CONSUMER PURCHASE DECISION PROCESS

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Consumer behavior

The actions a person takes in

purchasing and using products and
services,
including the mental and social
processes that precede and follow
these actions.
The behavioral sciences help answer
questions such as :
Why people choose one product or
brand over another,
How they make these choices, and
How companies use this knowledge to
provide value to consumers

I. CONSUMER PURCHASE DE
PROCESS

Behind the visible act of making a purchase lies a d

that must be investigated.
The purchase decision process is the stages a buye
in making choices about which products and servic
1.
Five Stages
2.
of
3.
Consumer Behavior 4.
5.

problem recognit
information searc
alternative evalua
purchase decisio
post-purchase be

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A. Problem Recognition: Perceiving a

Perceiving a difference between a person's ideal an

big enough to trigger a decision.
Can be as simple as noticing an empty milk carton
activated by marketing efforts.

B. Information Search: Seeking Val

The information search stage clarifies the options open to

may involve

Scanning one
previous experience
brands.
Often sufficient for
purchased products
When past experien
insufficient
The risk of making a
decision is high
The cost of gatherin
low.
The primary sources of ex

Internal
search

two steps of
information
search

External
search

1.
2.

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Personal sources, s
family.
Public sources, incl
product-rating orga

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3.

Consumer Reports.
Marketer-dominated
advertising, compan
salespeople

C. Alternative Evaluation: Assessing V

The information search clarifies the problem for the consu

(1) Suggesting criteria to use for the purchase.
(2) Yielding brand names that might meet the criteria.
(3) Developing consumer value perception.

A consumer's evaluative criteria represent both

the objective attributes of a brand (such as l
portable CD player)

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the subjective factors (such as prestige).

These criteria establish a consumer's evoked set
the group of brands that a consumer would
from among all the brands in the product cla
she is aware

D. Purchase Decision: Buying Valu

which depends
considerations
Terms o
Past ex
from th
Return
which can be i
store at
time pre
a sale
pleasan
shoppin

From whom to buy

Three
possibilities

When to buy

Do not buy

E. Postpurchase Behavior: Value in Consum

After buying a product, the consumer compares it w

and is either satisfied or dissatisfied.
Satisfaction or dissatisfaction affects
consumer value perceptions
consumer communications
repeat-purchase behavior.
Many firms work to produce positive postpurchase
among consumers and contribute to relationship bu
sellers and buyers.

Cognitive Dissonance. The feelings of postpurchas

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tension or anxiety a consumer often experiences

Firms often use ads or follow-up calls from salespe
postpurchase stage to try to convince buyers that t
decision.

F. Involvement and Problem-Solving Var

Consumers may skip or minimize one or more step

decision process depending on
the level of involvement
the personal, social, and economic significa
Three characteristics of high-involvement purchase
1.
is expensive,
2.
can have serious personal consequences, o
3.
could reflect on ones social image.
Three general problem-solving variations exist in the co
decision process:

Routine Problem

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Virtually a habit
involves little effort seeking
information and evaluating a

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Solving

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Limited Problem
Solving

Extended Problem
Solving

Typically used for low

purchased products.
Involves the use of moderate
seeking efforts.
Often used when the buyer h
effort to spend.
Each stage of the consumer
process is used
Considerable time and effort
external information s
identifying
evaluating alternative
Used in high-involvement pu
Low and high consumer invo
important implications for m
which differs for products th
leaders from their challenge

Involvement and
Marketing Strategy

G. Situational Influences

The purchase task The reason for engaging in

Social Including others present w
surroundings decision is made.
Five
Physical Such as decor, music, and
situational
surroundings stores.
influences
Such as time of day or the
Temporal effects
available.
Which include the consum
Antecedent states
amount of cash on hand

II. PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUEN

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CONSUMER BEHAVIO

Concepts such as motivation and personality; perception;

beliefs and attitudes; and lifestyle are useful for interpretin
processes and directing marketing efforts.

A. Motivation and Personality

1. Motivation
is the energizing force that causes behavior that sa
Needs are hierarchical
Once basic physiological needs are met, people see
needs.
Physiological needs
Safety needs

From lowest to highest, the

hierarchy is:

Social needs

Self-actualization needs

2. Personality
A person's consistent behavior or responses to rec
Research suggests that key traits affect brand and
preferences.
Cross-cultural analysis also suggests that residents
countries have a national character, or a distinct se
characteristics common among people of a country

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Personality characteristics are often revealed in a p

concept, which is the way people see themselves a
believe others see them.

B. Perception

The process by which an individual uses informatio

meaningful picture of the world by
selecting,
organizing
interpreting
Perception is important because people selectively
want and it affects how people see risks in a purcha
1. Selective Perception

Filtering
exposure,
comprehension, and
retention
in the human brains attempt to
interpret information.
Consumers can pay attention to
consistent with their own attitud
Consumers can ignore messag
inconsistent.
Involves interpreting (distorting
that it is consistent with a perso
beliefs.
Consumers do not remember al
they see, read, or hear.

Selective
perception

Selective
exposure

Selective
comprehension

Selective retention

Subliminal
perception

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Consumers see or hear messag

aware of them.
This is a hotly debated issue wi
appeal than scientific support.

