CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BEHAVIOURAL ECONOMICS PRINCIPLES.

Purpose: The paper aims to determine how consumer behaviour and attitudes are shaped in the framework of behavioural economics principles. It analyses input from a survey about purchase decisions, pointing out the critical role of emotional factors in impulse purchases. The survey is preceded with a background of behavioural economics as an interdisciplinary field at the interface of economics and social sciences, including psychology. Design/methodology/approach: The survey was conducted in 2024 on a sample of 120 respondents. The research tool was a survey questionnaire. The study employed the CAWI technique (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing), whereby respondents fill in an online questionnaire on a computer or mobile device. The respondents could access the questionnaire through social media. The sample consisted of adult consumers of the general product and service market. Findings: The results show that most respondents are aware of the role of emotions in purchase decisions. The same concerns applying social influence techniques in marketing; half of the respondents are aware they succumb to it. Note that emotions can be effective marketing tools, such as manipulation, when their influence is covert. Individuals with high awareness become more immune. Research limitations/implications: Behavioural economics is a developing academic field. As a relatively new economics sub-discipline, it facilitates interesting, interdisciplinary research. Today, its area of interest reaches far beyond standard marketing to neuromarketing methods or the application of behavioural tools in the public sector. Practical implications: The practical application of behavioural economics focuses on guiding purchase decisions through marketing efforts. Moreover, considering the growing interest in and awareness of the effectiveness of behavioural tools, they can be universally deployed in various fields of public policy. Social implications: Behavioural economics is increasingly widespread in modern decisionmaking in such domains as economics (financial decisions), marketing (purchase decisions), education, and health care. In general, behavioural economics focuses on all those practical instances where the human factor plays a greater role than was previously expected. Originality/value: The paper should be of interest to all researchers curious about behavioural economics, i.e. a merger of economics and social sciences. It presents the results of research on emotions and their impact on consumer purchase decisions and consumer self-awareness of susceptibility to social influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]