How will you use the Consumer Buying Decision Process in order to adapt your marketing strategy. Explain with an example.

 Consumer Buying Decision Process always starts with a recognition of a need! Brand awareness for everyday purchases is crucial Provide concrete information for the alternative evaluation
Improve the shopping experience and customer relationships

Nothing like a real example to better understand the five stages of the Consumer Buying Decision Process. Maybe this situation sounds familiar to you.

Stage 1 – Need recognition: It’s Sunday night. You’re hungry (internal physiological stimuli) and there is nothing in the fridge. You will order food (statement of need).

Stage 2 – Information search: You already have ordered to the Indian restaurant in your street last month (internal information). A friend recommended a pizzeria in your neighborhood (external information from environment). And this morning you've found a flyer for a sushi restaurant in your mailbox (external information from advertising).

Stage 3 – Alternative evaluation: You have a bad opinion of the Indian restaurant since you've been sick the last time (inept set). The pizzeria is both recommended by your friend and also happens to be a well-known brand (positive perception – evoked set). As for the sushi restaurant, it got good reviews on Tripadvisor (positive perception – evoked set).

Stage 4 – Purchase decision: After evaluating the possibilities, you've decided to choose the well-known pizza delivery chain. In addition, a new episode of your favorite TV show is broadcast tonight on TV.

Stage 5 – Post-purchase behavior: The pizza was good (positive review). But you know there was too many calories and you regret a little bit (mixed feelings about yourself). The next time you will choose the sushi restaurant. There is less fat in sushi than pizza (next purchase behavior)!

By improving their knowledge of the Consumer Buying Decision Process, brands can improve their marketing strategy to effectively respond and be present with their customers at each stage of their buying behavior. And thus raise and create a need, strengthen their relationship with their customers and grow their sales.

The start of the buying behavior of the consumer is the need recognition. If there is no need, there is no purchase! That’s why generate or reinforce a need in consumers’ mind to trigger the buying behavior has a fundamental importance for brands.

Steve Jobs had become a master in the area with Apple thanks to remarkable marketing campaigns by successfully creating a need for millions of consumers for products they had never thought before before. But have finally become an important part of their daily lives.

In a different field, TV infomercials are remarkable examples of how to create an unexpected need in a consumer’s mind for a new product. You probably never felt any difficulty to cook a salad, but while watching the introduction of this great infomercial for this new kitchen tool  you finally realize the difficulty of the task and the importance of this new product as a solution to this problem.

Brands must focus on the activation or recall of a need – whether physiological, functional, social or change-related – for the consumer through their advertising campaigns. An even stronger challenge for new products, those with new features or those on new segments that consumers ignore the need or interest.

For everyday purchases with low level of involvement, consumers will consider only a limited number of brands when making their choice. Those that come in head first or they know at least by name. This is called “Top-of-mind awareness (TOPA)”.

For brands of the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) or Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, branding and brand awareness can therefore be a real factor of influence of the consumer buying decision process. Especially for products with a low level of differentiation.

During the “alternative evaluation” stage of the Consumer Buying Decision Process, consumers are looking for solid, reliable and tangible information that will allow them to make their choice. Especially for purchasing and products with high level of involvement.

The brand’s interest is to provide concrete information and proof of the product features, its added value compared to its competitors and how it will respond to their need in order to provide consumers with the information they need and positive influence in their decision making process.

As we saw in previous section, the stage of post-purchase behavior can have important consequences for a brand. Positively or negatively.

To avoid reputation damage and to develop a lasting relationship with its customers, the brand’s interest is to multiply actions for optimizing the shopping experience in-store as well as the product experience. But also provide great customer service in case of dissatisfaction or issue with the product.