Buyer Behavior

Buyer Behavior

Describe which of the three alternative decision-making sequences is being used in each of the following situations. Explain your choice.

The 25-year old, healthy worker who sees the same physician for minor medical needs would be using the routine decision-making situation (Berkowitz, 2006). The routine decision-making situation is one in which the consumer chooses the same provider, service, or product on a consistent basis to fulfill a particular need they have (Berkowitz, 2006). These particular groups of people are loyal to the product or service they chose and will continue with this repetitive purchasing with little change in routine (Berkowitz, 2006).

By continuing to see the same physician on a regular routine basis shows that the 25 year old is a loyal patient and sees very little need to go elsewhere. He is happy with his decision and sees no reason to have anyone else provide this service for him. Unless his situation changes, and it will most likely be something he will have little control over, such as a sickness where he would need to see a specialist or having a specific medical need to be seen somewhere else, he will continue to do exactly what he has routinely done (Berkowitz, 2006).

The retired individual who calls the state medical society and seeks a second opinion prior to open-heart surgery is using the complex decision making situation (Berkowitz, 2006). The complex decision making situation involves high involvement and extensive search usage on a consumer’s behalf (Berkowitz, 2006). Being a open-heart surgery candidate is the high involvement portion of complex decision making (Berkowitz, 2006).

Seeking a second, third, or fourth opinion in some cases, after being told they need this particular surgery falls under the extensive search usage (Berkowitz, 2006). I feel many people who find themselves in stressful situations such as these will go to great lengths to find every source of helpful information they can in...