CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IN THE SOCIAL SERVICES MARKETING SYSTEM: CHARACTERISTICS AND CURRENT TRENDS

Abstract

This article examines the behavioral characteristics of social service con-sumers within the social security marketing system amid the transformation of so-cial policy and the strengthening of a people-centered approach. It justifies the rel-evance of using marketing tools to identify the needs of the population, determine the behavioral characteristics of social service recipients, and improve the acces-sibility, quality, and alignment of these services with the actual needs of various social groups. The essence of social service consumer behavior is revealed as a set of motives, attitudes, expectations, actions, and decisions related to recognizing a need, searching for information, selecting a social service and its provider, receiv-ing the service, and evaluating the outcome. The study identifies specific character-istics of social service consumers’ behavior, which are determined by complex life circumstances, social vulnerability, information asymmetry, the need for trust in the provider, and dependence on the quality of communication. The main factors influencing the behavior of social service consumers have been systematized. The role of the marketing approach in consumer segmentation, the formation of target groups, the personalization of communications, the improvement of information channels, and the development of client-oriented social services has been identi-fied. An original conceptual model of social service consumer behavior within the social welfare marketing system has been developed, encompassing seven interre-lated stages: the emergence of a social need; awareness of the need; searching for and obtaining information; evaluating alternatives and selecting a service; inter-acting with the provider and receiving the service; evaluating the outcome and sat-isfaction; and shaping future behavior and providing feedback. The proposed mod-el reflects the cyclical nature of consumer interaction with the social security sys-tem and provides for the use of feedback results to adjust marketing decisions and improve social services. Prospects for further research include an empirical study of the behavior of specific consumer categories and statistical validation of the proposed model.