Cognitive Dissonance Affecting Consumer Buying Decision Making: A study Based on Khulna Metropolitan Area

Abstract

The theory of “cognitive dissonance” is of great importance in consumer behavior and marketers have lots of interest in analyzing the post purchase behavior of consumers experienced by them. This paper has explored the factors that create cognitive dissonance in consumer buying decision making particularly among the consumer goods purchaser in the Khulna metropolitan area. At first a structured questionnaire has been developed measuring 10 constraints variable. The factors creating cognitive dissonance in consumer buying decision in Khulna metropolitan area have been evaluated by those 10 variables in the form of: belief, norms, customs, family status, political ideology, emotional reaction, personal performance, culture, religious value & peer group influence. The relationship of the variables was evaluated by the survey outcomes. Results show that several factors are influential in creating cognitive dissonance among the customers of consumer goods. Some of these are family status, religious value, customs, belief etc. the study also reveals the problems and identified probable solutions to overcome these problems.