NON-FUNCTIONAL SHOPPING MOTIVES AMONG IRANIAN CONSUMERS Assistant Professor Shahriar AZIZI Beheshti University, Iran Email: s-azizi@sbu.ac.ir MBA Student Amir SHARIFFAR Shahid Beheshti University, Iran Email: a.shariffar@mail.sbu.ac.ir Abstract: This study aims to explore the non functional shopping motives among Iranian consumers. In addition, the effects of marital status, gender, age and residential region as an indicator for social class on the non-functional shopping motives are investigated. This paper uses a self-reported and 15 items questionnaire. The analysis is done based on 363 returned and usable questionnaires. Multivariate analysis of variance is applied for this study. MANOVA results show that marital status, gender, age and region have different significant effects on the non-functional shopping motives among Iranian consumers. Keywords: Consumer Behavior, Shopping Motives, Non-functional Motives, Iran 1. Introduction Survival and profitability of the companies depend on identifying and conducting the consumer behavior. Thereupon, having better knowledge about consumer behavior will result in improving marketing decisions. Paying attention to the reasons of buying and shopping motives is one of the key dimensions of consumer behavior which is used in marketing planning. Consumer motivation plays an important role in explaining their behaviors (Lawson, Tidwell et al, 1996; Schiffman and Kanuk, 1997; Solomon, 2002; Neal, Quester et al, 2004). Moreover, it can deduce consumer motivation as an effective variable in consumer perception of purchasing environment and information processing style (Lawson, Tidwell et al, 1996). The theories related to consumer buying behavior can be divided into two main categories: content theories and process theories. - Content theories: content theories mean "Why do people shop?”. In these theories, the researcher explores the reasons and the motives of consumer purchasing. - Process theories: process theories mean "How do people shop?”. In these kinds of theories, the aim is to understand the process of the consumer buying and to identify the influencing factors. Contrary to the subject "how do people shop?”, few studies have been conducted about "why do people shop". Tauber (1972) argues that the customers do not always shop based on the functional and rational reasons, but also in many cases they go shopping due to non-functional reasons. Thus, in addition to functional motives, non- functional motives have great effect on consumer buying behaviors. Eastlick and Feinberg (1999) have investigated functional and non-functional motives. They examined these motives in