Buying Decision Behaviour

Buying Decision Behaviour Contents (Jump to) 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Types of Buying Decision Behaviour 3.0 The importance of understanding consumer buying behaviours 4.0 Conclusion References 1.0 Introduction Understanding consumer buying behaviour is crucial for successful marketing. Consumer buying behaviour is defined as the buying behaviour of final consumers, individuals and households who purchase goods and services for personal consumption (Kotler, Brown, Adam and Armstrong, 2001: 858). Consumer buying behaviour can be classified into four groups: complex, variety-seeking, dissonance-reducing and habitual buying behaviour. These buying decision behaviours vary in terms of the involvement levels and the perceived differences between brands (Lawson, Tidwell, Rainbird, Louden and Bitta, 1997: 523). According to Mitchell (2002: 71), one of the core functions of marketing is to connect buyers and sellers as efficiently and effectively as possible. Therefore, it is imperative for marketers to acquire a profound and comprehensive understanding of consumer buying behaviours. 2.0 Types of Buying Decision Behaviour The relationship between different types of consumer buying behaviour with the level of consumer involvement and the degrees of differences between brands. The level of involvement in a purchasing a product is related to the importance of the purchase, the risks involved and the type of cognitive processing that is generated (East, 1997: 19). 2.1 Complex buying behaviour Complex buying behaviour is personalised by high levels of consumer involvement in a purchase and significant perceived differences among brands (Kotler, et al., 2001: 211). Consumers usually apply complex buying behaviour when the intended purchases are expensive, infrequent and risky (Rowley, 1997: 88). Purchase decisions are more intricate compared to other products that are less costly (Chao and Gupta, 1995: 48). According to Adcock (1993: 54), buyers undertaking complex buying behaviour are likely to go through each stage of the decision making process. They will usually spend time inquiring about the product, evaluating alternative brands and comparing options before finally making the purchase. For example, a person who wishes to buy a car would be very involved in deciding what car to purchase. He or she will engage in an extensive information search, such as by visiting different car dealers, surfing the Internet and so on, to evaluate and compare the numerous types of model s available in the market and also to scout for the best deals. They may take weeks or months to make a decision. A car is an expensive asset and will usually be used for a long time. As a result, consumers undergo complex buying decision behaviour to ensure that they will not regret their investment in future. 2.2 Dissonance-reducing buying behaviour Dissonance-reducing buying behaviour encompasses high involvement in purchase decisions but little dissimilarity between brands (Adcock, 1993: 57). Purchases are usually expensive, infrequent and risky (Kotler, et al., 2001: 211). The buying decision is often made from only a small range of products. Considering the products brand name is not the main priority in the purchase decision, consumers will make their choice by evaluating and comparing the products based on their price, quality, performance and the consumers individual preferences ( Kennedy and Kiel, 2000: 84). For example, when purchasing a lawn mower, consumers may face a high involvement decision because a lawn mower is rather costly. However, the lawn mower brand names will not be of much concern to consumers. Buyers will still look around and compare different lawn mowers based on their extrinsic features, and purchases are normally made within a shorter period of time as opposed to complex buying behaviour (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). After making a purchase, the consumer may encounter postpurchase dissonance, also known as after-sales discomfort, resulting from discrepencies between the consumers decision and the consumers prior evaluation (Lawson, et al.,1997: 447). For instance, the buyer may discover undesirable traits or hear negative comments about the lawn mower and thus regret his or her purchase. To minimise such dissonance, marketers have introduced certain features to satisfy customers, such as warranties and after-sales services (Lawson, et al.,1997: 637). 