consumer buying process

(noun)

There are 5 stages of a consumer buying process. They are: The problem recognition stage, the search for information, the possibility of alternative options, the choice to purchase the product, and then finally the actual purchase of the product. This shows the complete process that a consumer will most likely, whether recognizably or not, go through when they go to buy a product.

Related Terms

Examples of consumer buying process in the following topics:

  • Perception

    • Perception in marketing is described as a process by which a consumer identifies, organizes, and interprets information to create meaning.
    • Perception is a psychological variable involved in the purchase decision process that is known to influence consumer behavior.
    • Other variables included in this consumer process include: motivation, learning, attitude, personality, and lifestyle.
    • All of these concepts are crucial in interpreting the consumer buying process and can also help guide marketing efforts.
    • Describe the characteristics of perception as a part of the consumer buying decision process

  • Consumer Influence

    • Marketers must understand what influences consumer behavior, such as the consumer buyer process, top influencers, and effective advertising.
    • A recent study found that 10% of consumers are influencing the buying decisions of a large chunk of other consumers, making them top influencers.
    • There are 5 stages of a consumer buying process.
    • It shows the complete process that a consumer will most likely, consciously or unconsciously, go through when they go to buy a product.
    • The Hierarchy of Effects Model - Effective advertising will aim to influence consumer behavior at each and every stage of the consumer buying process.

  • Types of Buying Decisions

    • Consumer behavior and business behavior can differ because their buying processes are different.
    • Consumers will often buy on emotion or impulse whereas businesses will buy based on need.
    • Because consumers often buy on emotion, ads can affect the buying decision.
    • Consumer products are often advertised on television in a way that tries to create an emotional tie with the buyer.
    • For consumers, large ticket items, or such as an appliance, a car, or a home, aren't impulse items.

  • Evaluating Alternatives

    • Evaluation of alternatives is the third stage in the Consumer Buying Decision process.
    • The brands and products that consumers compare - their evoked set - represent the alternatives being considered by consumers during the problem-solving process.
    • Conversely, high involvement buying involves products with many differences.
    • Ultimately, consumers must be able to effectively assess the value of all the products or brands in their evoked set before they can move on to the next step of the decision process.
    • Examine the "evaluation of alternatives" stage of the Consumer Decision Process

  • Purchase

    • During the purchase decision stage, the consumer may form an intention to buy the most preferred brand or product.
    • The purchase decision is the fourth stage in the consumer decision process and when the purchase actually takes place.
    • During this time, the consumer may form an intention to buy the most preferred brand because he has evaluated all the alternatives and identified the value that it will bring him.
    • From whom they should buy, which is influenced by price point, terms of sale, and previous experience with or awareness of the seller and the return policy.
    • This is also a time during the which the consumer might decide against making the purchase decision.

  • Buying Situations

    • For consumer brands, the buyer is an individual.
    • Brand loyalty is therefore much higher than in the consumer goods market.
    • While consumer goods usually cost little in comparison to B2B goods, the selling process of B2B goods involves high costs and a longer cycle.
    • Buyers go though three stages of the buying process, which include:
    • Like B2C businesses there are similar buying types in B2B sales activities that include new buys, straight re-buys and modified re-buys.

  • Stages of Business Buying

    • The purchasing process is different in both cases and the following is a list of the stages involved in B2B buying:
    • This 5 step process is mainly used with new-task purchases and several stages are used for modified rebuy and straight rebuy.
    • In order to entice and persuade a consumer to buy a product, marketers try to determine the behavioral process of how a given product is purchased.
    • The worst that could happen is that the consumer does not like the taste and discards the drink immediately.
    • Buying B2B products is much riskier.

  • Customer Wants and Needs

    • There is a five step process that consumers can go through in making a purchase decision.
    • The next step is information search and processing.
    • The promotional component of the marketer's offering is aimed at providing information to assist the consumer in their problem-solving process.
    • During the purchase phase of the decision-making process, the consumer may form an intention to buy the most preferred brand because he has evaluated all the alternatives and identified the value that it will bring him.
    • Product sampling, coupons, and rebates may also provide an extra incentive to buy.

  • Marketing Changes Due to Involvement

    • Consumer involvement tends to vary dramatically depending on the type of product and its relationship to the consumer.
    • Marketing strategy should take into account the level of involvement that a consumer has with a specific product, as this also dictates the type of information that the consumer needs to process in order to make a purchase decision.
    • These require minimal information processing.
    • These are usually considered highly important to consumers and require extensive information processing.
    • The four main types of buying behavior in consumer marketing depend on the level of consumer involvement:

  • Lifestyle

    • In consumer marketing, lifestyle is considered a psychological variable known to influence the buyer decision process for consumers.
    • However, in consumer marketing, lifestyle is considered a psychological variable known to influence the buyer decision process of consumers.
    • Lifestyle is also referred to as a buyer characteristic in the Black Box Model, which shows the interaction of stimuli, consumer characteristics, decision process, and consumer responses.
    • The Black Box Model is related to the Black Box Theory of Behaviorism, where the focus is set not on the processes inside a consumer, but the relation between the stimuli and the response of the consumer.
    • However, in reality, many decisions are not made in awareness of a determined problem by the consumer.