Consumer Behaviour

Consumer Behaviour

Refer to Belch and Belch, chapter 4.

(Important: If you select a low involvement product, you should note that the consumer decision making process is unlikely to follow the five step process presented on page 107 of the text - rather an alternative process based on a learn, do, feel sequence is more likely (refer to pages 150-2 of the text and the discussion on pages 121-2). So when addressing bullet point 4 for the assignment your discussion must address this low involvement decision making process).

Belch and Belch (2007, p. 105) define consumer behaviour as 'the process and activities people engage in when searching for, selecting, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services so as to satisfy their needs and desires'.

Basic model of consumer decision making

Stage	Brief description	Relevant internal psychological process
Problem recognition	consumer perceives a need and becomes motivated to solve a problem	motivation
Information search	consumer searches for information required to make a purchase decision	perception
Alternative evaluation	consumer compares various brands and products	attitude formation
Purchase decision	consumer decides which brand to purchase	integration
Post purchase evaluation	consumer evaluates their purchase decision	learning

Problem recognition

Refer to pages 107-112 in the text. Problem recognition results when their is a difference between one's desired state and one's actual state. Consumers are motivated to address this discrepancy and therefore they commence the buying process. Sources of problem recognition include:

out of stock
dissatisfaction
needs/wants
related products/purchases
marketer induced
new products

The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with problem recognition is motivation. A motive is a factor that compels action. Belch and Belch (2007) provide an explanation of motivation based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs (refer to figure 4-2, p. 109) and Freud's psychoanalytic theory. You should be able to discuss how promotional planners can use a knowledge of motivational research to develop more effective promotional strategies, and specifically, stimulate need recognition.

Information Search

Refer to pages 112-4 in the text. Once the consumer has recognised a problem, they search for information on products and services that can solve that problem. Belch and Belch (2007) explain that consumers undertake both an internal (memory) and an external search. Sources of information include:

Personal sources
Commercial sources
Public sources
Personal experience

The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with information search is perception. Perception is defined as 'the process by which an individual receives, selects, organises, and interprets information to create a meaningful picture of the world' (Belch & Belch 2007, p. 112). The selective perception process is illustrated in figure 4-4 in the text and involves four stages.

The selective perception process

Stage	Description
Selective exposure	consumers select which promotional messages they will expose themselves to.
Selective attention	consumers select which promotional messages they will pay attention to
Selective comprehension	consumer interpret messages in line with their beliefs, attitudes, motives and experiences
Selective retention	consumers remember messages that are more meaningful or important to them

You should consider the implications of this process on the development of an effective promotional strategy. First, which sources of information are more effective for the brand and second, what type of message and media strategy will increase the likelihood that consumers are exposed to our message, that they will pay attention to the message, that they will understand the message, and remember our message.

Alternative evaluation

Refer to pages 114-9 in the text. At this stage the consumer compares the brands and products that are in their evoked set. How can the marketing organisation increase the likelihood that their brand is part of the consumer's evoked (consideration) set? Consumers evaluate alternatives in terms of the functional and psychological benefits that they offer. The marketing organisation needs to understand what benefits consumers are seeking and therefore which attributes are most important in terms of making a decision.

The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with the alternative evaluation stage is attitude formation. Belch and Belch (2007, p.117) note that attitudes are 'learned predispositions' towards an object. Attitudes comprise both cognitive and affective elements - that is both what you think and how you feel about something. The multi-attribute attitude model explains how consumers evaluate alternatives on a range of attributes. Belch and Belch (2007) identify a number of strategies that can be used to influence the process (attitude change strategies). Finally, there are a range of ways that consumers apply criteria to make decisions. Belch and Belch (2007) explain how information is integrated and how decision rules are made including the use of heuristics. The marketing organisation should know how consumers evaluate alternatives on salient or important attributes and make their buying decision.

Purchase decision

Refer to pages 119-20 in the text. Once the alternatives have been evaluated, the consumer is ready to make a purchase decision. Sometimes purchase intention does not result in an actual purchase. The marketing organisation must facilitate the consumer to act on their purchase intention. The provision of credit or payment terms may encourage purchase, or a sales promotion such as the opportunity to receive a premium or enter a competition may provide an incentive to buy now. The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with purchase decision is integration.

Post purchase evaluation

Refer to pages 120-6 in the text. Once the consumer has purchased and used the product, they will evaluate their purchasing decision. They compare the product's performance with their expectations. If the product does not perform as expected they will experience post purchase dissatisfaction. When consumers purchase high involvement products, that is more expensive products for which they exert a greater purchasing effort in terms of time and search, they usually experience some level of discomfort after the purchase. That is, they experience some doubt that they made the right choice. This situation is called 'cognitive dissonance' (thinking disharmony). You should consider the implications of post purchase behaviour for the marketing organisation. How can the marketing organisation minimise the likelihood of post purchase dissatisfaction and/or cognitive dissonance?

The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with post purchase evaluation is learning. Belch and Belch (2007) discuss two basic approaches to learning theory behavioural and cognitive learning theory. Behavioural learning theory proposes that stimuli from the environment influence behaviour. Two behavioural theories are explained in the text on pages 123-5, namely, classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Cognitive learning theory proposes that learning results from complex mental processes and is discussed on page 126 in the text. You should consider the implications of learning theory on the development of promotional messages. For example, consider issues such as the use of stimuli, association of ideas, reinforcements, and shaping.

Return to top

Return to home

Effective communication is critical to the success of the marketing effort

The information on this website is based on Belch, GE & Belch MA 2007, Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communication Perspective, 7th edn, McGraw Hill/Irwin, New York.

Contact: webmaster Last updated: Tuesday December 19, 2006