BBA 209 Consumer Behaviour Notes cover all four units of the BBA Semester 3 marketing elective in 80 pages, with 24 solved short-answer questions, 34 long-answer exam questions, 9 worked examples and 20 figures. They follow the NEP scheme for the batch admitted in 2024-25 onwards, and the full notes come as a printed book.
Written by Prateek Talwar, Founder, Unnati Educations · Reviewed by Sheetal Kirola, BBA, B.Ed, Academic Head · Checked against the ipu.ac.in BBA scheme (w.e.f. 2024-25), 13 October 2026 · Updated 14 October 2026 · Editorial policy
Scheme: NEP scheme w.e.f. 2024-25 | Applies to: batch admitted 2024-25 onwards | Verified against: BBA Scheme & Syllabus w.e.f. 2024-25, 13 October 2026
BBA 209 Consumer Behaviour at a glance: GGSIPU BBA Sem 3 credits, units and exam pattern
These GGSIPU BBA Sem 3 Consumer Behaviour notes follow the Marketing elective, which counts as your Major Elective-1 or Minor Elective-1. It sits with the other GGSIPU BBA Semester 3 papers.
| Code and title | BBA 209 Consumer Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Course and semester | BBA, Semester 3 |
| Category | Marketing elective: DSC / Major or IDC / Minor |
| Credits and hours | 4 credits; L-4, T/P-0; 15 hours per unit |
| Marks | 100: 40 internal (class test 15 + two or more activities 25) + 60 end-term |
| Applies to | Batch admitted 2024-25 onwards |
| End-term pattern | Not printed in the official PDFs (no paper-setter instructions) |
| Exam duration | 3 hours |
| Units | 4 |
| Paired lab | None (theory paper) |
BBA 209 Consumer Behaviour Notes unit-wise: 24 solved short answers and 9 worked examples across 4 units
The BBA 209 Consumer Behaviour IPU notes run to 80 pages, and every unit ends with Important Exam Questions and a Quick Revision Table. Notes for the other papers sit under GGSIPU BBA notes.
BBA 209 Unit 1: Introduction to Consumer Behavior
Pages 6-24, seven sections. After scope and seven approaches, the unit walks the consumer journey: problem recognition, evoked sets, six decision rules, outlet selection, cognitive dissonance and satisfaction. Assael's buying types and involvement with the FCB grid close it. 6 solved short answers, 8 long-answer questions.
| Decision rule | How it is applied | Brand chosen |
|---|---|---|
| Compensatory | Highest weighted score: A 7.0, B 7.2, C 7.4 | Phone C |
| Conjunctive | Minimum 6 on every attribute; C fails two | A and B shortlisted |
| Lexicographic | Best on price, the 40% attribute | Phone C |
| Elimination-by-aspects | Price 7+ removes B; camera 6+ removes C | Phone A |
Quick look: one set of ratings, four different choices (from page 15)
- Decision rule
- Compensatory
- How it is applied
- Highest weighted score: A 7.0, B 7.2, C 7.4
- Brand chosen
- Phone C
- Decision rule
- Conjunctive
- How it is applied
- Minimum 6 on every attribute; C fails two
- Brand chosen
- A and B shortlisted
- Decision rule
- Lexicographic
- How it is applied
- Best on price, the 40% attribute
- Brand chosen
- Phone C
- Decision rule
- Elimination-by-aspects
- How it is applied
- Price 7+ removes B; camera 6+ removes C
- Brand chosen
- Phone A
BBA 209 Unit 2: Individual Determinants of Consumer Behavior
Pages 25-44, six sections. Motivation (Maslow, McClelland, motivational conflict), Gestalt perception and six kinds of consumer imagery come first. Learning, personality, brand personality, self-image, attitude models and lifestyles follow. 6 solved short answers, 9 long-answer questions.
| Attribute (evaluation e) | Brand A: b, b × e | Brand B: b, b × e |
|---|---|---|
| Good taste (+3) | 6, 18 | 4, 12 |
| Low price (+2) | 3, 6 | 6, 12 |
| Healthy (+1) | 2, 2 | 5, 5 |
| Attitude score | 26 | 29 (preferred) |
Quick look: Fishbein's model with two juice brands (from page 38)
- Attribute (evaluation e)
- Good taste (+3)
- Brand A: b, b × e
- 6, 18
- Brand B: b, b × e
- 4, 12
- Attribute (evaluation e)
- Low price (+2)
- Brand A: b, b × e
- 3, 6
- Brand B: b, b × e
- 6, 12
- Attribute (evaluation e)
- Healthy (+1)
- Brand A: b, b × e
- 2, 2
- Brand B: b, b × e
- 5, 5
- Attribute (evaluation e)
- Attitude score
- Brand A: b, b × e
- 26
- Brand B: b, b × e
- 29 (preferred)
BBA 209 Unit 3: External Determinants of Consumer Behavior
Pages 45-63, eight sections. It runs from the widest influence to the closest: Indian culture and subcultures, social class through NCCS, reference groups, word of mouth, opinion leaders, family life cycle, eWOM, peers and influencer rules in India. 6 solved short answers, 9 long-answer questions.
