Length of Decision cycle:

During in depth interview it was found that the length of the decision cycle varied across the
respondents. The length of the decision cycle varied from 1 week to as long as 4 months. There
was a correlation seen between the length of the decision cycle and the purpose of buying a
laptop. Respondents who were price and features specific had a long decision cycle, as long as 4
months as they did not mind to wait for the specific model to be made available to them. On an
average the length of the decision cycle among the respondents was 1 month. This is because
of the wide range of brands being available in the market and not much of differentiation is
available, thus it becomes difficult for the buyers to make a choice. However the factors
determining the final choice:

 Brand name
 Price
 Channel/medium of sale
 After sales service
 Trend in the market
 Accessories
 Looks (weight material)
 Features(configuration)
 Reviews
 Availability
 Compatibility
 Resale value

It is seen that of these factors which determine the final choice of the product, the following
factors play a very important role in modification of decisions over the period of time.
Price: In the competitive market, price is one of the key factors that influence the buying
behavior. If any of the competitors is offering the similar product at a competitive price the user
would be most likely to change the buying decision.

After sales service: As per respondents the after sales service is second most important factor
that influences the buying decision of a laptop. Laptop being a high involvement product,
customers look in for a long term relationship with the company. In the competitive market if
the competitor is offering a better after sales service which includes guarantee and a warranty,
it is expected that the customer’s decision would be modified

Trends in the market: Information technology is one of the most dynamic industry, with ever
changing dynamics it is really important for the companies to be in pace with the changing
market trends. Failing to keep up the pace customers might switch over to other brands. Thus
this factor plays a very important role in the modification of the decision.

Configuration and looks: Utility is another aspect that modifies the decision of the customer.
The companies needs to ensure that it is offering a wide range of products with all possible
configurations keeping in mind the looks which included the weight and material used in
manufacturing. If customers do not get the expected configuration, more likely the chances are
of modifications in the buying decisions.

Medium of communication having the impact.

Looking at the traditional ways of selling a laptop most of the companies used Print ads, TV ads.
Since looks are the most important factor in buying a laptop, the non-visual mode of
communication is avoided by the companies. However the changing market scenario and
increased competition these companies have been forced to go one step ahead and provide
customers with a demo of the laptops, where customers can get a feel of the laptops they want
to buy, this includes displaying of laptops in the showroom and providing them with the demo
and users can actually use the laptop and get the feel.
From the interviews it was found that the demos played a very important role in influencing the
buying decision. Laptops being a high involvement product it was very important for them to
actually use it and see if the user’s expectations and needs are being fulfilled.

After this the most influencing behavior was the print ads where minute details of the
configuration are being displayed and users can decide if it is meeting their expectations. This
was more prominent amongst the users who preferred configuration, price more than looks.
There seemed to be a strong correlation between these users and the ones who were
influenced by the Internet ads. As they tend to be more tech savvy, still ads made a huge
influence.

However for the users who looks and brand name was the most important factor, TV ads
played a very important role. Live animation and looks made these customers more attracted
towards the product. Moreover brand name too made a huge influence by TV ads. These were
the users for whom price was not a constraint.

All these above mentioned modes of communication (TV, print and internet) thus influenced
the customers to go a step further and almost everyone of the respondents were highly
influenced by the kind of demos offered to them by the companies. Thus we can conclude that
the most influencing mode of communication was related to the factors that determine the
final choice and above all it was the live demos that were most influencing medium.

Majority of the respondents said that they will switch brands if given a live demo as it helps in
building confidence amongst the users and thus being a high involvement product, it has a
positive influence over the customers.

Another most important factor is the exclusivity. Companies these days are facing the major
challenge of retaining the customers. This is because there has been a lot of brand switching
seen amongst the customers these days. This is because of increased competition and less
differentiation among products. Thus companies have realized the importance of being
exclusive. Hence many of the companies have come up with their exclusive showrooms.
Companies like Dell, HP, Sony have opened their exclusive showrooms to retain these
customers. They have also started giving out live demos and first hand using experience to the
customers in their showrooms. It is really interesting to see the responses and the companies
medium of communication to tap the various kind of customers.