who know what they want.
• Review results regularly. Customers change, so check every few months whether your groups still match reality.

A common mistake is treating a type as a fixed label. The same person can be a thrifty shopper for groceries and an easily influenced one for electronics.

What not to forget

It is important to realise that what suits one customer group may not suit another. Even though groups may overlap in some respects, you should always approach each one individually.

If you found this article on the typology of customer buying behaviour interesting, also read how to do SMS marketing or 9+1 Tips: How to Make Money Online.

Frequently asked questions about types of customers in marketing

What are the 4 types of customers?

According to the Gretz and Drozdeck model, the four types are the sociable type, the bureaucrat, the performer type and the dictator. They are defined by combining submissiveness or dominance with friendliness or hostility. Each type needs a different approach, from a calm atmosphere to clear facts.

What are the 7 types of customers?

The Czech lifestyle typology describes seven types: the economist, the easily influenced, the mobile pragmatist, the demanding shopper, the loyal homemaker, the thrifty type and the undemanding conservative. They differ in how often they shop, how much price matters and where they prefer to buy.

What is a consumer buying behaviour model?

It is a simplified description of how people reach a purchase decision. The best-known version shows marketing and environmental stimuli entering the buyer’s mind and leading to a response, such as choosing a product or brand. It helps you see where you can influence the decision.

What are the types of consumer buying behaviour?

The common classification lists four types: complex, dissonance-reducing, habitual and variety-seeking buying behaviour. They depend on how involved the customer is and how much brands differ. Knowing which one applies to your product tells you how much information and reassurance to offer.