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Evaluation of Alternatives, Purchase Decision, Post Purchase Behavior.html

Evaluation of Alternatives, Purchase Decision, Post Purchase Behavior

After identifying the desired attributes, evaluation of alternatives is the next stage of the consumer buying decision process. Using some type of point score system, the consumer evaluates different brands by comparing the desired attributes with the attributes of these brands. The consumer may have his or her own quality values to point-score the attributes. For example, the consumer can evaluate an attribute by allocating it a high, medium, or low quality value.

Moreover, the consumer's buying decision may be influenced by a brand preference he or she has developed on the basis of personal experience or the experience of family and friends. The consumer may favor specific attributes offered by a particular brand over others. The final decision can even be influenced by reading reviews in magazines.

Marketing managers need to have a thorough understanding of the attributes their target consumers prefer and the ranks they allocate to these attributes. At this point, a well-designed marketing campaign plays an important role in helping a consumer decide and select the product of his or her choice. The campaign should take the message clearly to the target audience, highlighting the desirable attributes.

After a customer evaluates a product, he or she makes a purchase decision. At this juncture, the consumer might choose to make the purchase by going to the dealership, by placing a purchase order over the phone, or by searching for information on the Internet.

Post purchase behavior is the fifth and final stage of the consumer buying decision process. Research shows that a consumer often has doubts about the product he or she has purchased and terms this as post purchase behavior. A buyer needs reassurance that he or she has bought a reliable and dependable product.

You have decided to buy. You purchase the Apple iPod in apple green color online at Amazon.com because you qualify for free shipping. You decide to buy the Velcro armband that will hold the iPod while you jog, but you do not buy other optional equipment or extras. Now what?

Implementing the consumer decision making process is not the end. In fact, the purchase is often the start of a new experience that will influence your current reference groups as well as create new reference groups.

After you buy the iPod you evaluate the purchase. You may feel some cognitive dissonance: "I can't believe I just spent every last bit of my graduation money my aunt gave me!" You may feel excited: "I bought it, finally!" Therefore, you may feel that it was a hasty decision or you may feel happy.

Whether or not you act on your feelings depends on your personality, how much the money means to you, the time frame available, and the importance of your relationship with the giver of the graduation gift. In addition, your perception of Apple versus other competitors may well contribute to your decision.

After the purchase of the iPod, your post-purchase behavior may be nearly as chaotic and intense as that during the purchase.

Post-purchase typically leads to different behaviors and feelings in consumers.

The post-purchase issues that consumers often face include:

• Use of the product or service—appreciation, length of use

• Sense of possession—how does it make you feel when you run at the gym with your iPod and others have cassette players?

• Collecting similar products, using the same company and brand

• Disposing of the product or service when no longer necessary or functioning

There are feelings and emotions that are part of the post-purchase process too, which can be positive or negative depending on previous experience:

• Consumer satisfaction
• Change in brand perception
• Change in quality of life
• Change in attitude, lifestyle, emotion about the product
• Changes in activities and habits that stem from using the product

In the example of the iPod you also need to consider your general perception of the company, the brand, and the product or service you purchased.

How do you feel about the iPod compared to other MP3 players that you could have purchased? How do you feel using the iPod when compared with your old portable cassette player? How do you feel about Apple computers? Have they provided the required service? Did the iPod come with batteries and all add-ons? Was it packaged and sealed appropriately? What was your experience in service and warrantee issues?

How was the online purchase experience? Will you buy from Amazon.com again, or did you find an iPod at a better price elsewhere a week later? Was the process of buying simple? Did someone steal your credit card number? Was the delivery slow? Did they try to charge you for shipping that was supposed to be free? Note that you form an opinion of the distribution point, just as you do of the product and the company.

There are other relationships that may have been altered, for good or bad, in this transaction. If your credit card number actually was stolen how did your bank handle it? Did their behavior alter your opinion of who you will buy banking services from in the future?

Did you buy the iPod or use Amazon.com at the suggestion of one of your reference group members? If your new friend's suggestion did not work out, you may choose to disregard his or her advice in the future. If it worked out, you will likely seek information and advice from this person in the future.

You learned that purchase and post-purchase behaviors are not the end of the process. In reality, the outcomes of purchase and post-purchase behaviors alter or support perceptions, expectations, influence groups, lifestyle, and information sources. You are more likely to change your behavior as a result of a purchase than you are based on research!

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Consumer Buying Decision Process.html

Consumer Buying Decision Process

The study of the consumer buying decision process is an important tool in marketing. It helps marketing managers understand the behaviors and decisions buyers engage in before, during, and after the purchase. It also helps marketing managers develop appropriate tactics to help buyers through the stages of the process.

The consumer buying decision process involves the following stages:

1. Need recognition
2. Information search
3. Evaluation of alternatives
4. Purchase decision
5. Post purchase behavior

The second stage of the consumer buying decision process is information search, which is an important step as we consider marketing. A consumer searches for and collects information that can help him or her arrive at a purchase decision. Sources of information are varied. One source might be the consumer's family members, friends, and neighbors who might be using the product the consumer has in mind to purchase.

Alternatively, the consumer may search online, ask salespeople or dealers, or read specialist magazines. The consumer may actually examine the product before he or she decides to purchase it.

At the conclusion of this stage, the consumer identifies the attributes he or she desires in the product.

The basic consumer decision making model seems elaborate and time consuming but in reality, much of the process occurs without our conscious thinking. Consider your own purchase decisions. If you want to buy a very expensive piece of jewelry you are likely to deliberately and consciously follow through all the stages in the process: researching, seeking the advice of friends and relatives, visiting multiple stores, viewing advertisements, and comparing alternatives.

Similarly, when you want to buy a carton of milk, the same process is followed, whether or not it is the same brand and quantity that you always buy, or from the same store. From habit, you base your decision on the various factors that create the stimulus, your influence groups, your experiences, and your implementation of the purchase in the past. It takes very little cognitive or emotional awareness for you to make this purchase decision but the process occurs all the same.

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Organizational Buying Process, Service Delivery.html

Organizational Buying Process, Service Delivery

The organizational buying decision process has the same five steps as the consumer buying decision process. The consumer and the organizational processes are compared below using the example of a car dealership as an organizational buyer purchasing new cars from car manufacturers.

The main difference between the two processes at the first stage of decision making is in the number of people who are involved in the recognition of the need (problem). The decision-making unit (DMU) in the organization is more complex and is usually influenced by many people across the organization.

An information search is more complicated for an organizational buyer than for a consumer. Depending on whether the organization is doing a straight rebuy or new task buying, the amount of time, effort, and money invested in the search for information is much higher.

The main difference between consumers and organizations here is that an organizational buyer's evaluation criteria are more elaborate and stringent than a consumer's. There is an emphasis on obtaining good post purchase services.

An established organizational buyer typically has contracts already worked out with vendors. Therefore, the purchase process for an organizational buyer tends to be less complicated than that for a new buyer.

Post purchase evaluations of a product are more formal for an organizational buyer than for a household consumer. A major component of a post purchase evaluation is the service provided by the vendor.

Every business sells either a product (a physical item) or a service (something intangible), or both. Many businesses develop one first, and extend into the second.

The organization’s buying process is a process in which the organizations recognize the need of a product or service and search for the best available brand or supplier among all the alternatives. Understanding the organization’s buying process is now given immense importance as with globalization there is an increased competition in the market, there are many brands or suppliers available for the same product but one has to be street smart to choose the best product or service in quality and price. (Kurtz, 2009, p. 639,)

Reference

Kurtz, D. L, (2009), Contemporary Marketing. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

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