| Type | Followers (approx.) | What marketers get |
|---|---|---|
| Mega | More than 1 million | Huge reach, lower engagement |
| Macro | 1 lakh to 10 lakh | Good reach, professional content |
| Micro | 10,000 to 1 lakh | Niche trust, affordable |
| Nano | Less than 10,000 | Very high engagement, local trust |
Quick look: influencer tiers by follower count (from page 59)
- Type
- Mega
- Followers (approx.)
- More than 1 million
- What marketers get
- Huge reach, lower engagement
- Type
- Macro
- Followers (approx.)
- 1 lakh to 10 lakh
- What marketers get
- Good reach, professional content
- Type
- Micro
- Followers (approx.)
- 10,000 to 1 lakh
- What marketers get
- Niche trust, affordable
- Type
- Nano
- Followers (approx.)
- Less than 10,000
- What marketers get
- Very high engagement, local trust
BBA 209 Unit 4: Consumer Behaviour - Related and Emerging Issues
Pages 64-80, six sections. Rogers' diffusion model uses UPI as the Indian case. Satisfaction tools and eight scales follow, then the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the dark side of consumption, nudges versus dark patterns and AI prediction. 6 solved short answers, 8 long-answer questions.
Quick look: working out a Net Promoter Score (from page 68)
- A cafe asks 200 customers the 0-10 "would you recommend us?" question.
- 110 score 9-10 (promoters), 50 score 7-8 (passives), 40 score 0-6 (detractors).
- Promoters 55%, detractors 20%.
- NPS = 55 − 20 = +35; passives are left out.
BBA 209 exam corner: 24 solved short-answer and 34 long-answer questions by unit
Short-answer questions carry model answers; long-answer questions are listed and map to sections of that unit. No marks labels or year tags are printed, so these are exam-style questions.
| Unit | Solved short answers | Long-answer questions | Worked examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 (pages 22-23) | 6 | 8 | 3 |
| Unit 2 (page 42) | 6 | 9 | 2 |
| Unit 3 (page 61) | 6 | 9 | 1 |
| Unit 4 (pages 76-77) | 6 | 8 | 3 |
BBA 209 questions and worked examples per unit
- Unit
- Unit 1 (pages 22-23)
- Solved short answers
- 6
- Long-answer questions
- 8
- Worked examples
- 3
- Unit
- Unit 2 (page 42)
- Solved short answers
- 6
- Long-answer questions
- 9
- Worked examples
- 2
- Unit
- Unit 3 (page 61)
- Solved short answers
- 6
- Long-answer questions
- 9
- Worked examples
- 1
- Unit
- Unit 4 (pages 76-77)
- Solved short answers
- 6
- Long-answer questions
- 8
- Worked examples
- 3
The BBA 209 notes solve 24 short-answer questions and set 34 long-answer questions across 4 units, plus 9 worked examples.
- Unit 1: What is an evoked set? The consideration set; contrast the inept and inert sets.
- Unit 2: What is brand personality? Human traits of a brand; list Aaker's five dimensions.
- Unit 3: What is NCCS? 12 groups, A1 to E3, built on the chief wage earner's education and durables owned.
- Unit 4: What are dark patterns? Meaning, two examples such as false urgency, and the CCPA's 13 patterns (2023).
More practice sits in the BBA 209 important questions.
Who writes and checks the BBA 209 Consumer Behaviour notes?
- Prateek Talwar, author. Founder, Unnati Educations; Associate Company Secretary (ACS), ICSI, membership no. 58704, since 15 May 2019; B.Com, University of Delhi (School of Open Learning), 2012. Author bio
- Sheetal Kirola, subject reviewer. Academic Head, Unnati Educations. She holds a BBA and a B.Ed, both from the University of Delhi (School of Open Learning), and specialises in BBA and B.Ed subjects. She has 6 years of experience in BBA.
The 2026-27 edition of the BBA 209 notes maps to the NEP-based BBA scheme for the 2024-25 batch onwards and was last checked on 13 October 2026 under our editorial policy.
The same team prepares GGSIPU important questions for each course it covers.
How to write BBA 209 answers: definition-first theory answers built on models and Indian brand examples
Consumer Behaviour is a theory paper with almost no calculation, so marks depend on structure, and these Consumer Behaviour notes in English are written in short, exam-ready points. Every section follows one pattern you can copy: an author-backed definition, a labelled figure or table, one-line points and an Indian example.
