Part 1 – Consumer Decision Making Process
Analyse each of your purchases using the consumer decision-making process model presented in Module 1. You should use a sequential flow of information for each purchase. Some suggestions are offered in terms of topics you may like to consider when completing Part 1.
- Need Recognition
- What is the perceived problem?
- What need is this purchase satisfying?
- What is your actual state and what is your desired state?
- Is this a ritual purchase or something you have never bought before?
Pre-purchase search / Information sources
- What internal or external sources were considered and sought out when making the decision?
Evaluation process
- What were the alternatives /what products/services were included in your evoked set?
- What was excluded? Why?
- What evaluative criteria did you use in this purchase?
Purchase
- Were you influenced by physical, social or temporal surroundings?
- Describe any other external influences at the point of purchase.
Post-purchase behaviour
- On reflection of the purchase what were your post-purchase evaluations? Were you satisfied /dissatisfied with your purchases? Why?
- Did you suffer post purchase cognitive dissonance? If so how did you deal with this post purchase anxiety?
- Did the company have any strategies in the post-purchase phase that influenced your decision?
- How has the purchase affected your loyalty to the brand purchased?
Part 2: Reflection and Analysis of internal and external influences
In this section try and provide a rationale to your behaviour and consumption experience using relevant consumer behaviour terminology.
Internal Influences
What was your motivation for the purchase? (Think conscious and unconscious needs and use relevant motivational theories to justify). What were the other internal influences at play in your decision-making process for each product? Apply other relevant consumer behaviour theory in terms of: Perception, Learning, Attitudes, and Personality topics.
External Influences
Were there any relevant external influences that may have affected your decision (such as social and cultural influences).
It is critical in answering the above criteria that you apply relevant consumer behaviour theory in your assignment. You can either analyse each purchase individually or you could compare or contrast each purchase as you develop the report. You could also choose to integrate the discussion of Part 1 and Part 2 as another approach to complete the report.
Learning Outcomes
- Explain the meaning of consumer behaviour and its role in marketing strategy
- Apply the concept of the consumer decision-making model to provide insights into consumer buying
- Categorise the needs and wants of consumers and their underlying motivations
- Analyse the psychological processes affecting consumer behaviour.
- Identify social and cultural influences on consumer behaviour.
- Analyse and apply the major consumer attitude models
Introduction
Consumer behaviour is fundamental in marketing because it has central importance in the purchase decision of consumers. Consumers enter the decision-making process, and as a result, they pass through different stages to make a final purchase. However, multiple purchases have a different decision-making process. For this purpose, this report has compared three separate purchases. The first part of the report contains the experiences of three purchases, and the second part contains theories implemented on these three purchase experiences. Theories effectively and correctly explain the decision-making process behind these purchases, and I have learned new insight into the purchase decision making process. Theories and actions have a link with each other, and the analysis in this paper has proved this link. Consumer behaviour is a complex process that requires in-depth analysis, and this paper has reflected on this process in detail.
Part One – Consumer Decision Making Process
In the first part, I would like to present the decision-making process of three of my recent purchases. First is online shopping for my favourite trousers from an overseas company. The second purchase is the purchase of a manual treadmill. The third is the purchase of football for my nephew. I would analyze these three purchases from the perspective of the consumer decision-making process model that is in the following.
Need Recognition:
Purchase of the Trouser from Online Marketplace:
It has been an enjoyable experience to buy trousers from the online marketplace, and that came from abroad. I like to wear slim trousers under my pants or for the night. I felt this need because I have always had a deep interest in clothing. I have ever tried to buy a clothing product that is close to my body. It was not a ritual purchase, and I am satisfied with the purchase because it fulfils my desire to put skinny trousers on.
Purchase of Manual Treadmill:
Purchasing a treadmill was a very challenging and difficult decision. I want to have an inexpensive and easy to use a treadmill. The manual treadmill was the answer to it. I bought it from a nearby shop for pieces of equipment used for exercise. I am happy with the purchase, and I feel accomplished after buying it though, I have purchased it for the first time.
