D175: Consumer Behavior

Consumer Behavior goes underneath the marketing mix to ask a more fundamental question: why do people actually buy what they buy? The course draws on psychology, sociology, anthropology, and economics to build a genuinely interdisciplinary answer.

What D175 covers

The course examines the buying behavior of consumers in the marketplace, building knowledge of consumer behavior theories and how those concepts apply to the consumer decision-making process.

Students learn how consumer insights come from exploring both external social/cultural influences (reference groups, family, culture) and internal consumer influences (needs, motivation, personality, learning) — with the interdisciplinary lens of psychology, sociology, anthropology, and economics used throughout to better evaluate and predict behavior.

The D175 performance assessment

Expect a performance assessment analyzing a specific consumer segment or purchase decision, applying named consumer-behavior theories to explain the internal and external influences driving that behavior, and connecting the analysis to a marketing implication.

Key topics in D175

• Consumer decision-making process
• External influences: reference groups, family, culture
• Internal influences: needs, motivation, personality, learning
• Interdisciplinary consumer-behavior theory

Writing tips for D175

Follow the task instructions and rubric line by line

WGU performance assessments for D175 are graded against a fixed rubric, not classroom "vibes" — every rubric line has to be visibly addressed, usually with a labeled heading that mirrors the rubric language. Skipping a rubric point because it seems minor is the single most common reason a competent submission comes back "Not Yet Competent" for revision.

Ground your strategy in a real or realistic brand, not generic marketing theory

WGU evaluators are trained to distinguish genuine strategic thinking from a paraphrased textbook summary. Anchor your submission in the specific company, product, or scenario the task provides, and show the reasoning connecting your strategy to that brand's actual situation — not marketing platitudes that could apply to any company.

Because WGU is self-paced, don't let "no deadline pressure" become no submission

There's no weekly due date forcing progress, which means procrastination costs more at WGU than at a traditional term-based school — a stalled task can quietly eat weeks of a term. Treat your own target date for each D175 assessment as a real deadline.

Why students seek help with D175

Students familiar with marketing tactics sometimes skip the theoretical grounding this course specifically wants — describing what consumers do without explaining why, using the internal/external influence framework and named theories the course teaches, falls short of the analytical depth expected.

How GradeEssays helps with D175

Share your consumer scenario and rubric, and your writer will apply the correct consumer-behavior theories and the internal/external influence framework, explaining the "why" behind the behavior, not just describing it.

Prerequisites and program context

D175 has no listed additional prerequisites and is shared between the Business Management and Marketing bachelor's degrees.

• Bachelor of Science, Business Management
• Bachelor of Science, Marketing

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