2.3 Variety-seeking buying behaviour Variety-seeking buying behaviour can be defined as consumer buying behaviour in situations concerning low consumer involvement but with significant perceived differences in brands (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). These purchases are made simply because the of the consumers desire for novelty (Lawson, et al., 1997: 525). In other words, consumer may deviate from their normal brand purchase because they feel like trying something different for a change. Consumers who practice variety-seeking buying behaviour buy for the sake of diversifying and not as a result of dissatisfaction with the product (Adcock, 1993: 57). To further illustrate the point, a consumer who regularly buys Kellogs Corn Flakes, whom one day opts to purchase Nestles Honey Stars for a change, is engaging in variety-seeking buying behaviour. The consumer may be just bored of Kellogs Corn Flakes for awhile after consuming them every morning and would like to try out a different cereal, not because he or she is discontented with Kellogs Corn Flakes. Marketers have developed strategies to reduce this consumer behaviour, which will be discussed in the later sections of this report. 2.4 Habitual buying behaviour Consumers perform habitual buying behaviour when buying frequently purchased products that are relatively of low cost and that involves very little risk and decision effort (Kennedy and Kiel, 2000: 84). There is low consumer involvement and few differences between brands in this buying behaviour (Rowley, 1997: 89). These products are purchased almost automatically out of habit rather than brand loyalty by consumers( http://www.bbci.freeserve.co.uk/SAGEPROJECT/UnderstandingConsumerBehaviour.asp). This normally applies to grocery products. For instance, people do not generally spend much time or mental effort selecting a packet of sugar or a bar of soap. They do not really pay attention to the brand names of these products. Unlike complex buying behaviour, consumers who purchase the same product regularly, do not go through all the steps in the decision making process (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). They need not undertake an information search or evaluate and compare the different produc ts in the market. Instead, they receive information through repetitive advertisements on the television or newspapers and this forms brand familiarity. Consumers are not inclined to a product, rather, they select the particular brand out of familiarity (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). They would just recognise their need and immediately make a purchase decision. They may not even bother to make a postpurchase evaluation (Rowley, 1997: 89). 3.0 The importance of understanding consumer buying behaviours 3.1 Develop a more effective and efficient marketing strategy Consumer buying behaviour is an integral part of marketing. Attaining a deeper comprehension of the different types of consumer buying behaviour would be a boon for marketers as it would assist them in developing a more sophisticated marketing strategy, thus allowing the organisation to compete more efficiently and effectively than its competitors (Mitchell, 2002: 74). By analysing the type of buying behaviour that relates to the organisations products, marketers are able perform effective segmentation, which may lead to a more efficient targeting of resources (Rowley, 1997: 89). For example, for products that are susceptible to complex buying behaviours such as automobiles and computers, marketers tend to concentrate on promoting them on the basis of the features and the benefits a consumer may gain from the products (Adcock, 1993: 56).. Most car catalogues will show pictures of the engine and highlight the details of the technical features of the vehicle. For products that are more prone to dissonance-reducing and habitual buying behaviours, marketers will advertise substantially to ensure that their products will be considered by as many people as possible (Adcock, 1993: 57) and also to familiarise consumers with their products (East, 1997: 19). Providing another example, marketers will try to encourage habitual buying behaviour for products that are more inclined to variety-seeking buying behaviours among consumers by extensive advertising and dominating shelf space. In contrast, marketers may also try to encourage variety-seeking buying behaviour by offering promotions and free samples (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). They do so to induce new customers to purchase their products. To summarise the point, a clear understanding of the types of buying behaviours can help marketers to construct relevant marketing strategi es to market the particular product so as to increase the products sales. 3.2 Form a healthy relationship between buyers and sellers As mentioned earlier, one of the core functions of marketing is to connect buyers and sellers as efficiently and effectively as possible (Mitchell, 2002: 71). The marketing concept stresses that organisations should create a marketing mix that will satisfy their customers better than their competitors. To do so, marketers must examine the major influences that determine what, where, when and how consumers make purchasing decisions (http://www.bbci.freeserve.co.uk/SAGEPROJECT/UnderstandingConsumerBehaviour.asp). According to Wilson (1998: 785), marketers who understand the types of buying behaviour that are related to their product will be able to come up with marketing techniques that will provide customer satisfaction and at the same time, establish brand loyalty among its customers. Marketers should always remind themselves that satisfied consumers would have a very positive impact on the organisations success. Therefore, it is essential for marketers to understand and evaluate the different types of consumer buying behaviour. 