Unit 5.ConsumerPurchaseDecisionProcess
Unit 5. Consumer Purchase Decision Process
ConsumerPurchaseDecisionProcessBehind the visible act of making a purchaseliesan important decision process thatmust be investigated. The stages a buyerpasses through in making choices aboutwhich products and services to buy are thepurchase decision process.Figure 5.1shows that the buyer decision processconsists of five stages: need recognitioninformationsearch,evaluation ofalternatives,purchase decision,and postpurchasebehavior
Consumer Purchase Decision Process Behind the visible act of making a purchase lies an important decision process that must be investigated. The stages a buyer passes through in making choices about which products and services to buy are the purchase decision process. Figure 5.1 shows that the buyer decision process consists of five stages: need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post purchase behavior
ConsumerDecisionProcess(SeeP74Fig.5.1)4.PurchaseDecision3.Evaluation5.After-purchaseBehaviorof Alternatives2.InformationSearch1.NeedRecognition
3 Consumer Decision Process (See P74 Fig. 5.1) 5. After-purchase Behavior 4. Purchase Decision 2. Information Search 1. Need Recognition 3. Evaluation of Alternatives
Clearly,the buying process starts longbefore actual purchase and continueslongafter.Marketers need to focus on the entirebuying process rather than on just thepurchase decision.The figure belowimpliesthat consumers pass through all five stageswithevery purchase.But inmoreroutinepurchases,consumers often skip or reversesome ofthese stages
Clearly, the buying process starts long before actual purchase and continues long after. Marketers need to focus on the entire buying process rather than on just the purchase decision. The figure below implies that consumers pass through all five stages with every purchase. But in more routine purchases, consumers often skip or reverse some of these stages
1.Need recognitionNeed recognition, the initial step inpurchase decision,is perceivingadifference between aperson's ideal andactual situation big enough to trigger adecision. This can be as simple as findingan empty milk carton in the refrigerator;noting as a first year university student,that your high school clothes are not in thestyle that other students are wearing; orrealizingthatyournotebook computer maynot be working properly
◼ 1. Need recognition ◼ Need recognition, the initial step in purchase decision, is perceiving a difference between a person’s ideal and actual situation big enough to trigger a decision. This can be as simple as finding an empty milk carton in the refrigerator; noting as a first year university student, that your high school clothes are not in the style that other students are wearing; or realizing that your notebook computer may not be working properly
2.InformationsearchAfter recognizing a need, the consumer begins tosearch for information, the second stage in thepurchase decision process.First, you may scan yourmemory for previous experiences with product orbrands.This actioniscalledinternal search.The primary sources of information are:(1)personal sources, such asrelatives and friendswhom the consumer trusts;(2)publicsources,including various product-rating organizations suchas Consumer Reports,government agencies,andTV"consumer programs"and (3)marketer-dominatedsources,such as information from sellers thatincluding advertising,salespeople,and point-of-purchasedisplayinstores
2. Information search After recognizing a need, the consumer begins to search for information, the second stage in the purchase decision process. First, you may scan your memory for previous experiences with product or brands. This action is called internal search. The primary sources of information are: （1） personal sources, such as relatives and friends whom the consumer trusts; (2) public sources, including various product-rating organizations such as Consumer Reports, government agencies, and TV “consumer programs” and (3) marketer-dominated sources, such as information from sellers that including advertising, salespeople, and point-ofpurchase display in stores
The BuyerDecisionProcessStep 2.Information Search.Family,friends,neighborsPersonalSources·Mosteffective sourceofinformation.Advertising,salespeopleCommercialSources·Receives mostinformation fromthese sources·MassMedia/on-line sourcesMarket and on-line Sources.Consumer-rating groups
7 •Family, friends, neighbors •Most effective source of information •Advertising, salespeople •Receives most information from these sources •Mass Media/on-line sources •Consumer-rating groups Personal Sources Commercial Sources Market and on-line Sources The Buyer Decision Process Step 2. Information Search
3.AlternativeEvaluationThe information search stage clarifies theproblemfortheconsumerby(1)suggestingcriteriatouseforthepurchase(2)yieldingbrandnamesthat mightmeet thecriteria,and(3)develop consumer value perceptions.Basedontheinformation fromthe ConsumerReports,you mayfind theanswers to such questions as what selection criteria wouldyouuse in buying a portable CD player? Wouldyou useprice,easeofuse,quality ofheadphones,or somecombination of these and other criteria?
3. Alternative Evaluation The information search stage clarifies the problem for the consumer by (1) suggesting criteria to use for the purchase, (2) yielding brand names that might meet the criteria, and (3) develop consumer value perceptions. Based on the information from the Consumer Reports, you may find the answers to such questions as what selection criteria would you use in buying a portable CD player? Would you use price, ease of use, quality of headphones, or some combination of these and other criteria?
4.PurchaseDecisionHaving examined the alternatives in the evoked set, youare almost ready to make a purchase decision. Twochoicesremain:（1)fromwhomyou buy and (2)whenyoubuy.Fora product likea portable CD player,theinformation search process probably involved visiting retailstores seeing different brands in catalogues,viewingportable CD player promotions on ahome shoppingtelevision channel, or visiting a seller'sWeb site.Thechoice of which sellerto buyfromwill depend on suchconsiderations as theterms of sale,your past experiencebuying from the seller,and the return policy
4. Purchase Decision Having examined the alternatives in the evoked set, you are almost ready to make a purchase decision. Two choices remain: (1) from whom you buy and (2) when you buy. For a product like a portable CD player, the information search process probably involved visiting retail stores seeing different brands in catalogues, viewing portable CD player promotions on a home shopping television channel, or visiting a seller’s Web site. The choice of which seller to buy from will depend on such considerations as the terms of sale, your past experience buying from the seller, and the return policy
5.Post-purchaseBehavior:ValueinConsumptionorUseAfterbuying a product, theconsumer compares it with hisorherexpectations and is either satisfied or dissatisfied.Iftheconsumer is dissatisfied,marketers must decide whether theproduct was deficient or consumerexpectations too highProduct deficiency may require a design change;ifexpectations are too high,perhaps thecompany'sadvertising orthe salesperson oversold the product'sfeatures.Sensitivity to a customer's consumption or use experience isextremely importantinconsumer'svalue perception
5. Post-purchase Behavior: Value in Consumption or Use After buying a product, the consumer compares it with his or her expectations and is either satisfied or dissatisfied. If the consumer is dissatisfied, marketers must decide whether the product was deficient or consumer expectations too high. Product deficiency may require a design change; if expectations are too high, perhaps the company’s advertising or the salesperson oversold the product’s features. Sensitivity to a customer’s consumption or use experience is extremely important in consumer’s value perception