What is Cognitive Schema

Perfumes have been important in India for millennia and so have the stories connected with them. The perfume business in India is worth billions. The chapter provides a background from which the Indian perfume industry can be understood in terms of the Berger's STEPP model, and the chapter shows how the consumers' cognitive schema and consumers' behaviors are necessarily entwined with the story of the product, brand and their own stories. Three sets of themes: product perceptions, concerns, and consumers' lifestyle are identified, each with their own sub-themes that are antecedents to perfume purchasing behavior. Segments in the Indian perfume market are also identified. Each consumer segment has their own behavioral nuances and they consider different aspects of the perfume product taking into account their own income and aspects of the three themes and nineteen sub-themes. It is important for perfume marketing managers to consider each aspect of the STEPPs model in relation to their target markets in order to maintain competitive advantage.