Consumer Behaviour for Business Success
Learn how to deliver a better customer experience for your business.
Course overview
This online short course in consumer behaviour has been designed specifically for people working in small or medium sized businesses (SMEs) looking to better understand customers and their decision-making processes, in order to drive business growth.
Whether you are currently leading on sales, marketing, product development or other consumer objective related activities within your company or are supporting day-to-day activities as part of a wider role, this online short course will equip you with the contemporary knowledge and skills required to effectively evaluate and adapt experiences for your consumers.
Newly developed in 2022, the course considers additional consumer behavioural changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic by using the latest industry-led models and frameworks.
Co-developed by experienced subject specialists and embedded in Falmouth University’s renowned creative and industry-focused environment, you will gain clear, actionable insights and practical takeaways for your business.
You will:
- Gain a thorough understanding of what drives consumer behaviour and how to make positive changes for your own customers
- Explore the customer decision-making process and broader demographic and social factors affecting consumer behaviour
- Work within the latest industry-led frameworks and be challenged by practical, real-life examples
- Develop awareness of the free or low-cost tools that can be used to gain customer insight
- Futureproof your approach by looking at patterns and predictions for consumer behaviour for your business
You can apply online for this short course by clicking the button and filling in the application form:
Course details
This six-week short course will improve your understanding of what impacts consumer behaviour, equipping you to lead on or contribute to the consumer objectives within the SME in which you are currently employed.
In the first session, you will get a thorough introduction to what impacts consumer behaviour and how this is relevant to businesses. You will then explore the consumer decision-making process using different models and frameworks. You will be introduced to the tools available to help you understand your customers and will discover how different demographic and cultural influences impact consumer decision-making. Finally, you will look to the future of consumer behaviour, considering the impact of patterns and external factors.
You will finish the short course with a greater confidence in your theoretical knowledge and practical understanding of consumer behaviour, helping you to confidently derive actionable insights to improve customer experiences within your business.
Weekly topics
In this introductory session you will understand what is meant by ‘consumer behaviour’, and what the business case is for its importance within your chosen sector.
Reflecting on your objectives for taking this course, you will explore the consumer purchase model. You will look at sources of influence, timings of decision-making and the role of alternative choices in the final decision.
Building on your newly acquired understanding of consumer behaviour, you will be introduced to some of the tools - both free and low-cost - that can be used by individuals and businesses to help understand more about their customers.
This session will delve deeper into the influences at play in the customer decision-making process, including demographic, social, situational and cultural factors.
You will further consolidate your understanding of consumer behaviour in this session through an exploration of the key patterns and trends of buyer behaviour.
In the final session you will consider the impact of COVID-19 on the future of consumer behaviour, specifically in the digital realm, and will identify patterns and methods for future-proofing your approach to deriving actionable insights for your business.
Course structures and specific weekly sessions can change as part of our course enhancement and review processes. If a certain session is important to you, please discuss it with our team: shortcourses@falmouth.ac.uk.
How you'll learn
Studying online is the ideal option for those looking for flexibility while elevating their career prospects. Our online short courses have been designed from the outset to be delivered online, meaning they're crafted specifically for you to study remotely.
You'll spend approximately four hours a week completing your studies. This may include:
- Reviewing all core lecture content and sharing your reflections on the topics discussed
- Reading and responding to discussions and challenge activities
- Completing required reading
- Attending weekly webinars with your tutor and peers (or watching the recording if you can't attend)
- Asking questions and sharing your thoughts with your tutors and peers
- Completing quizzes to test your knowledge
Through a combination of these teaching methods, you will be encouraged to push yourself, explore professional skills and develop expertise to take back into industry.
You will access all materials via our dedicated virtual learning environment. This is also where you will find all key documentation and any course announcements.
You'll be supported by your tutor, who will deliver weekly webinars and facilitate the online forums.
How you'll be assessed
This course will culminate in a multiple-choice quiz to test your learning and understanding. The quiz is taken and submitted online at the end of the course and certification will be presented upon successful completion of the quiz (70% pass rate).
The quiz can be attempted as many times as required within a 30-day access period following completion of week 6 of the course. You will still be able to access your learning materials during this time to support completion of the quiz.
Please note, this course does not offer university credits but successful participants will be awarded a certificate of completion alongside building key skills for the workplace.
Staff
Our subject matter experts, who have developed and will deliver the course, have real-life experience of working within industry as well as experience of teaching. They are supportive and committed to helping you to develop digital competencies, and bring understanding of a range of modes of practice that specifically relate to SMEs.
Jon Paget
Lecturer
Jon's love of marketing started when he met an eccentric and brilliant lecturer whilst studying for ...
Facilities
The following resources are available to participants enrolled on our online short courses:
- Dedicated easy-to-use virtual learning environment (VLE)
- 24/7 support using Learn available through the VLE
- An online learning community
- Accessible online audio/visual content
- Optional weekly webinars
- Support via your online tutor for all course-related and academic queries.
- You can also contact our shortcourses@falmouth.ac.uk email if you require any support with any other aspects of your studies.
