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5.
3Buying Decision Behavior and the Buyer Decision Process
the types of consumer buying behavior based on the degree of buyer involvement and the degree of
differences among brands.
*Types of Buying Decision Behavior
Complex buying behavior : Consumer buying behavior in situations characterized by high consumer
involvement in a purchase and significant perceived differences among brands.
Dissonance-reducing buying behavior Consumer buying behavior in situations characterized by high

involvement but few perceived differences among brands.
Habitual buying behavior Consumer buying behavior in situations characterized by low consumer
involvement and few significant perceived brand differences.
Variety-seeking buying behavior Consumer buying behavior in situations characterized by low

consumer involvement but significant perceived brand differences.
*Buyer Decision Process
The buyer decision process consists of five stages: need recognition, information search, evaluation of
alternatives, the purchase decision, and postpurchase behavior. The buying process starts long before
the actual purchase and continues long after. Therefore, marketers must focus on the entire buying
process, not just the purchase decision. Buyers may pass quickly or slowly through the buying decision
process. And in more routine purchases, consumers often skip or reverse some of the stages. Much
depends on the nature of the buyer, the product, and the buying situation.
Step 1: Need Recognition : The first stage of the buyer decision process, in which the consumer
recognizes a problem or need. The need can be triggered by internal stimuli when one of the person’s
normal needs—for example, hunger or thirst—rises to a level high enough to become a drive. A need
can also be triggered by external stimuli.
Step 2 : Information Research : The stage of the buyer decision process in which the consumer is
motivated to search for more information. Consumers can obtain information from any of several
sources. These include personal sources (family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances), commercial sources
(advertising, salespeople, dealer and manufacturer web and mobile sites, packaging, displays), public
sources (mass media, consumer rating organizations, social media, online searches and peer reviews),
and experiential sources (examining and using the product). The relative influence of these information
sources varies with the product and the buyer.
Step 3: Alternative evaluation The stage of the buyer decision process in which the consumer uses
information to evaluate alternative brands in the choice set. How consumers go about evaluating
purchase alternatives depends on the individual consumer and the specific buying situation. In some
cases, consumers use careful calculations and logical thinking. At other times, the same consumers do
little or no evaluating. Instead, they buy on impulse and rely on intuition. Sometimes consumers make
buying decisions on their own; sometimes they turn to friends, online reviews, or salespeople for buying
advice.
Step 4 : Purchase decision : The buyer’s decision about which brand to purchase. the consumer’s
purchase decision will be to buy the most preferred brand, but two factors can come between the
purchase intention and the purchase decision. The first factor is the attitudes of others and the second
one is unexpected situational factor
Step 5 : Postpurchase behavior The stage of the buyer decision process in which consumers take further
action after purchase, based on their satisfaction or dissatisfaction. If the product falls short of
expectations, the consumer is disappointed; if it meets expectations, the consumer is satisfied; if it
exceeds expectations, the consumer is delighted. The larger the negative gap between expectations and
performance, the greater the consumer’s dissatisfaction. Cognitive dissonance is buyer discomfort
caused by postpurchase conflict.
5.4 The Buyer Decision Process for New products
We now look at how buyers approach the purchase of new products. 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, but
our interest is in how consumers learn about products for the first time and make decisions on whether
to adopt them. We define the adoption process as the mental process through which an individual
passes from first learning about an innovation to final adoption.
*Stages in the adoption process
Consumers go through five stages in the process of adopting a new product:
Awareness. The consumer becomes aware of the new product but lacks information about it.
Interest. The consumer seeks information about the new product.
Evaluation. The consumer considers whether trying the new product makes sense.
Trial. The consumer tries the new product on a small scale to improve his or her estimate of its value.
Adoption. The consumer decides to make full and regular use of the new product.
*Individual Differences in Innovativeness
People differ greatly in their readiness to try new products. In each product area, there are
“consumption pioneers” and early adopters. Other individuals adopt new products much later. People
can be classified into the adopter categories shown in Figure 5.6.
The five adopter groups have differing values. Innovators are venturesome—they try new ideas at some
risk. Early adopters are guided by respect—they are opinion leaders in their communities and adopt new
ideas early but carefully. Early mainstream adopters are deliberate—although they rarely are leaders,
they adopt new ideas before the average person. Late mainstream adopters are skeptical—they adopt
an innovation only after a majority of people have tried it. Finally, lagging adopters are tradition bound
—they are suspicious of changes and adopt the innovation only when it has become something of a
tradition itself. This adopter classification suggests that an innovating firm should research the
characteristics of innovators and early adopters in their product categories and direct initial marketing
efforts toward them.
*Influence of Product Characteristics on Rate of Adoption

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
Compatibility. The degree to which the innovation fits the values and experiences of potential
consumers.
Complexity. The degree to which the innovation is difficult to understand or use.
Divisibility. The degree to which the innovation may be tried on a limited basis.
Communicability. The degree to which the results of using the innovation can be observed or described
to others.

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5.

3Buying Decision Behavior and the Buyer Decision Process

*Types of Buying Decision Behavior

Dissonance-reducing buying behavior Consumer buying behavior in situations characterized by high

Variety-seeking buying behavior Consumer buying behavior in situations characterized by low

*Buyer Decision Process

5.4 The Buyer Decision Process for New products

*Stages in the adoption process

Consumers go through five stages in the process of adopting a new product:

Interest. The consumer seeks information about the new product.

*Individual Differences in Innovativeness

*Influence of Product Characteristics on Rate of Adoption

Complexity. The degree to which the innovation is difficult to understand or use.

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