Welcome to the fifth Australasian edition of Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. With a new team of authors and a great deal of enthusiasm for many new trends in consumer behaviour, we feel we have complied with one of the most elementary rules of marketing in preparing this edition. After extensive market research and many opportunities for future users to comment and provide feedback on the text, we have responded to changing needs in the marketplace. We have also sought to refl ect the truly momentous changes that are occurring in consumer markets, from the ubiquitous use of the Internet to growing concerns about the environment and the ethical conduct of fi rms.

Successful features of the previous edition have also been retained, including our Cyber Consumer, Global Gaze and Ethical Edge boxed features. Just as in the 4th edition, Chapter 18 deals with the issue of the social role that marketing plays and its impact on consumers’ lives and wellbeing. Our decision to examine the ‘darker side’ of consumer behaviour in that chapter and throughout the text refl ects our interest in developing students’ awareness of these questions so that they may consider such issues in the future, either as marketers or simply consumers. The chapters on demographics, lifestyles and culture have also been completely updated to refl ect the changing nature of the Australian and New Zealand marketplaces. Further additions to the text refl ect the increased recognition of the role of social interaction on consumer choices.

Throughout the text, the fundamental concepts of consumer behaviour are presented with the support of Australian and/or New Zealand examples. These draw on local products and services familiar to students which refl ect their own culture, lifestyle and purchasing environment. Local advertisements (and lots of them!) are used effectively throughout the text to further illustrate key ideas. For each concept under study, marketing implications are also discussed, providing the necessary bridge between theory and practice.

We have incorporated all new and local case studies to reinforce the concepts presented throughout the text. These cases have been developed specifi cally to highlight relevant aspects of Australian and New Zealand consumer behaviour. Given the popularity of this feature in the previous edition, we have retained the idea of offering short case studies at the end of every chapter and now provide both Australian and New Zealand cases to refl ect our success across the Tasman Sea. Longer, more comprehensive case studies remain a key feature at the end of each part.

The pedagogical material at the end of the chapters has also been recast to make it more instructor-friendly. Each chapter has review questions, eight to ten discussion questions that can be used in tutorial discussion and a number of application activities, some of which are Internet-based, that can be undertaken by students either individually or in groups for tutorials or assignments.

Consumer behaviour is a fascinating discipline and we hope to share our enthusiasm with all our readers. We believe that this edition will be as popular with students and academics as the four previous ones and we look forward to receiving your feedback!

Pascale QUESTER and Simone PETTIGREW