Culture influences the following lifestyle characteristics as well:

 ✓ Communication and language: The way consumers communicate and

the language they use often affect their lifestyle by who they associate

with, what neighborhoods they live in, and at times what social classes

they participate in. Keep in mind that this doesn’t just include verbal

communication. Nonverbal communication, such as hand gestures and

facial expressions, also affect lifestyle. As a marketer, you must respect

the way your consumers communicate and the language they use — not

only for clarity, but so you don’t offend.

 ✓ Dress and appearance: In many cultures, consumers dress differently.

In some cultures, consumers wear more clothes and in others they wear

less. This affects consumers’ behavior because it dictates what clothing

they wear as well as what they deem appropriate or offensive.

 ✓ Food and eating habits: Cultures often determine how, what, and when

consumers eat. Eating habits affect consumers because they influence

the food that they buy as well as what restaurants they go to.

 ✓ Time and time consciousness: Culture affects time because in some

cultures time is more flexible. The lifestyles of some consumers may be

more lax when it comes to timing and appointments; others will be more

prompt. You want to be sure that you understand this so you don’t

offend (or become offended) when dealing with certain consumers.

 ✓ Relationships: Different cultures look at relationships with different

importance levels. Some hold them with great respect and others see

relationships as less formal. When working with consumers, you want to

have an understanding of the relationships in their lifestyles so you can

appeal to their needs.

 ✓ Values and norms: This is the most common factor of lifestyle when it

comes to culture. Cultures carry different values and norms, so if you’re

serving a specific culture, you need to be familiar with these values and

norms in order to avoid being offensive.

 ✓ Beliefs and attitudes: Cultures carry different beliefs and attitudes

toward lifestyle. Some think it’s okay to have an abundance of money,

while others find it a blessing to live in poverty. So, obviously, these

types of beliefs affect consumers’ lifestyles and buying habits.

 ✓ Mental process and learning: Each consumer learns and processes

things differently, so this often has an effect on lifestyle. For example, it

may determine where consumers send their children to school or what

language they speak.

 ✓ Work habits and practices: Work habits and practices are affected by

culture and they also affect lifestyle. A consumer may work 15 hours a

day because it’s what he was taught from his culture