4.0 Conclusion The four types of buying behaviour mentioned earlier basically summarises how and why consumers make their purchase decisions. However, one has to keep in mind that the purchase of a particular product does not always derive the same type of decision making behaviour (East, 1997: 19). For example, an affluent businessman who enjoys collecting cars may not undergo complex buying behaviour as opposed to an average earning salesman who is buying a car for transportation purposes. In conclusion, understanding consumer buying behaviour can assist marketers in constructing a more efficient and effective marketing strategy allowing them to form a tighter relationship with their customers. Hence, it is vital for marketers to understand the four different types of buying behaviour that relates to their product. References Adcock, D., Bradfield, R., Halborg, A., and Ross, C. (1993), Marketing Principles and Practice, Pitman Publishing, London. Chao, P. and Gupta, P.B. (1995), ‘Information search and efficiency of consumer choices of new cars International Marketing Review, Vol. 12, No. 6, pp 47-59. East, R. (1997), Consumer Behaviour: Advances and Applications in Marketing, Prentice Hall, London. Kotler, P., Brown, L., Adam, S., and Armstrong, G. (2001), Marketing, (5th Edn), Prentice Hall, Sydney. Lawson, R., Tidwell, P., Rainbird, P., Loudon, D., and Bitta, A.D. (1997), Consumer Behaviour in Australia and New Zealand, McGraw-Hill, Sydney. Kennedy, M and Kiel (2000). ‘Marketing: A Strategic Approach. Nelson Thompson Learning, Melbourne. Mitchell, A.S. (2002), ‘Do you really want to understand your customer? Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Vol. 2, Issue 1, pp 71-79. Rowley, J. (1997), ‘Focusing on customers Library Review, Vol 46, No. 2, pp 81-89. Samara, N., Understanding Consumer Behaviour, (http://www.bbci.freeserve.co.uk/SAGEPROJECT/UnderstandingConsumerBehaviour.asp) Accessed (30 August 2003) Wilson, D.F. (1998), ‘Why divide consumer and organisation buyer behaviour? European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 34, No. 7, pp 780-796.

war :: essays research papers

CONFIRMED KILLS IN THE HUNDREDS’ The commander of the operation near Gardez said the U.S.-led offensive had cleared several enemy caves honeycombing the mountains. â€Å"We’ve got confirmed kills in the hundreds,† Maj. Gen. Frank Hagenbeck told a news conference at Bagram air base north of Kabul. â€Å"We truly have the momentum at this point.† He said U.S. intelligence had pointed to 150 to 200 enemy fighters in the hills of the Shah-e-Kot mountain range when the operation began on Friday. By Wednesday, however, he estimated that as many as 600 to 700 al-Qaida and some Taliban troops had filtered into the territory. <a href="/news/target_front.asp"><img src=/c/0/61/361/bcol_nav.gif border=0> Part 1: Changing perspective †¢ The new views from America †¢ Hard choices on defense Part 2: About face on Sudan †¢ U.S. warms to 'rogue' regime Part 3: Who defines terrorist? †¢ For Syria, opportunity and peril †¢ In Lebanon, no black and white Part 4: Distant echoes †¢ U.S. crosses a line in Colombia †¢ Broadcasts make Prague a target Part 5: Spinning on the 'axis' †¢ 'Axis' missiles fall short †¢ Where China fits in Part 6: Special forces †¢ The 'special forces' war †¢ The perils of new tactics 1 of 11 The new views from America â€Å"Conservatively speaking right now, I’m convinced from the evidence I’ve seen that we’ve killed at least half of those enemy forces,† he said. Eight U.S. troops have been killed in the operation, seven of them in two incidents Monday in which two U.S. helicopters came under fire. Around 50 have been wounded. Rumsfeld and Franks were peppered with questions Wednesday about whether a U.S. Navy SEAL killed Monday had been executed by the enemy. They acknowledged that an aerial drone had videotaped the incident but said it was still not clear whether the soldier had already been dead when he was dragged off by enemy fighters after falling out of a helicopter. â€Å"We may never know that,† Rumsfeld said. â€Å"What’s important,† he said, is that the United States did not withdraw and instead sent a helicopter back in to retrieve his body. â€Å"The United States is leaning forward and not back,† he said. MORE TROOPS, LESS BOMBING Advertisement The U.S. reinforcements were ferried overnight by Chinook helicopters from Bagram. Troops were armed with shoulder-launched rockets, equipped with night-vision equipment and dressed in winter uniforms to combat the sub-zero temperatures.

