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Dear Shadi,
A consumer goes through several stages before purchasing a product or service.
1- NEED
↓
2- INFORMATION GATHERING/SEARCH
↓
3- EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES
↓
4- PURCHASE OF PRODUCT/SERVICE
↓
5- POST PURCHASE EVALUATION
To understand the complete process of consumer decision making you have to put yourself as a consumer and go with the five steps mentioned above.
Regards,
Hany Sewilam AbdelHamid
Head of Business Development | Sales & Marketing
Entrepreneurship Coach & Consultant
Digital & Social Marketing Certified Expert
A) Objective.
B) Collect products information, and alternatives.
C) Evaluate the alternatives.
D) Make the decision.
E) After purchase evaluation.
Need recognition
Information search
Alternative evaluation
Purchase decision
Post-purchase behavior
a) Recognizes the "situation" to acquire some product/service to satisfy some need
b) Information search - can be connected for example for previous experiences, external sources or word-to-mouth
c) Evaluation of available alternatives - which are, for example, the most important attributes in a product/service
d) The purchase moment - it´s important to guarantee that the product is available, trying to do that moment /experience unforgettable.
When we go as per any management book, decision making related to consumer starts from;
1) Identifying a need for goods or services
2) Collecting information about the product and services
3) Analyzing the information
4) Finding an alternative
5) Decision making based on the above.
6) Evaluating post decision making results (this is an optional stage, but many consumer use this step also)
Every management is taught about the above.
A consumer is the end result of designing your product and hence it is equally important to keep their needs and preferences in mind as a company.
Decision-making process
problem recognition.
information search.
alternative evaluation.
purchase decision / or not purchase.
post purchase evaluation (cognitive dissonance).
other factors important in the consumer decision- making process, whose technical definitions may be unfamiliar to you , include the following:
Learning involves changes in a individual's behavior resulting from previous experiences and information
for example: if you try a particular brand of shampoo and don't like it , you may never buy it again
A reference group is the group that an individual uses as a reference point in the formation of his or her beliefs , attitudes , values , or behavior
for example: a student who carries a briefcase instead of a backpack may see businesspeople as his or her reference group
Culture is the set of values , attitudes , and way of doing things that is transmitted from one generation to another in a given society . education , freedom , and diversity
Subculture is the set of values , attitudes , and ways of doing that results from belonging to a certain ethnic group , religious group , racial group , or other group with which one closely identifies , the subculture is one small part of the larger culture
Cognitive dissonance is a type of psychological conflict that can occur after a purchase , and is the same as buyer's remorse , consumers who make a major purchase , such as a car , may have doubts a bout whether they got the best product at the best price , marketers must , therefore , reassure such consumers after the sale that they made a good decision
Agree with MR HANY SEWILAM
