1. Need Recognition
At this decision stage, the buyer recognizes a problem or need. The buyer senses a
difference between his actual state and some desired state.
A need can be triggered by internal stimuli when one of the persons normal needs
e.g. hunger, thirst, desire etc. rises to a level high enough to become a drive. The
need may also be triggered by external stimuli like an advert, a discussion with a
friend or a sales person talking of the product.
The marketer at this stage should carry out market research to understand
consumer needs, what triggers the needs, how they led a consumer to a particular
product and looks for ways of satisfying them.
2. Information Search
This is the stage in which the consumer is aroused to search for more information
This is the stage in which the consumer is aroused to search for more information.
An aroused consumer may or may not search for more information. The
consumer may move from a state of active information search to a state of
heightened attention where the consumer actively seeks information. The
following are the sources of information that a consumer can turn to:
Personal sources (Buyer sources)
This may be from the family, friends, neighbours, acquaintances, etc.
These sources may be used when:
- Performance risks are high
- The buyer is particularly interested in avoiding mistakes and hence
actively seeks negative or unfavourable information if it is available.
(ii) Commercial sources.
These include all information sources controlled by the seller. They include:
These include all information sources controlled by the seller. They include:
- Advertising and
- Personal
selling They are used
when:-
- The perceived task is too low
- Higher cost of using alternative sources is not justified.
(iii) Public sources:
E.g. - Mass media and
- Consumer organizations
(iv) Experiential sources:
E.g. - Handling
- Examining and
- Using the product.
The relative influence of these sources varies with the product and the buyer. The
consumer receives the most information from the commercial source which is
controlled by the marketer. However, the most effective information source is the
personal one. While the commercial source informs the buyer, the personal source
legitimizes and or evaluates the product for the buyer.
Companies have realized that people who ask others (word of mouth sources) end
in buying. It is convincing and a more cost effective strategy.
The amount of information sought depends on:
-Whether the consumers is buying the product for the first time;
-of the product;
-Durability;
-How often the product is bought;
-Importance of the product; and
-of the product.
3. Evaluation of Alternatives
At this stage, the consumer uses the available information to evaluate alternative
brands in the choice set. It indicates how a consumer chooses from among the
alternative brands.
Consumers sometimes make careful calculations and logical thinking of the
product benefits and features (complex buying behaviour). At other times,
consumers do little or no evaluation; instead they buy on impulse and rely on
intuition. Some other times consumers make buying decisions on their own,
sometimes they turn to friends, consumer guides or salespeople.
The marketer needs to understand about the alternative evaluation i.e. how a consumer
processes information to arrive at brand choice. Consumers never apply a simple and
single evaluation process in all the buying situations. Several evaluation processes are put
in play dependent on the buying situation. Marketers should study buyers to find out how
they actually evaluate brand alternatives.
The information obtained helps the consumer to clarify and evaluate the alternatives
under consideration.
The consumer will look at:-
(i) Various product attributes, e.g. type, shape, appearance, texture, aging, cost,
colour, effectiveness, taste/flavour, comfort, fit, style, safety, quality, etc.
Important weights attached to the attributes.
-The brand image or brand beliefs should also be considered.
-How the consumer expects product satisfaction to vary with different levels of each attribute.
-The consumer will arrive at attitudes towards the brand alternative through some
brand evaluation procedure. These differ among consumers.
Each buyer must arrive at a decision as to what attributes are important and the
evaluation criteria that must be used to compare different alternatives. consumers
evaluate products based on a number of criteria and also on the basis of their Beliefs,
attitudes and intentions.
Evaluation criteria
-These are dimensions used by consumers to compare or evaluate products or brands e.g.
for a car it is the:
-Cost;
-Economy;
Service availability etc.
ii) Beliefs
These are the degree to which the consumers believe that the product has certain
characteristics e.g. safety, quality etc.
iii) Attitudes
These are the degree of liking or disliking for a product which in turn determines whether
the customer will buy it or not.
iv) Intentions
These measure the probability of buying the product. A marketer should assist consumers
to acquire information that will help them to make the purchase decision
4. Purchase Decisions
At this stage, the buyer makes a decision of which brand to buy. At the
evaluation stage, the consumer ranks the brands and forms purchase intentions.
Their purchase decision will be to buy the most preferred brand. Two factors may
influence the buyers’ decision at this stage:
(a) Others attitude over the product: the influence of someone important to the consumer or the views of friends, mates and or relatives.
(b)Unexpected situational changes: Where the consumer form a purchase intention based on such factors as expected income, price and product benefits which change prior to the purchase.
-Unexpected event may change a buyer’s purchase intention e.g. positive growth, a drop
of product price by a competitor or expression of after purchase dissonance (discomfort)
of the product by a friend. Hence preferences or purchase intentions do not always result
into the actual purchase choice.
5. Post-purchase Behaviour
At this stage, the consumers take further action after purchasing the product based
on their satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
If the product falls short of expectations, the consumer is dissatisfied.(cognitive
dissonance). A dissatisfied consumer may:-
-Take legal action
-Seek Redress from the company
-Keep quiet
-Talk to others badly about the company
If it meets expectations, the consumer is satisfied. A satisfied consumer will:-
-Speak well of a company’s product
-the product again
-Buy other products from the company
-Talk to others about the company’s products If
-it exceeds expectations, the consumer is delighted.
The larger the gap between expectations and performance the greater consumer
dissatisfaction.
Marketers must at all times strive to satisfy the consumer in order to retain the
existing customers and get new customers. One must promise only what their
products or services can deliver and satisfy the buyers.
Cognitive Dissonance
Is a buyer discomfort caused by post purchase conflict that all major purchases or
complex buying situations result into. After purchase consumers are satisfied with the
benefits of the chosen brand and are glad to avoid the drawbacks of the brands not
bought. Every purchase involves a compromise. Consumers feel uneasy on the
drawbacks of the chosen brands and about losing the benefits of the brands not chosen.
Hence they feel at least some post purchase dissonance with every purchase.
Marketers have a duty to reduce this cognitive dissonance by:
Writing congratulatory letters to the customers for the wise choice they made in
purchasing that particular brand;
Having trade-in arrangements;
- Visiting customers to see how they are fairing with the product
- Giving after sales services
- giving warranties
Titany answered the question on November 3, 2021 at 10:48