Running Head: CONSUMER DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
Consumer Decision-Making Process
Introduction
The internet presents far reaching importance and advantage to consumers for them to become more efficient in looking for goods, analyze, buy and put to use the products. The internet is used to offer fast contact to product related material hence offering a save of time, money and energy (Charles W. Lamb 2011). Their effectiveness is added by the ability to issue information in a manner that adds onto acquiring knowledge; data, video and audio.
The popularity of the internet has definitely been noticed by marketers. It is hence being applied in their marketing strategies. With the relatively increasing internet usage it is consequently becoming a marketing tool for varied products. It is therefore the belief that internet marketing is relevant for an organization or otherwise a marketer to acquire success. In the 21st century, the internet has become new tool in marketing that is veered towards acquiring, maintaining or handling competitive advantage. There are varied stages that the consumers use while making decisions. The internet has impacted this in varied ways as will be seen.
Need Recognition
The first stage in the consumer decision making process is the need recognition. This happens when the consumers are experiencing instability between the real and wants which is presented and triggers the consumer decision making process. The need recognition is initiated when the client is left open to internal stimuli which are what one feels like being hungry. The other stimuli are the external stimuli are as a result of external matters like the need for a house and clothes. The marketer over internet makes effort to let the consumer notice the instability between their current state and their desired state. This may be done through promotion and advertising. Looking into the buyer’s desires offers the marketers with the necessary information concerning consumer needs and wants that would be made. This internet may create wants for the client over the internet offering the client, like the youth their need for style. The internet offers them with the convenience that they so much desire as it is faster and easier. The internet marketer may also bring forth new products and services to acquire the needs of the clients through focusing on the market trends. The IKEA noticed that the youth desire furniture that is stylish and convenient. The internet shopping sites like Amazon.com is known for it being a relevant source of valuable information concerning products. Amazon.com presents the consumers with products reviews given by consumers. People desire free sources like Amazon when looking for product information.
Search for Information
The second stage is the search for information. After getting to know the need and want, consumers look for information on the varied choices presented to them present to fulfill their needs. For instance a new product one has not used will force the client to go online and search information about it. The information may be internal or external; the internal involves remembering from memory of the information about the product. This is more reliant on previous experience. While on the other hand, external information search is reliant on looking for information from the external surrounding. This is composed of marketing regulator and non- marketing regulator. In non-marketing it is based on personal experience. Whenever the client has had the need, he or she will look into the past experiences for the most preferable. An instance is the desire to watch a movie, the client may want remember the past events he or she has had in movie watching or ask friends for better places. While marketing control is based on the promotion method put in place by the marketer. Most of the consumers are however wary of the information they acquire from the internet as they believe that the marketers do not emphasis on the negative aspect of the products while laying more emphasis on the positive attributes of the products. It is not placed in the form of supervisory aspect. The internal structure of the organization is faced with hindrances in the form of racial, cultural changes and others. Auto Trader.com has offered and proven to be a rich source of information. It has made it possible for consumers to exchange ideas and information. The information that is acquired has been put in place by the organization to acquire better results and has been the basis onto which the future is built on.
Alternative Evaluation
The third stage is alternative valuation. After the consumer has acquired information and created set of alternative products, he or she is able to make a decision. The consumer will put to work the information kept in the memory and acquired from external bases to advance a certain format. It is reported that certain aspects of our daily lives are impacted have the possibility of affecting decision formats and buying. The surrounding, internal information and external information assist clients analyze and compare alternatives. This is best done by selecting a product feature and then separating all of the products that do not have the feature. The inclusion of a new product in the set products transforms the evaluation completely. This is just a piecemeal approach, the other method is created by focusing on alternative benefits and disadvantages along with significant product features. A contrasting way through which consumers are able to analyze a product is by categorizing procedure. The analysis of an alternative is reliant on a certain category through which it is allocated. The categories may be general in terms of response, inadequate in terms of making decision as well as extensive. The products and services offered in this section are explained in certain factors; the level of consumer participation, extent of time applied when making a decision, the costs of products and services, level of information search and quantity being considered.
In the website www.moneysupermarket.com, the consumer is presented with varied options of products at affordable cost. The consumer is hence able to make an informed decision before making purchases for any of the products being offered. Taking for instance the home insurance, the consumer is able to make comparisons and also acquire relevant advice concerning the best home insurance to make as well as guides and tips. The consumer will therefore be able to make an informed decision before making the purchases.
Purchase Decision
In the purchase decision this is where the consumer is to make the decision on making purchase for the product. This is done after a good evaluation has been made. The product or service chosen is based on the one with the highest valuation, though changes may be made when it comes to actually buying the product. This may be affected by the out of stock, the availability of incentives when purchasing, absence of finances. The marketers, whose product appeals to the client, have to work extra hard to avoid the consumers from leaving their products, for instance the internet marketers work extra hard to hinder the consumers from leaving their online buying. Internet has several features that have a deep influence in the consumers purchasing habit; the ability offered over the internet that enables one to repurchase products offered convenience, confirmation, satisfaction, client loyalty and incentives. The internet also offers a sense of security which is quite vital for the consumers like the term of payment, receipt of place and time of the products as well as privacy policies. The consumers desire the aspect of maintaining the privacy of sensitive information as well as anonymity. The information issued by consumers is also controlled to prevent sensitive or demeaning items are not posted over the internet as well as the desire for confidentiality of information that is sensitive over the internet. Amazon was recently rated as the leading in being influential to customers using the social media networks. This involves the number of consumers in the network like the Facebook fans and twitter followers. There is also how intense the marketers impact on the consumers using the networks, this is based on answers back. Finally there is network which estimates as to how influential the clients are in the social network. The marketer, in this case Amazon, answers questions posted by their consumers so as to offer good marketing promotion. In the PayPal site, digital cash is a mode of buying cash credits in limited sizes, keeping the credits and spending them when creating purchases in the internet. This mode of payment is made in small amounts. This mode of payment is kept electronically in complex cards that are easily detectable. Credit card is a plastic item that is tasked with making purchases to a specified level. Cash is the physical currency use to transact purchases. Checking accounts are useful in checking credit card balance before buying anything.
Post Purchase Evaluation
While in post-purchase evaluation, the consumer has already encountered an analysis decision. If the decision does work below the client’s expectation he or she will be forced to re-analyze satisfaction with the decision, which may cause the consumer to return the product. This may happen in instances where the products are expensive or quite significant buying. So as to relieve the issues clients are faced with in evaluating purchases, the marketers are supposed to be receptive and allow client contact. Marketers do a lot to help consumers to avoid dissonance in the event they are not sure of what to buy. This may involve issuing consumers more information concerning their products as well as the reason as to why they are much better to other competing brands and the manner through which they will not be disappointed. In the www.tesco.com Tesco offers consumers help so as to avoid dissonance by offering comparison with other products as well as offering help to the clients. This is vital in doing away with dissonance while purchasing products.
Conclusion
The internet has presently made consumer’s decision to be quite simpler an efficient. The stages applied while making purchases have been put into great use by the marketers leading to great profits. Consumers have come to trust this companies and made important purchases through the internet. As the internet through technology grows it is now foreseen that of purchases would be made much easier, faster and of benefit to both parties.
Bibliography
Charles W. Lamb, J. F., Feb 18, 2011, MKTG 5, Mason USA: Cengage Learning.