Open with the textbook definition and name its source; Schiffman and Kanuk appear in all four units. Then draw the model the question rests on: the five-stage decision process (Fig 1.1), Maslow's pyramid (Fig 2.3), the two-step flow (Fig 3.4) or the AI prediction cycle (Fig 4.4). A quick box diagram with arrows earns more than a paragraph saying the same thing, and examiners can check it in seconds.
For "distinguish between" questions, use a table with a Basis column, as the notes do for positivism and interpretivism, high and low involvement, and WOM and eWOM. Close long answers with an Indian case from the notes: Tata Salt, Maggi's 2015 relaunch, UPI or Project Shakti.
The notes carry three exam tips. When explaining satisfaction, show why over-promising backfires: high expectations make a good product look poor. For measuring satisfaction, write the NPS formula with a number example and draw one scale, such as Likert. Answer influencer questions in three parts.
Worked example: "Discuss social media influencers and their effect on consumers."
- Types: mega, macro, micro and nano.
- Effect at each stage: new wants at need recognition, reviews during search, trust at evaluation, discount codes at purchase, reassurance afterwards.
- Ethics and regulation: hidden ads and fake followers, ASCI's #ad disclosure rule and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 duty to disclose material connections.
Practise this format on GGSIPU BBA important questions.
BBA 209 and the GGSIPU BBA Sem 3 papers it connects to
BBA 209 has no paired lab. All papers are listed on the GGSIPU BBA syllabus page.
The Semester 3 core papers are BBA 201 Business Environment and Law, BBA 203 Production and Operations Management and BBA 205 Business Research Methodology. Your second elective is BBA 207, 211, 213 or 215, plus BBA 217 (NUES) and one multi-disciplinary course.
- Unit 4's Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (page 70) reappears in BBA 201 Unit 4 from the legal side.
- Unit 4's Likert and semantic differential scales (pages 69-70) are taught again in BBA 205 Unit III.
- Unit 1 outlet selection (pages 16-17) leads into BBA 210 Sales and Channel Management, the Semester 4 Marketing elective.
Weber's law and the JND in consumer perception: excerpt from page 30 of the BBA 209 notes
Excerpt from page 30
In marketing, perception is reality. What matters is not what the product actually is, but what the consumer believes it is.
Elements of perception
Sensation is the immediate and direct response of the sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, skin) to stimuli such as an advertisement, a package or a brand name.
Absolute threshold is the lowest level at which a person can experience a sensation, for example the distance at which a driver can first notice a hoarding. Below this level the stimulus is not noticed at all.
Differential threshold is the minimum difference between two stimuli that can be noticed. It is called the Just Noticeable Difference, or JND.
Subliminal perception refers to stimuli that are too weak or too brief to be consciously seen or heard but may still be perceived below the level of awareness. Research shows little proof that it changes buying behaviour.
Weber's law and the JND
Ernst Weber found that the JND between two stimuli is not an absolute amount but a constant proportion of the original stimulus. The stronger the first stimulus, the bigger the change needed before anyone notices it.
K = ΔI ÷ I, where K is a constant, ΔI is the smallest noticeable change and I is the initial intensity.
Example: price change and JND
Suppose the JND for the price of a chocolate is 10%. For a ₹50 chocolate, a change of up to ₹5 is not noticed. A rise from ₹50 to ₹54 will probably go unnoticed, but a price cut has to be more than ₹5, say from ₹50 to ₹44, for consumers to notice it and react.
Marketing applications of the JND
First, negative changes such as a price rise, a smaller pack or cheaper ingredients are kept below the JND so that they go unnoticed. Cutting a biscuit pack from 100 g to 92 g at the same price, often called shrinkflation, is the classic case. Second, positive changes such as price cuts, product improvements and bigger packs are made above the JND so that consumers notice them.
Third, logo and package updates are made in small steps below the JND, so the brand looks fresh while staying familiar; brand logos are often updated gradually over the years for this reason.
Do the BBA 209 notes cover the full GGSIPU syllabus?
Yes. Every official BBA 209 topic has its own section in the notes; we found no gap.
