Buyer Behaviour
What is buying behaviour? This is the question that needs to be answered if a marketing professional is hoping to understand the behaviour of their market. Buyer behaviour is the decision processes and acts of people involved in buying and using products. Marketing professionals need to understand why customers make the decisions they make, What factors influence consumer purchase? And the changing factors in our society.
Every consumer can be categorized into one of four groups of consumer buying behaviour.
Routine Response/Programmed Behavior- are purchases of products and services frequently used often these are low cost items. They need very little search and decision effort; purchased almost automatically. Examples include soft drinks, snack foods, milk etc.
Limited Decision-Making- is buying product occasionally. Requires a moderate amount of time for information gathering. Examples include Clothes--know product class but not the brand.
Extensive Decision Making/Complex high involvement-is the purchase of products, which the consumers are unfamiliar with these products or services are often expensive and are infrequently bought products. A High degree of risk is associated with many of these products. Examples include cars, homes, computers, and education. A lot of time is spent seeking information and deciding upon the purchase of the product.
Impulse buying- is where consumers purchase products or services unplanned, they are buying because it is either attractively presented or conveniently located products.
The purchase of the same product does not always elicit the same Buying Behavior. Product can shift from one category to the next. For example: Going out for a night on the town for one person may be extensive decision making (for someone that does not go out often at all), but limited decision making for someone else. The reason for going out, whether it is a birthday party, or a meal with a couple of friends will also determine the extent of the decision making.
From time to time consumers will feel an urge to purchase a product whether it is expensive or cheap they will follow a series of steps known as the consumer buying process. There are 6 stages in the consumer buying process however many of the stages can be skipped, this is determined by the complexity of the purchase decision.
The stages are:
1. Problem recognition- the consumer recognizes a need and tries to resolve that need.
2. Information search- the consumer searches information about the product and alternatives.
3. Evaluation of alternatives- consumer compares one product to another to determine the one best suited to fulfill their problem.
4. Purchase decision- Choose buying alternative.
5. Purchase- consumer buys product and uses it.
6. Post purchase evaluation- consumer is either satisfied or unsatisfied with the purchase decision.
The marketing professional would need to understand the 6 stages of the buying process in order to understand the buying behaviour of their target market.
Consumers decisions about things are constantly changed by the environment that they are in as well as the news they hear or what their personal perspective on a purchase.
A consumer, making a purchase decision [next page]