This research analyzes the Body Shop case in a consumer behavior context. Focal points of the analysis are customer identification, buyer behavior, consumer decisionmaking processes, environmental influences, competitive advantage, and marketing communication.
The Body Shop customers are identified within the contexts of the social class system and psychographic segmentation as these models affect marketing. With respect to price, the upper social classes are not price conscious, while the middle social class is value conscious, the working social class is price sensitive, and the lower social classes tend to equate price with quality but frequently seek the lowestpriced products. The Body Shop customers tend to be value conscious; thus, these individuals are by an large middle class.
Psychographic segmentation classifies individuals according to lifestyle preferences and personality traits. Within the context of psychographic segmentation, Body Shop customers tend to be drawn from three groups. The first group is the socially conscious classification. There individuals are drawn by the commitment of the Body Shop to environmental and animal rights causes. The second group is the Iamme classification. These individuals are drawn the Body Shop because of the characteristics of the firm's products. The third group is integrated classification. These individuals tend to be drawn to the Body Shop by a combination the firm's social activism and product characteristics. Both the Iamme and the socially conscious customers are inner directed in a psychographic context. Within the context of psychographic analysis, the integrated customers are said to be 'above it all"; however, in reality they too are inner directed.
The consumer profile of the typical Body Shop customer begins with an inner directed, middle class individual. Additionally, this individual will likely be highly individualistic, and will likely be com...