Purchase of Football:
I might not be right in choosing gifts because I get confused. My nephew asked me to buy a football for him. I went to the sports market and kept thinking of buying a football that may be best suitable for my nephew. My nephew was not near me. Therefore, I have to rely on the advice of the shopkeeper to choose a football.
Pre-purchase search / Information sources
Purchase of the Trouser:
I have to go through the pre-purchase search process to get information about available products. I realized that I could not be able to purchase my desired product despite research in nearby shopping malls. Instantly, I started to have advertisements for online stores on my social media accounts. Firstly, I ignored them, but once I clicked on one of the ads, I got many options for my desired trousers.
Purchase of Manual Treadmill:
The purchase of the manual treadmill was not on my desired list, and I always wanted to buy an electric treadmill. I have been using an electric treadmill at the nearby gym. However, I realized that an electric treadmill was expensive. I also knew that jogging has a typical result, whether it is on an electric treadmill, manual treadmill, or jogging at one place. Therefore, I am attracted to this purchase.
Purchase of Football:
Buying a football had extensive internal and external sources to consult because I did not have an idea of a suitable football. Therefore, I had to use online sources, asking from my friends, getting advice from neighbours playing football, and going window shopping to different stores. This pre-purchase search reached me to the point where I could confidently decide to purchase the desired football for my nephew.
Evaluation Process
Purchase of the Trouser:
The purchase of the trousers had plenty of alternatives, and I could not say for sure that the purchased one was the only option before me. However, in terms of attributes, I had in mind that the trousers should be comfortable and sticky to my body. I was able to wear in at night and under my regular pants as well. I had the only issue with the material. Regular and routine trousers were out of the list because, generally, there was a lack of choice, and I also had the price issue. I adopted the criteria for plenty of options and the low price of the product.
Purchase of Manual Treadmill:
Alternatives for treadmills were numerous because everyone eager to have a treadmill goes for an electric treadmill. I decided to buy a low-priced product that may give me maximum value. So, expensive products and extra features were not part of my purchase consideration. I only wanted to jog in my room so that I could not ignore my physical fitness. So, price and maximum value were top evaluative criteria for this purchase.
Purchase of Football:
The purchase of football had some unique evaluative criteria that I was going to fulfil the desire of my nephew. I did not have the right idea of what type of football would satisfy his needs. On my own, I excluded types of footballs that were of low quality. I chose football to compare those who were popular among football buyers. In so doing, I reached a decision that I had to purchase high-quality football. Low quality and price consciousness were not part of the chosen criteria.
Purchase
In the decision-making process, the most important was the purchase decision. The following headings cover the purchase decision for each product.
Purchase of the Trouser:
Finally, I purchased the trousers and received it through cash on delivery payment method. I experienced quite different surroundings in the online marketplace as compared to the physical market. There were many choices of my taste, and I got confused at first to choose my desirable product. The selection of trousers was the result of social surroundings as well. Because I was inspired by the product put on by some of my friends as well. At the point of purchase for the trousers, I did not feel external influences because the online marketplace was quite attractive for me.
Purchase of Manual Treadmill:
I felt the influence of physical and social surroundings while purchasing for the manual treadmill. I evaluated the shop from where I bought the product. I evaluated available products there and noticed that I had to choose the one that suits me. At the point of purchase, external influences worked because that was not the only shop, I visited for the purchase.
Purchase of Football:
With the purchase of football, I felt external influence very much. It was because of the lack of my demand for football. I wanted to purchase a product that could attract my nephew highly. For this purpose, I had to be careful. Moreover, I got confused by the availability of many footballs in different shops because I was having difficulty making the final decision. Therefore, I got much influence from physical, social, and temporal surroundings in this purchase.
