Consumer buying behavior among college students

Consumer behavior is the action and decisions that people or households make when they choose, buy, use, and dispose of a product or service. Many psychological, sociological, and cultural elements play a role in how consumers engage with the market. Consumer buying behavior of college students is a fascinating area to explore as college students often exhibit unique buying behaviors due to their transitional phase from adolescence to adulthood, where they balance newfound independence with financial constraints. In the present study a sample of 60 students (both boys and girls) were selected randomly from College of Community Science, UAS, Dharwad, Karnataka. Survey design was opted and structured questionnaire was developed by the researchers to analyze the consumer buying behavior among college students. The research findings indicated that consumers exhibited a discerning approach to purchasing and prior to making a buying decision, a significant number of students engaged in information gathering about products, utilizing both online sources and advices from friends. The prevalence of online purchasing is noteworthy, however, challenges arose during the buying process because of the dissatisfaction with the absence of personalized recommendations in their online shopping experiences.