Marketing Theories: the Consumer
Decision Making Process
The Consumer or Buyer Decision Making Process is the method used by marketers
to identify and track the decision making process of a customer journey from start to
finish. It is broken down into 5 individual stages which we have decided to
demonstrate with our latest decision making journey..
1 – Problem Recognition (I need new trainers)
The first stage of the process is working out what exactly you or the customer needs.
The customer feels like something is missing and needs to address it to get back to
feeling normal. If you can determine when your target demographic develops these
needs or wants, it would be an ideal time to advertise to them.
In our case we noticed our running trainers were looking a little worse for wear and
we acknowledged the need for a new pair.
2 – Information search (What trainers are out there?)
This is the search stage of the process. One that is continually changing from old
fashioned shopping around to the new shop front which is Google (other search
engines are available - apparently). Information is not only gathered about stuff and
on things but also from people via recommendations and through previous
experiences we may have had with various products.
In this stage a customer is beginning to think about risk management. A customer
might make a pro’s vs. con’s list to help make their decision. People often don’t want
to regret making a decision so extra time being put into managing risk may be worth
it.
3 - Evaluation of Alternatives (Do I need trainers and if so
which ones?)
This is the time when questions start being asked. Is this really the right product for
me? Do I need a different product? If the answers are either “No it’s not right” or “yes
I need a different product” then stage 2 may recommence. The stage 3 to 2 transition
may happen several times before stage 4 has been reached.
Once the customer has determined what will satisfy their want or need they will
begin to seek out the best deal. This may be based on price, quality, or other factors
that are important to them. Customers read many reviews and compare prices,
ultimately choosing the one that satisfies most of their parameters.
In line with our example we started questioning if we actually needed running shoes:
are there alternatives out there? Were our original trainers that bad? The answers
were Yes/Yes but none I liked/Yes they really were. So the process was able to
continue.
4 – Purchase (Buying the trainers)
In this stage, the customer has now decided based on the knowledge gathered what
to purchase and where to purchase what they desire.
At this stage a customer has either assessed all the facts and come to a logical
conclusion, made a decision based on emotional connections/experiences or
succumbed to advertising/marketing campaigns, or most likely a combination of all of
these has occurred.
In our customer journey we purchased some rather nice Asics runners as we had a
wonderful experience with them previously, they were well priced on the market and
the marketing around Asics trainers has always linked them to being the best option
for “real athletic trainers”. The positioning of the product also lent itself to where they
were purchased, a sport shop rather than a shoe shop.
5 – Post Purchase satisfaction or dissatisfaction (Were they
the right trainers for us?)
The review stage is a key stage for the company and for the customer likewise. Did
the product deliver on the promises of the marketing/advertising campaigns? Did the
product match or exceed expectations?
If a customer finds that the product has matched or exceeded the promises made
and their own expectations they will potentially become a brand ambassador
influencing other potential customers in their stage 2 of their next customer journey,
boosting the chances of your product being purchased again. The same can be said
for negative feedback which, if inserted at stage 2, can halt a potential customer’s
journey towards your product.
To finish our customer journey – we very much like the trainers we have chosen –
we would recommend them to a friend, and on purchasing our next set of trainers
would probably make a similar brand or product choice.
