The consumer purchase process

The purchase process is initiated when a consumer becomes aware of a need. This awareness may come from
an internal source such as hunger or an external source such as marketing communications. Awareness of such a
need motivates the consumer to search for information about options with which to fulfill the need. This
information can come from personal sources, commercial sources, public or government sources, or the
consumer’s own experience. Once alternatives have been identified through these sources, consumers evaluate
the options, paying particular attention to those attributes the consumer considers most important. Evaluation
culminates with a purchase decision, but the buying process does not end here. Marketers point out that a
purchase represents the beginning, not the end, of a consumer's relationship with a company. After a purchase
has been made, a satisfied consumer is more likely to purchase another company product and to say positive
things about the company or its product to other potential purchasers. The opposite is true for dissatisfied
consumers. Because of this fact, many companies continue to communicate with their customers after purchase
to influence post-purchase satisfaction and behavior.
For example, a Lady may be motivated to consider purchasing a new dress for a party that should be classic. To
gather information about what kind of collection want to purchase, this lady may examine the dress of different
brands who just have a new collection, read and see the collection on social media in trading pages, and visit
different websites to examine the collection available. The Lady then processes all the information collected,
focusing perhaps on stuff, design as one of the most important attributes. In making a particular purchase, the
lady initiates a relationship with a particular clothing brand. This brand may try to enhance post-purchase
loyalty and satisfaction by sending the lady promotions about the new collection.

Psychological Factors:
Definition: The Psychological Factors are the factors that talk about the psychology of an individual that drive
his actions to seek satisfaction. Some of the important Psychological Factors are:

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Motivation is the inward drive we have to get what we need. The level of motivation influences the purchasing
process of the consumers. It is very well explained by Maslow through his need hierarchy theory comprising of
basic needs, security needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. Usually, the basic needs
and the security needs are more pressing needs than the others, and hence, these needs become a motive that
directs the consumer behavior to seek satisfaction.

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Perception is how you interpret the world around you and make sense of it in your brain. You do so via stimuli
that affect your different senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. How you combine these senses also
makes a difference. For example, in one study, consumers were blindfolded and asked to take a new brand of
collection. Most of them said the product touches like a regular dress. However, when the blindfolds came off
and they touched the dress, many of them described it as "cotton" touching.
Learning: The individual's learning depends on skills, knowledge, and intention. The skills are developed
through practice while the knowledge and intention are acquired with the experience. There could be
conditional learning or cognitive learning.
In conditional learning, the consumer derives learning from being conditioned to particular stimuli, i.e., when he
is exposed to a similar situation, again and again, he develops a particular response towards it. While in
cognitive learning the individual applies all his knowledge, skill, attitudes, values, and beliefs to find the
solution of a problem and derive satisfaction out of it.
Attitudes are "mental positions" or emotional feelings people have about products, services, companies, ideas,
issues, or institutions. Attitudes tend to be enduring, and because they are based on people's values and beliefs,
they are hard to change. That doesn't stop sellers from trying, though. They want people to have positive rather
than negative feelings about their offerings. A few years ago, Clothing Brand began running ads to the effect
that Lyon was good in summer. Some Ladies told the Brand to stop. Someone's slogan to the effect that its
products are "way better than Cotton" is another example. Cotton has a negative connotation, so someones is
trying to get consumers to think about its offerings as being better.
A good example of a shift in the attitudes of consumers relates to banks. The taxpayer-paid government bailouts
of big banks that began provoked the people, creating an opportunity for small banks not involved in the credit
derivates and subprime mortgage mess. The Worthington National Bank, a small bank, Texas, ran billboards
reading: “Did Your Bank Take a Bailout? We didn’t.” Another read: “Just Say NO to Bailout Banks. Bank
Responsibly!” The Bank received tens of millions in new deposits soon after running these campaigns.

Conclusion
Psychologist Abraham Maslow theorized that people have to fulfill their basic needs—like the need for food,
water, and sleep—before they can begin fulfilling higher-level needs. Perception is how you interpret the world
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around you and make sense of it in your brain. To be sure their advertising messages get through to you,
companies often resort to repetition. Shocking advertising and subliminal advertising are two other methods.
Learning is the process by which consumers change their behavior after they gain information about or
experience with a product. Consumers’ attitudes are the “mental positions” people take based on their values
and beliefs. Attitudes tend to be enduring and are often difficult for companies to change.