CHAPTER-1

INTRODUCTION

Consumer Buying Behavior

Definition of Buying Behavior:

Buying Behavior is the decision processes and acts of people involved in buying and using
products.

Need to understand:

 Why consumer makes the purchase that the make?

 What factors influence consumer purchases?
 The changing factor in our society

Consumer Buying Behavior refers to the buying behavior of the ultimate consumer. A firm needs
to analyze buying behavior for:

 Buyer’s reactions to a firms marketing strategy has a great impact on the firms success.
 The marketing concept stresses that a firm should create a Marketing Mix (MM) that satisfies
(gives utility to) customers, therefore need to analyze the what, where, when and how consumers
buy.
 Marketers can better predict how consumers will respond to marketing strategies.

What influences consumers to purchase products or services? The consumer buying process is a
complex matter as many internal and external factors have an impact on the buying decisions of
the consumer.
When purchasing a product there several processes, which consumers go through. These will be
discussed below.

Problem Recognition

Information Search

Evaluation and Selection of Alternatives

Decision Implementation

Post-purchase Evaluation

1. Problem/Need Recognition

How do you decide you want to buy a particular product or service? It could be that your DVD
player stops working and you now have to look for a new one, all those DVD films you
purchased you can no longer play! So you have a problem or a new need. For high value items
like a DVD player or a car or other low frequency purchased products this is the process we
would take. However, for impulse low frequency purchases e.g. confectionery the process is
different.

2. Information search

So we have a problem, our DVD player no longer works and we need to buy a new one. What’s
the solution? Yes go out and purchase a new one, but which brand? Shall we buy the same brand
as the one that blew up? Or stay clear of that? Consumer often goes on some form of information
search to help them through their purchase decision. Sources of information could be family,
friends, neighbours who may have the product you have in mind, alternatively you may ask the
sales people, or dealers, or read specialist magazines like What DVD? to help