Buying Stages

The consumer buying process is a complex matter as many internal and external factors have an impact on the buying decisions of consumers. Consumers do not spend much time thinking about the purchase of low value products which are bought on impulse. Manufacturers of such products will need to implement strategies that encourage consumers to buy on impulse from them instead of their competitors. When consumers purchase high value products or non impulse products, they often go through a set process.

The Consumer Purchase Process has different stages that include: problem or need recognition,  information search, evaluation of different purchase options, purchase decision and finally post purchase behavior.

Problem or need recognition consists of deciding which particular product or service to purchase. You can have a broken dryer and “need” a new one, or you could pay for the service to get it fixed. You could also just want a new dryer because of the newer technology that may be involved.

Consumers often go on an information search to help them choose their product. Sources of information include family, friends, retail staff and in this digital age, the internet. The internet contains information about products (specifications), product reviews and online product forums. Information search may involve a visit to a retail store to view products that the consumer is interested in purchasing. Consumers also acquire and store information for future purchases.

Evaluation of different purchase options is when consumers create a point system in their minds where products are scored based on how many of their features appeal to them. So for one customer, brand may be more important than price and for another customer product appearance may be important. When a large number of options are available, an evaluation system is particularly important. Marketing strategies will try and influence this stage of the process by highlighting product features that they think will...