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Research suggests that such m

limited effects on behavior
2. Perceived Risk

Anxieties felt
Consumes cannot anticipate the outcomes
Believe that there may be negative conseque
Marketers try to reduce a consumer's perceived risk
purchases by strategies such as providing
Free trial of a product
Securing endorsements from influential peo
Providing warranties and guarantees.

C. Learning

Those behaviors that result from

Repeated experience
Thinking.
1. Behavioral Learning
The process of developing automatic responses to
through repeated exposure to it.

Four variables central to how consume

learn from repeated experience are:
drive A need that moves an individual to ac
cue A stimulus or symbol perceived by co
response The action taken by a consumer to sat
reinforcement The reward.

Marketers use two concepts from behavioral lear

Occurs when a response elicite
Stimulus
(cue) is generalized to another.
generalization
Using the same brand name for
is an application of this concep

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Refers to a person's ability to p

Stimulus
in stimuli.
discrimination
The advertising for Bud Light b
of this concept.
2. Cognitive learning
Involves making connections between two or more
or simply observing the outcomes of others
and adjusting one's accordingly.
3. Brand loyalty
Is a favorable attitude and consistent purchase of a
time.
Brand loyalty differs across countries

D. Values, Beliefs, and Attitudes

1. Attitude Formation

Attitude

Values

Beliefs

A learned predisposition to respond to an

objects in a consistently favorable or unfav
Shaped by our values and beliefs, which ar
personally or socially preferable modes of
of existence that are enduring.
consumer's subjective perception of how w
brand performs on different attributes.
2. Attitude Change

Approaches
to try to
change
consumer
attitudes

Changing beliefs about the extent

has certain attributes.
Changing the perceived importanc
Adding new attributes to the produ

E. Lifestyle

Lifestyle is a mode of living that is identifie

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activities How a person spends time and resources

interests What a person considers important in the
opinions what a person thinks of self and the world

Psychographics
The analysis of consumer lifestyle
helps to segment and target consumers for n
products.

Values and Lifestyles (VALS) Program

Developed by SRI International
Identified eight interconnected categories of adult l
based on a persons self-orientation and resources
Self-orientation
Three patterns of attitudes and activities that
help people reinforce their social self-image.
The three patterns are oriented toward
principles,
status,
action.

III. SOCIOCULTURAL INFLUEN

CONSUMER BEHAVIO

Sociocultural influences evolve from a formal and in

relationships with other people.
Influences Include
Personal influence
Reference groups

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The family
Social class
Culture
Subculture.

A. Personal Influence

Opinion leaders
Aspects of personal
influence important to
marketing

Word of mouth

individuals
indirect soc
others
People influ
during face
conversatio
Power of w
been magn
and e

B. Reference Groups

Reference groups are people to whom an individual looks

appraisal or as a source of personal standards. Reference
important influence on the purchase of luxury products bu
necessities. :
Membership
group
Aspiration
Three groups have
group
clear marketing
implications
Dissociative
group

one to which a
belongs
one with which
to be identified
one from whic
to maintain a d
of differences
behaviors

C. Family Influence

Family influences on consumer behavior result from

consumer socialization

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passage through the family life cycle

decision making within the family.

Consumer socialization is the process by w

Consumer
acquire the skills, knowledge, and attitudes
Socialization
function as consumers

Family Life
Cycle

The distinct phases that a

family progresses through from
formation to retirement
Each phase bringing with it
identifiable purchasing
behaviors.
Two decision-making styles
exist:
spouse-dominant (either
wife or husband is
responsible)
joint decision making
(most decisions are
made by both husband
and wife).
Increasingly, preteens and
teenagers are assuming these
roles for the family, given the
prevalence of working parents
and single-parent households.

Family
Decision
Making

D. Social Class

The relatively permanent, homogeneous divisions i

which people sharing similar values, interests, and
grouped.
Determinants of social class include

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occupation,
source of income (not level of income)
education.
Social class is a basis for identifying and reaching p
prospects for products and services.
Upper classes are targeted by companies fo
financial investments, expensive cars, and e
Middle classes represent a target market for
centers and automobile parts stores.
Lower classes are targeted for products suc
scandal magazines.

E. Culture and Subculture

Culture refers to the set of values, ideas and attitudes that

homogeneous group of people and transmitted to the next
Subcultures - groups within the larger, or national,
values, ideas, and attitudes.
three largest racial/ethnic subcultures in the U.S
Hispanics,
African-Americans
Asians .
Each of these groups exhibits sophisticated social
behaviors that affect their buying patterns.
1. African-American Buying Patterns
African-Americans have the largest spending powe
subcultures
While price conscious, they are motivated by produ
choice.
Respond to products and advertising that appeal to
American pride and heritage as well as address the
and needs.
2. Hispanic Buying Patterns

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Hispanics represent the largest subculture

About 50% are immigrants
The majority are under the age of 25.
Marketing to Hispanics has proven to be a challeng
The diversity of this subculture
The language barrier.
Sensitivity to the unique needs of Hispanics by firm
dividends.
3. Asian Buying Patterns
The Asian is the fastest growing subculture.
About 70% of Asians are immigrants
Most are under the age of 30.
Asians represent a diverse subculture, including Ch
Filipinos, Koreans, Asian-Indians, people from Sout
Pacific Islanders.
Two groups of Asian-Americans have been identifie
Assimilated Asians are
conversant in English
highly educated
exhibit buying patterns very much lik
American consumers.
Nonassimilated Asians
recent immigrants who cling to their n
and customs.

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