CONSUMERS BUYING DECISION MAKING PROCESS AND ITS INFLUENCING FACTORS

Consumers buying decision making process and its influencing factors

Consumers buying decision making process and its influencing factors

Consumer Decision-Making Process

The consumer decision making process will be summarized in this paper. The process will show elements that make up decision making process for consumer. The paper will also discuss how marketers can use process to drive buyer's actions and describe impact of consumer satisfaction on marketing. (Baumgartner and Steenkamp 1994:993)

Consumer Decision-Making Process

Consumer decision making is integration process by which knowledge is combined to evaluate two or more alternative behaviors and select on, (Peter & Olsen, 2005, p.165). With act of consumer making purchase lays decision process that must be investigated. The consumers purchasing decision process is stages that buyer passes through those choices about what product or service to buy. The five stages of consumer behavior from Generic Model of Problem Solving are:

1. Problem recognition- perceiving need.

2. Search for alternative solution- seeking value.

3. Evaluation of alternatives- assessing value.

4. Purchase- buying value.

5. Post purchase use and reevaluation of chosen alternatives- value in consumption or use. (Bentler 1990:246)

Problem recognition is result of discrepancy between desired state and an actual state that is sufficient to arouse and activate decision process, (Hawkins, Best, & Coney, 2004:504). This can be seen simply by noticing an empty egg cartoon or can be activated by marketing efforts. The second stage is searching for alternative solutions going to alternatives are evaluated and most desirable action is chosen, (Peter, et al., 2005:168).

The third stage is evaluation of alternative is where search will clarify problem for consumer by giving idea on how to use for purchase. The fourth stage is purchase choice intention is carried out, (Peter, et al., 2005:168). In final stage purchase is used and consumer may reevaluate wisdom of decision, (Peter, et al., 2005:168). Consume may decide to skip or change one or more of stages in purchase process to make their decision.

The Generic Model will often provide an imperfect account of actual problem solving process in decision making as problem. Actual consumer problem solving will proceed in linear order to give exact problem solving process to involve several, continuous interactions among consumers in process of cognitive, consumer behavior, and physical or social environment. Some of process would involve several problems and several decisions.

The three basic elements of problem solving are problem representation, integration process, and decision plan. Problem representation may include

(1) An end goal,

(2) The set of sub goals organized into goal hierarchy,

(3) Relevant product knowledge, and

(4) The set of simple rules or heuristics by which consumers search for, evaluate, and integrate this knowledge to make choice, (Peter, et al., 2005:170). Choice alternatives are alternative behaviors that consumers consider in problem-solving process, (Peter, et al., 2005:170). This allows to have choice for decision criteria to be able to discriminate consequences can be used and have relevant choice for decision to depend on set of choices for decision to depend on set of choice alternatives to be ...