Foraging: An ecology model of consumer behaviour?

Abstract

Foraging theory is a well established set of models and ideas in ecology, anthropology and behavioural psychology. Two areas of research, the behavioural ecology of consumption and information foraging, have made strides in the application of foraging theories in relation to consumption and related behaviours. These focus on online situations and restrictions in methodologies utilized allows application to only a small range of marketing problems. This paper broadens the application of these notions and introduces foraging ideas/terminology to a wider business and marketing audience by contextualizing and comparing with current research in marketing and related areas. The paper makes a number of suggestions for use of the foraging model in both academic and practitioner based environments. The paper ends with discussion of future research on the assembly and wider application of a foraging ecology model of consumer behaviour.