We all are consumer but we exhibit significant differences in our buing behaviour. Our consumption relared behaviour influences new product development and success or failure of business. Consumer behaviour refers to the observable behaviour of consumers during searching, purchasing, and post. Consumption of products or services. There are two important groups of consumers: The personal consumer and theorganisational consumer.

Consumer's final purchase activity is the only aspect that is visible. Other aspects of thier decision process involve the interplay of number of complex variables which are not visible to an observer. The study of consumer behaviour involves what they buy, why they buy, how they buy it, when they buy it, where they buy it, how frequently they buy it nad what are the post purchase activition.

The study of consumer behaviour is an important field of study and is a separate branch in the marketing discipline. Scholars in the field of marketing observed that consumers did not always behave only as a suggested by the economic man theory. Many consumers did not like using "me too" type of products and showed preferences for highly differentialed products that reflected their personalities and life style. Consumer preferences are shifting and becoming highly diversified and the purchase behaviour is becoming fairly complex and less predictable. Consumer behaviour studies can help inearth much information to help marketers to segment markets, selection of the target segment developing the positioning strategy and develop appropriate marketing mixes for different markets and group of consumers.