According to (Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 2016) Businesses can better promote

their products and services by knowing how customers think, feel, and make decisions. This

aids in the marketing of existing products and services by allowing marketers to predict how

their customers will behave. It also enables forward-thinking companies to spot fresh

opportunities before others do. For example, if a specific item at a grocery shop begins to sell

more quickly than it has in the past, marketers could investigate what is causing this. The

results of the study could lead to a social media trend in which this product is utilized as a

prop.

There are four factors that affect the buying decision of customers namely:

 Cultural Factors

 Social Factors

 Personal Factors

 Psychological Factors

First, we’ll take a look on the cultural factors, beneath that broad heading stands a

subtopic called the social class. According to Kotler & Armstrong (2014) the social class is

society's relatively permanent and well-ordered divisions, with members who share similar

values, interests, and habits. As it relates to Victoria’s Secret wanting to open a sales unit in

Jamaica, it would be beneficial as the social class tends is not only determined by income.

The social class tends can be measured by income, wealth occupation and other variables

(Kotler and Armstrong, 2014). This means persons in Jamaica of the social class would be

drawn to Victoria’s Secret products, because of the brand name as well the quality of

products they are known for. Persons in the social class tends to buy things that possess these

attributes. For example, individuals who are of the social class are likely to be in a spotlight
where others perceive them to have things that are of price and quality. Therefore, these

persons tend to shop at brand name companies.

In addition, personal factors are another key influencer in customer’s buying decision

for clothes. The buyer’s decision can be influenced by personal characteristics such as

occupation, age and stage, economic situation. Occupation affects what type of clothing

people will purchase. For instance, a person who is the host of a Dancehall event may wear a

mesh garment where her undergarment (Bra) maybe highlighted. Therefore, this individual

may definitely purchase Victoria’s Secret undergarment as to make a statement of having

brand name undergarments. As it relates to age and stage, individuals taste for clothing may

change overtime as they age. For example, some teenagers who are becoming young adults

would prefer to have a Victoria’s Secret undergarments than an unpopular brand name

undergarment. Finally, people’s need for clothing maybe influenced by their economic

status. For instance, some low-income earners would tend to shop less and shop cheap;

therefore, if there is a necessity for clothes especially undergarments some of these low-

income earners would choose to purchase from a competitor that has a cheaper rate. On the

other hand, you’ll find some low-income earners who would save and purchase clothing of

quality in order to supply their need for a good period of time.

One of the elements of the Buyer’s Black Box is known as the Buyer’s Decision Process.

Underneath this heading lie multiple stages in the process which will be looked at

individually.

The first stage of the buyer selection process is need recognition. As the name

implies, need recognition is defined by Kotler and Armstrong (2014) as a consumer

identifying a problem or need. For example, one may realize that their undergarments are

worn out and that new ones are required..

 The following stage is known as information search, and it is defined as when a

consumer becomes motivated to seek out additional information (Kotler, et al. 2014). This

means after one recognizes the need, they will then do an investigation on where to meet this

need. According to (Lumen, 2016) family and friends,  personal observation, Consumer

Reports, salesmen, product samples, and so on are all possible sources of information. Given

that VS wants to open a store in Jamaica, some people may wish to satisfy their need for new

underwear by purchasing from this company, which, according to their research, is known for

producing high-quality items. Others, on the other hand, may look for the cheapest option.