| Official unit | Official topics | Where in the notes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit I: Introduction to Consumer Behavior | Scope and relevance; approaches; consumer journey map (problem recognition to post-purchase behaviour, decision rules, outlet selection, customer satisfaction); types of buying behaviour; involvement | 1.1-1.7, pages 7-21 | Covered |
| Unit II: Individual Determinants of Consumer Behavior | Motivation; attention, perception and imagery; learning and memory; personality and self concept; attitudes, formation and change; values and lifestyles | 2.1-2.6, pages 26-41 | Covered |
| Unit III: External Determinants of Consumer Behavior | Culture and subculture; social class; reference groups, word of mouth; opinion leadership; family influences; social media and eWOM; peer influence; social influencers | 3.1-3.8, pages 46-60 | Covered |
| Unit IV: Consumer Behaviour - Related and Emerging Issues | Diffusion of innovation; changing consumer behaviour in India; measuring customer satisfaction, tools and scales; public policy; dark side; shaping behaviour offline and online; AI in predicting consumer behaviour | 4.1-4.6, pages 65-75 | Covered |
BBA 209 official syllabus mapped to the notes
- Official unit
- Unit I: Introduction to Consumer Behavior
- Official topics
- Scope and relevance; approaches; consumer journey map (problem recognition to post-purchase behaviour, decision rules, outlet selection, customer satisfaction); types of buying behaviour; involvement
- Where in the notes
- 1.1-1.7, pages 7-21
- Status
- Covered
- Official unit
- Unit II: Individual Determinants of Consumer Behavior
- Official topics
- Motivation; attention, perception and imagery; learning and memory; personality and self concept; attitudes, formation and change; values and lifestyles
- Where in the notes
- 2.1-2.6, pages 26-41
- Status
- Covered
- Official unit
- Unit III: External Determinants of Consumer Behavior
- Official topics
- Culture and subculture; social class; reference groups, word of mouth; opinion leadership; family influences; social media and eWOM; peer influence; social influencers
- Where in the notes
- 3.1-3.8, pages 46-60
- Status
- Covered
- Official unit
- Unit IV: Consumer Behaviour - Related and Emerging Issues
- Official topics
- Diffusion of innovation; changing consumer behaviour in India; measuring customer satisfaction, tools and scales; public policy; dark side; shaping behaviour offline and online; AI in predicting consumer behaviour
- Where in the notes
- 4.1-4.6, pages 65-75
- Status
- Covered
Official sources: BBA Scheme & Syllabus, w.e.f. 2024-25 and the Revised BBA scheme, w.e.f. 2024-25.
Every course in GGSIPU notes is mapped to its official PDF the same way.
BBA 209 Consumer Behaviour notes FAQs
How do I get the full BBA 209 notes?
Tap "Get Full Notes" to message us on WhatsApp. The full BBA 209 Consumer Behaviour notes come only as an 80-page printed book covering all four units; there is no PDF version for sale. Delivery takes up to 5-7 days, depending on your location. Open the sample PDF in the header first to check the layout, tables and figures.
Is BBA 209 Consumer Behaviour compulsory in GGSIPU BBA Semester 3?
No. BBA 209 is the Marketing elective. In Semester 3 you choose two electives from different specialisations: one becomes your Major Elective-1 and the other your Minor Elective-1. Take BBA 209 if you want Marketing as your major or minor. An elective runs only if at least 10% of students opt for it, so check with your institute.
What is the passing mark for BBA 209?
BBA 209 is marked out of 100: 40 internal and 60 end-term. The internal 40 is a class test of 15 plus 25 for activities such as assignments, presentations, viva-voce or group discussion. The BBA scheme of examination does not print a pass percentage. For end-term minimums and re-appear rules, see Ordinance 11 on ipu.ac.in and ask your institute.
Which BBA 209 unit is the longest in the notes?
Unit 2, Individual Determinants of Consumer Behavior, is the longest at 20 pages (25-44) and carries the most theories: Maslow, McClelland, Pavlov, Skinner, Horney, the Big Five and Fishbein. Unit 3 has the most sections, eight, from culture to influencers. Give each of these two units at least two separate study sessions before the end-term exam.
Do the BBA 209 notes match the 2024-25 NEP syllabus?
Yes. The BBA 209 notes follow the NEP-based BBA scheme for the batch admitted in 2024-25 onwards, and every official topic has its own section, including the consumer journey map, the dark side of consumer behaviour and AI in predicting behaviour. The syllabus map on this page gives the section numbers and page range for each unit.
Does BBA 209 have any numericals?
Only small calculations inside theory topics. The BBA 209 notes work out weighted scores under the compensatory rule (page 15), a 10% JND on a ₹50 chocolate (page 30), Fishbein scores (page 38) and a Net Promoter Score of +35 (page 68). The notes' exam tip says to write the NPS formula with a number example.
Get the full BBA 209 Consumer Behaviour Notes on WhatsApp
Format: printed book in English with 24 solved short answers, 34 long-answer questions, 20 figures and a Quick Revision Table per unit. Not sold as a PDF. Delivery: within 5 to 7 days at most; the exact time may vary with your location.
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Unnati Educations is an independent education provider based in Vikaspuri, Delhi. We are not affiliated with, authorised by, or endorsed by Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU). 'GGSIPU' and 'IPU' are used only to describe the syllabus our notes follow. For official information, visit ipu.ac.in.
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