Discussing the Concepts

1. How do consumers respond to various marketing efforts the company might use? List the
buyer characteristics that affect buyer behavior and discuss which one(s) influence you most
when making a new-car purchase decision.

Answer:

Figure 5.1 shows the stimulus-response model of buyer behavior in which marketing and
other stimuli enter the consumer’s “black box” and produce certain responses. Marketing
stimuli consist of the Four Ps (product, price, place, and promotion). Other stimuli include
major forces and events in the buyer’s environment, such as economic, technological,
political, and cultural forces. All these inputs enter the buyer’s black box, where they are
turned into a set of observable buyer responses: the buyer’s brand and company relationship
behavior and what he or she buys, when, where, and how often.

The buyer’s characteristics influence how he or she perceives and react to stimuli. These
factors include:
 Culture: includes overall culture, subculture, and social class.
 Social influences: reference groups, family, and roles and status.
 Personal factors: age and life cycle stage, occupation, economic situation, lifestyle,
and personality and self-concept.
 Psychological characteristics: motivation, perception, learning, and beliefs and
attitudes.

Students’ responses regarding which characteristic(s) would have the greatest impact on their
purchase decisions will vary.

2. Name and describe the types of consumer buying behavior. Which one would you most
likely use if deciding on a laptop computer purchase and which for picking a restaurant for
dinner?

Answer:

The types of consumer buying decision behavior are: (1) complex buying behavior, (2)
dissonance-reducing buying behavior, (3) habitual buying behavior, and (4) variety-seeking
buying behavior. Figure 5.4 shows these types based on the degree of buyer involvement and
the degree of differences among brands.

Complex buying behavior occurs when consumers are highly involved in a purchase and
perceive significant differences among brands. This is probably the buying behavior most
consumers would use when making the decision regarding a laptop computer because they
probably have much to learn and perceive significant differences among brands.

Dissonance-reducing buying behavior occurs when consumers are highly involved with an
expensive, infrequent, or risky purchase, but see few differences among brands.
 Habitual buying behavior occurs under conditions of low consumer involvement and little
significant brand difference. This might be the behavior of consumers selecting a fast food
restaurant because they may perceive little or no difference between McDonald’s, Wendy’s,
Burger King, and so on.

Variety-seeking buying behavior is undertaken in situations characterized by low consumer

involvement but significant perceived brand differences. Students may indicate this buying
behavior when selecting a restaurant because they want something other than fast food.

3. Explain the stages of the consumer buyer decision process and describe how you or your
family went through this process to make a recent purchase.

Answer:

The five stages of the consumer buyer decision process are: (1) need recognition, (2)
information search, (3) evaluation of alternatives, (4) purchase decision, and (5) postpurchase
behavior. The process starts with need recognition, where the buyer recognizes a problem or
need. The consumer may then undertake an information search, and sources include
personal sources, commercial sources, public sources, and experiential sources. Next, the
consumer will evaluate the alternatives to arrive at a brand choice. Generally, the
consumer’s purchase decision will be to buy the most preferred brand, but the purchase
decision can be influenced by the attitudes of others and unexpected situational factors. After
purchasing the product, the consumer will be satisfied or dissatisfied and will engage in
postpurchase behavior. Major purchases may result in cognitive dissonance, or discomfort
caused by postpurchase conflict.

4. How might a marketer influence a consumer’s information search through each of the four
information sources discussed in the chapter?

Answer:

The four sources include personal sources (family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances),
commercial sources (advertising, salespeople, Web sites, dealers, packaging, displays),
public sources (mass media, consumer-rating organizations, Internet searches), and
experiential sources (handling, examining, using the product). Examples of how a marketer
might influence consumers are encouraging opinion leaders to share their thoughts about the
product, targeting advertising to select groups of consumers, encouraging media stories about
products and services, and giving consumers free samples or trial offers. It might be that
personal sources offer the most influence and will help in building long-term relationships.

5. What is a “new” product and how do consumers go about deciding whether to adopt a new
product?

Answer:
 A new product is a good, service, or idea that is perceived by some potential customers as
new—it may have been around for a while. Marketers are interested in how consumers learn
about products for the first time and make a decision on whether to adopt them. The
adoption process is a mental process in which an individual learns about an innovation to
finally adopting it. The stages in the adoption process are:
a. Awareness: The consumer becomes aware of the new product, but lacks
information about it.
b. Interest: The consumer seeks information about the new product.
c. Evaluation: The consumer considers whether trying the new product makes
sense.
d. Trial: The consumer tries the new product on a small scale to improve his or her
estimate of its value.
e. Adoption: The consumer decides to make full and regular use of the new product.

6. What product characteristics influence an innovation’s rate of adoption? Discuss the

characteristics of mobile navigation systems in relation to the rate of adoption.

Answer:

Characteristics such as initial and ongoing costs, risk and uncertainty, and social approval
influence the rate of adoption but five characteristics are especially important in influencing
an innovation’s rate of adoption:
 Relative advantage: the degree to which the innovation appears superior to existing
products. Mobile navigation systems offer benefits in finding locations as well as
providing suggestions to users, which should speed its rate of adoption.
 Compatibility: the degree to which the innovation fits the values and experiences of
potential consumers. As more consumers get comfortable with electronic means of
finding locations this product will be more compatible with the experiences of
consumers. However, many consumers are not tech-savvy and may find this product
no better than a phone book, which reduces its rate of adoption.
 Complexity: the degree to which the innovation is difficult to understand or use.
Navigation systems may be difficult to understand for some consumers, which will
slow the rate of adoption.
 Divisibility: the degree to which the innovation may be tried on a limited basis.
Consumers can try using the product in the store before purchasing, which will
increase the rate of adoption.
 Communicability: the degree to which the results of using the innovation can be
observed or described to others. This type of product lends itself to demonstration
and description, and the benefits can be shown easily in advertisements such as
television commercials. Therefore, its use will spread faster among consumers.