PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN FORMING A PRODUCT POSITIONING STRATEGY

Introduction. In today's fast-growing companies, the success of a product depends not only on its functional and productive characteristics but also on its strategic placement on the market. The concept of product positioning strategy involves the creation of a unique product or brand image that is imprinted in the consumer's perception of the product. Such a result is achieved through the identification of his needs and desires, as well as the further development of marketing strategies aimed at fulfilling these requirements. This multidimensional strategy consists of various important components, including the study of consumer behaviour, which has a rich history and significantly influences the creation of an effective positioning strategy. Consumer behaviour itself focuses on the decision-making process, with one of its main stages being the stage of information search by the consumer. Therefore, there is a need for a deeper study of this stage to increase the customer's loyalty to the product. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to study the influence of the psychological aspect on developing the product positioning strategy and the analysis of the decision-making process regarding the purchase of the product by the consumer. The theory of decision-making, reveals the zone of information search by the consumer to determine the additional element of the “rings of consumer knowledge” and ways of influencing the buyer to increase loyalty to the product. Materials and Methods. The research materials: 1) a personal study of consumer behaviour within the course “Consumer Marketing” of the Ivey Business School, Western University, Canada; 2) works of foreign authors conducting scientific and practical research in the field of strategic marketing, in particular product positioning strategy, and the field of neuromarketing, namely consumer behaviour and decision-making. In the process of carrying out the research, the following scientific methods were used: theoretical generalization and structural grouping (to characterize the decision-making process by the consumer, as well as the elements of influence on it); analysis and synthesis (to build a scheme of expanded “knowledge rings” of the consumer); logical generalization of results (formulation of conclusions). The results. The article examines the influence of the psychological aspect on the formation of a product positioning strategy. An analysis of the way of deciding on the purchase of a product by the consumer was made. A new field of study is involved in this decision-making theory in the form of expanding the information search area and adding ways to distinguish this addition from several existing marketing practices. Prospects. In further scientific research, it is proposed to focus on the detailed research of each tool for creating a niche “what makes us happy”, as well as developing an appropriate methodology for controlling the loyalty of this segment of consumers. This will improve customer loyalty to the product and reduce costs per customer in the future.