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Assignment - Your Purchase Decision Process

MKTG1101 Introduction to Marketing

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Introduction

The product purchased this time is a television. This product was purchased in BestBuy

in downtown. The brand name of the television is Toshiba, and the price is CAD 419.99. The

television is 43-inch 4K fire TV edition, black color, the model number is 43LF621C21, and

it belongs to the product of 2020. This television has various functions like, Alexa build in

that you can use the voice to control the television; ultra HD resolution displays that the

images are clean and sharp; multi-channel 3D surround sound which has a nice sound coming

out; Fire OS has built in apps and allow you access to a world of apps, games, and streaming

content from services such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, Twitch, and

much more; it also build in Wi-Fi connections that can access online.

I have been highly involved in this purchase decision & process. Since I wanted to buy a

television, I have been surfing the Internet constantly to watch the size, features, different

brands, price analysis, and even the method of purchase, how to ship to the house, and when

is the best time with discounted price to buy. Other than browsing on the internet, going to

different shops to see the real objects of different types of television sets, the picture

resolution from the television, whether the speakers are suitable, their warranty period, after-

sales service, whether the warranty period can be extended with extra cost, etc. I also need to

consider that after the purchase, if I have to move, or if the television has a problem, who

should first deal with it. The time invested is about one or two weeks for me, because I am in
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a very urgent need for a television for my family.

Need Recognition

Because I just moved to Calgary, there are many things in my home that have to be

repurchased, and the television is one of the indispensable household items in the family. As

I have a kid who thinks that a television should be needed at home to give him a sense of

security and home. Therefore, we must consider the issue of this television not long after we

moved here. It is precisely because of the urgent need, which is my functional need, so my

direction of viewing the television is mainly to be suitable, and it can meet the basic needs.

Of course, there is a certain criterion of psychological needs, because kid is already interested

in surfing the internet, watching YouTube or Netflix, so well-known that we should have this

kind of function to meet the kid actual needs.

Information Search

When buying a television, it takes more than a week to collect the information needed.

When I collected the information, I first studied the experience of televisions that I had used

before, and then determined several different television brands. For example, I have used

television brands from LG, Samsung, Song, and Toshiba before. Most of them are brands

from Japan and Korea. I have a certain degree of confidence in its quality because the

televisions used in the past have been used for a long period of time. It's also because the

technology of making televisions in Japan and Korea are also very famous and good, and
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their picture quality and sound quality have brought us great audiovisual enjoyment before.

And now these Japanese and Korean television brands are very close to the trend, 4K picture

quality, sound control, internet access, downloading different Apps, which can definitely meet

our family's requirements.

Except the brands that I recognize, I also go to the internet to search, such as the Best

Buy website, Amazon, Walmart, Vision, and other electronics companies’ websites, to see if

there are different types of television products. I can broaden my cognition of the brands,

meanwhile I can see if other brands have special features or new features that I don’t know.

Other than to visiting the websites, I did go to stores near my home to see the physical

appearances, functions, picture quality, and sound of different televisions. Trying to learn

more about things that I don’t understand or don’t know.

In the process of collecting information, I considered different risks. The biggest risk

would be the psychological risk, because I used to buy Japanese and Korean brands, so when

I went to a store, the sales staff will provide some other brands then Japanese and Korean

brands, I have doubts on those. For example, is this brand performance good, how long life of

the television for this brand, how is the after service for this brand, and whether there is

anyone of friend ever used this brand? The second is the performance risk, as I have never

used the brand, I will pay more attention to what kind of quality that the new brand of

television can provide us, and its life span is really able to do it? The last factor I consider is
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the financial risk. If I buy this television, can the warranty extend, or when I want to re-sell

the television later, does it still valuable?

Alternative Evaluation

When I think about the television I want, the first thing I think about is how big

television I need. According to the place and space I use, I choose a 43-inch television which

should be my most ideal television size. In addition to the 43-inch television, I can also

accept a larger size, but not larger than 46 inches. This is my first requirement for television.

The second is that I want the television to be a smart TV, it can be connected to the internet

and be able to download different Apps. The third requirement for the television is the price.

As I bought the television during the Labor Day holiday, there were many discounts on the

Labor Day holiday in the store, so I hoped that the price of the television is not more than the

original price of CAD500. The ideal is to have a discount of CAD100 or more. The last

requirement is if the store that can provide better after-sales service, such as extending the

warranty period, free shipping, or I can take the television away immediately. Although the

brand is important to me, the above four requirements can better reflect my current demand

for a television.

I decided to use the decision heuristic consumer decision rule to choose the product I

needed. The main reason is that I want to narrow my choice and don't have to choose

different types, styles, or television that might not be too satisfactory as my final choice. As
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long as I follow the four requirements I mentioned earlier, and the television that can best

meet my requirements, it can become my final choice.

Purchase Decision

In the end, I chose to buy a 43-inch television from Toshiba in a BestBuy store.

Choosing this brand of television, the first reason is its 43-inch size, which is very in line

with my requirements. I don't have to worry about choosing a different size. The second

reason is because it has a smart TV, it has built-in Netflix and YouTube, and it can download

different Apps, and it can also go online, which meets my second requirement. The third

reason is the price. Originally, the television was about for about CAD500, but it was the

Labor Day holiday, Best Buy was offering a discount of almost CAD100, which prompted

me to buy a television at an affordable price. Last reason is although Best Buy cannot provide

free shipping, BestBuy store is not very far from my home and the weight of the television is

not very heavy, and he can offer an extended guarantee period of three years at a discounted

price. These four requirements have already met my original requirements for television. In

addition, because of this brand, I have used it for many years before, and I have certain

confidence in it, knowing that it has a longer lifespan. Due to psychological factor of mine, I

prefer Japanese brands, which eventually put me to buy a Toshiba as final choice.

Post-purchase

My child is the happiest one to buy this television, because he can watch cartoons every
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day, and he can watch YouTube anytime he wants, and he can also use it to play video games.

As for this television, I feel very satisfied, because its size is just right for the place where my

house uses the television. It will not affect my vision because it is not too large or too small.

The picture quality is also good, the 4K picture is full of visual effects when watching the

movie and the sound quality is not bad, I don’t need to turn it on so loudly to hear the

television. In addition to being satisfied with the television, I must mention that I am also

very satisfied with Best Buy's services. Because I have been there several times to see

different television, their salesman was very happy to explain and recommended different

television to me. Finally, I was hesitated about the price, the salesman offered me a more

favorable price on top of the one it has. Therefore, I have no regrets about buying this

television. I am even more happy because this television brings the entertainment for my

family, and I don’t need to spend too much money on it and get quality services from Best

Buy.
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Reference