Post-purchase Behaviour
Purchase of the Trouser:
Post-purchase behaviour after buying the trousers was comfortable and satisfying. I am delighted because I have my desired trousers at a low price. I chose it after evaluating many options. Therefore, I did not suffer post-purchase cognitive dissonance. That is why I am going to make another purchase in the clothing category from the online store. The company and the online marketplace offered me to review the product that gave me the power to have a say about the product. I rated the product positively and gave five stars. It means that I am satisfied with the product.
Purchase of Manual Treadmill:
After the purchase experience of the manual treadmill is going through the trial phase. I think that I have to wait for some time to confidently review the product. The manual treadmill serves the purpose, but I fear if it would not have served this purpose. It is because I did not have any option to exchange the product if it was not up to the quality standards. Lack of company’s after-sale service has made me a little uncomfortable. The product is excellent, and I do not suffer post-purchase cognitive dissonance. Overall, the product is working well.
Purchase of Football:
The football purchase has proven to be a perfect product. My nephew has been playing football for some days, and he is comfortable. The shopkeeper told me about the warranty that I could change it if it damages due to manufacturing fault. I do not feel that it would happen. Therefore, I am loyal to the brand.
Part Two: Reflection and Analysis of Internal and External Influences
Internal Influences:
The purchase of trousers, manual treadmill and football has a specific influence on theories of consumer behaviour. Motivational theories help understand the consumer behaviour behind each of these purchases (Jack Rotfeld, 2014).
Freudian Motivation theory is helpful in this regard because it deals with the unconscious psychological forces. Conscious needs are evident and apparent ones, but it is not the case that the consumer is aware of unconscious needs as well. I think that unconscious needs have played a central role in the motivation behind purchasing these three products. Unconscious needs behind the purchase of trouser were the need for a product that is super fit for my body (Strombach, Strang, Park, & Kenning, 2016). The ego tenet of the theory is part of a conscious mind, and it includes thoughts, memories, and feelings. The id is the unconscious part that is since my birth. I believe that the moderating factor of the superego has played a significant role in this purchase. Similarly, the purchase of a manual treadmill is the result of a combination of conscious and unconscious minds where I have completed my desire to be physically fit (Awan, Qadir, & Zaman, 2016). The purchase of football is also the motivation of these conscious and subconscious factors because I wanted to have a product that is suitable for my nephew (Sletvold, 2016).
The Freudian motivation theory is complex because it is not directly a consumer behaviour theory. It is instead a theory of reading the conscious and unconscious mind. Another approach is appropriate to study the perception, learning, attitudes, and personality attributes of consumers, and that theory is the theory of reasoned action. According to this theory, the act of a consumer is specific. Moreover, consumer action seeks a particular result as well. In the course of decision making, the consumer can change his mind (Ghasrodashti, 2018). The theory applies perfectly to all three purchase decisions. My confusion in buying football was the result of seeking reasoned action. I wanted to get the desired outcome, and that was only possible if my nephew liked the product. Second, the theory applies to the purchase of trousers as well. My selection of the online marketplace was the result of the reasoned action because I wanted to get desired and expected results. My search for trousers did not end with the desired result in nearby stores. That is why I moved to online purchasing. Third, the theory applies to purchase a manual treadmill, and I chose a manual machine because it can give my desired result of being fit (Hsu, Yin, & Huang, 2017).
Specifically, to my online purchase decision for the trouser, the Hawkins Stern impulse buying theory is appropriate and applicable. According to the theory, four categories of impulse buying are pure impulse purchases, reminded impulse buys, suggested impulse purchases, and planned impulse decisions (Ruswanti, 2016). I think that purchasing a trouser comes under the planned impulse buying decision, and buying the manual treadmill comes under suggested impulse buying because of its features resemblance with an electric treadmill (Desai & Mistry, 2017).
