CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND BUYING DECISION PROCESS

Consumer Behaviour is a branch which deals with the various stages a consumer goes through before purchasing products or services. It is the study of how individuals, groups and organizations select, buy, use and dispose of goods, services, ideas or experiences to satisfy their needs and wants. Consumer buying behaviour is influenced by a host of factors:

v  Cultural Factors

§  Subculture

§  Social Classes

v  Social Factors

§  Reference groups

§  Family

v  Personal Factors

§  Age and stage in life cycle

§  Occupation and economic circumstances

§  Personality and self concept

§  Lifestyle and values

Based on such factors that have been listed above and my mental conditioning if I was a consumer was to buy Frooti the following thoughts would cross my mind before I made my purchase decision.

                         

    BUYING DECISION PROCESS

There are 5 stages in a consumer buying decision process.

1. Problem Recognition (awareness of need)
2. Information Search
3. Evaluation of Alternatives
 4. Purchase Decision
 5. Post-Purchase Evaluation

Let us analyse the buying behaviour with reference to Frooti

Problem Recognition: In this stage, a consumer realizes or recognizes that their desired state is different from their actual condition. This could be a simple as “I’m hungry, I need food.”
In my example lets assume we come across a consumer who is thirsty and wants drink that would refresh him.

Information Search: In this stage, a consumer rcognizes their need (or want) and sets forth to find a solution. If it is clothing they need to solve their problem, the look for clothing, if it is food, they look for food.
Carrying on the example set above the consumer would look for products that would help satisfy his problem. He shall come across an array of soft drinks, natural juices, mineral water and non aerated flavoured drinks like Frooti and Maaza. He sets his mind on non aerated flavoured drinks.

Evaluation of Alternatives: In this stage, a consumer has a good idea of what they want, now they are looking at the options that exists. They are evaluating the features of products and brands.
Carrying on with the example now the consumer knows what he wants. He will choose among Frooti, Maaza, Slice and Jumpin as these are the products that would satisfy his problem and they belong to the exact product family that he is looking for.

Purchase Decision: In this stage, a consumer is processing the information from the information search and deciding on the products, store, payment options. More importantly, they are making the decision to move forward with the purchase or not.
Taking the example forward the consumer in this stage would pick a product among the ones mentioned above. His decision would be made after considering a host of factors like affordability, goodwill, taste, quality etc.

Post-Purchase Evaluation: In this stage, the consumer determines if they are satisfied or dissatisfied with the purchasing outcome. Here is where cognitive dissonance occurs, “Did I make the right decision.”
According to the example the consumer has purchased Frooti. He will evaluate the purchase based on the difference between expected outcome and actual outcome. If Frooti managed to really satisfy what he actually wanted then the consumer might turn into a loyalist and stick with the brand for a sustained period of time.

The Buying Decision Model: