ch 6

Steps in the consumer decision making process

1. need recognition 2. information search 3. evaluation of alternatives 4. purchase 5. postpurchase behavior

need recognition

The first stage of the buyer decision process, in which the consumer recognizes a problem or need

How do marketers encourage desirable outcomes?

marketers can take several steps to ensure post-purchase satisfaction such as demonstrating correct product use, building realistic expectations, providing a money back guarantee, encouraging feedback, and periodically making contact with customers

reference groups

people to whom an individual looks as a basis for self-appraisal or as a source of personal standards

Psychological Needs

pertain to the personal gratification consumers associate with a product or service

Consumer Behavior

processes a consumer uses to make purchase decisions, as well as to use and dispose of purchased goods or services; also includes factors that influence purchase decisions and product use

Culture

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

post purchase evaluation

the final stage of consumer decision making when we experience the product or service we selected

functional needs

the need for a specific core task or function to be performed

information search

the stage of the buyer decision process in which the consumer is motivated to search for more information

Evaluation of Alternatives

analyze product attributes, use cutoff criteria, rank attributes by importance

situational factors

factors affecting the consumer decision process; those that are specific to the situation that may override, or at least influence, psychological and social issues

social factors

family, reference groups, culture

purchase decision process

the stages a buyer passes through in making choices about which products or services to buy