External Influences:
Social and cultural influences make the outer part of the force. They have played their role in each of the purchases above. The social and cultural significance in the purchase of trousers was not very strong. Although, I got inspiration to have such skinny trousers, usually, people do not wear trousers in social settings. It was mainly part of my intention, and I fulfilled my purposes in light of the theory of planned actions. I could select the desired option and purchased the trousers so that it could fulfil my desire. However, the influence of society and culture is not negligible because these influences must have shaped my intentions (Fu & Juan, 2017).
On the other hand, the purchase of a manual treadmill is very much under the influence of society and culture. Earlier, I would focus on jogging and not pay attention to the treadmill. However, it was the influence of social and external factors that I moved to this choice and made the purchase. The theory of planned action has also explained this purchase. I had the intention, and then, I moved to compare different types of treadmill. Initially, I went to purchase an electric treadmill, but I chose a manual treadmill in the end. It was because of the price consciousness and simple features of the product. The theory of planned behaviour aligns with this purchase of a manual treadmill (Nurwanah, Sutrisno, Rosidi, & Roekhudin, 2018).
So far as the purchase of football is concerned, external influences played a significant role. I did not have clear intentions about football; therefore, I had to rely on different people’s views and experiences. They gave their opinions and I also abided by the advice of the shopkeeper. As a result, I made this purchase, and I remained confused until my nephew liked the product.
Conclusion:
The report concludes that consumer behaviour is very involved because it has internal and external influences in the decision-making process for purchase. Everyone makes purchases daily, and some of them are of a particular kind. It is worthwhile analyzing the purchasing experience from the practical and theoretical lens. For this purpose, I have shared my experience of making three purchases of moderate to high value. Then, I have applied different theories to these purchasing experiences. I have realized that the majority of the cases, the decision-making process is the result of internal and external influences. However, the role of internal or psychological forces is higher than any other effect. Therefore, consumer behaviour starts with the psychological and inner foundations of the process. However, external factors shape the internal influence, and internal factors have their impact on external factors. Different theories have explained consumer behaviour, but there were many roles of information gathering in my case. It is because of the reason that I take considerable time in getting information about products to want to purchase.
References
Awan, S., Qadir, I., & Zaman, Y. (2016). The Role of Emotional and Environmental Stimuli in Consumers Buying Behavior: A Comparative Study of International and Local Soft Drink Brands. University of Haripur Journal of Management (UOHJM) , 1 (1), 67-76.
Desai, P., & Mistry, S. H. (2017). A Study Of Influence Of Demographic Factors On Consumer Impulse Buying Behaviour. Sankalpa: Journal of Management & Research, 7 (1), 35-42.
Fu, X., & Juan, Z. (2017). Understanding public transit use behavior: integration of the theory of planned behavior and the customer satisfaction theory. Transportation, 44 (5), 1021-1042.
Ghasrodashti, E. K. (2018). Explaining brand switching behavior using pull–push–mooring theory and the theory of reasoned action. Journal of Brand Management, 25 (4), 293-304.
Hsu, C.-W., Yin, C.-P., & Huang, L.-T. (2017). Understanding Exchangers’ Attitudes and Intentions to Engage in Internet Bartering Based on Social Exchange Theory (SET) and the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). International Journal of Business and Information, 12 (2), 149-182.
Jack Rotfeld, H. (2014). The pragmatic importance of theory for marketing practice. The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 31 (4), 322-327.
Nurwanah, A., Sutrisno, T., Rosidi, R., & Roekhudin, R. (2018). Determinants of tax compliance: theory of planned behavior and stakeholder theory perspective. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 16 (4), 395-407.
Ruswanti, E. (2016). The Impact Of The Impulse Buying Dimension And Cherry Picking: An Empirical Study. Journal of Indonesian Economy and Business, 31 (1), 83-101.
Sletvold, J. (2016). Freud’s three theories of neurosis: Towards a contemporary theory of trauma and defense. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 26 (4), 460-475.
Strombach, T., Strang, S., Park, S. Q., & Kenning, P. (2016). Common and distinctive approaches to motivation in different disciplines. Progress in brain research, 229, 3-23