Informative Valentines Day Speech Outline

(Name) Topic: The history and a few different traditions of Valentine’s Day General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: To inform my speech class of the benefits of moderate indoor tanning. Thesis Statement: There is actually a fascinating history behind Valentine’s Day, which I will tell you about today along with some insight to how different countries celebrate this day of love. INTRODUCTION All of us have someone special in our lives. Whether it is a significant other, friends, or family, we all have someone, often many people, whom we love. But how often do we remember to really express the love we feel for these people?Good thing there’s a whole day devoted to love, so, at least once a year, we get the chance to tell these people how much we love and appreciate our relationships with them. That day of course is Valentine’s Day. A day for romance and splurging on gifts such as flowers, chocolates, jewelry, and those cute little teddy bears with the f luffy hearts reading â€Å"Be Mine. † Valentine’s Day in the U. S. has also become a day when merchandisers can count on making a few quick bucks, leading most to believe that this horrifically commercialized holiday was invented by the candy, jewelry, and card companies.On the contrary, there is actually a fascinating history behind Valentine’s Day, which I will tell you about today, along with some insight to how some different countries celebrate this day of love. BODY I. History a. St. Valentine i. Catholic church recognizes at least 3 different saints named Valentine or Valentinus ii. Martyred for marrying young men and women when it was outlawed by Emperor Claudius iii. St. Valentine was martyred for trying to help Christians escape from Roman prisons iv.Legend of first written valentine by St. Valentine 1. Jailor’s daughter b. First Valentine’s Day cards II. Different countries and some unique traditions followed today a. Similar to U. S. i. Australia ii. Canada iii. France b. Different than U. S. i. Wales 1. Welsh Valentine’s Day – St. Dwynwen’s Day 2. Love Spoons ii. Scotland 1. Cards sent anonymously 2. Game at parties 3. Valentine Date Search iii. Finland 1. Ystavanpaiva iv. Denmark 1. â€Å"Snowdrops† 2. Lover’s Cards . Gaekkebrev v. Japan 1. Valentine’s Day 2. White Day CONCLUSION Here are a few things to remember. Valentine’s Day was actually deemed a holiday by Pope Gelasius, not Hallmark, Hershey’s or Kay Jewelers. Regardless of the accuracy behind the legends of St. Valentine, they are all great, romantic stories about a man giving his life for what he believed in. Though there are countries where customs do not differ much from our own, there are many traditions followed around the world that are very different.When the next Valentine’s Day approaches, just remember, the Welsh women will be looking forward to some fancy spoons. Singles in Scotlan d will be wondering which party their crush will be at so that they can go to the same one and hopefully draw their name. The Finnish will be looking forward to spending time with their best friends. Danish women will be thinking really hard to win an Easter egg. And if you want to continue to receive gifts on Valentine’s Day, do not move to Japan. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs since 1980 essays

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs since 1980 essays In the early 80s the world so the initial boom of the computer era. The first personal computers were sold and the main players of the business were sorted out. Two of the prominent figures were Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Each pioneering their own front, the two entered the 90s as the computer world celebrities. By the mid 90s each of these tycoons' life had taken many turns and twists, albeit for the better usually. Bill Gates' 1995 was a bit hectic, this was the year of the huge unveiling of windows 95. After many delayed attempts to get it out Gates released windows 95 in August without Microsoft Plus, as had been earlier said, this was due to time restrictions as changing windows 95 to 96 would be a waste of money and probably more seriously the worst move commercially any company would ever make. With the release of Windows 95 the world saw the largest over media onslaught to sell a product. Also with the release of Windows came Microsoft's foray into the Internet market share. In hindsight this perhaps may not have been the best move to make. 1996 passed with much criticism of Gates' operating system, people said it was unstable, hard to figure out and anything else possible. 1997 came around with rumours of a new operating system in the works dubbed Chicago. This was perhaps a rumour but more likely the beginning of Windows 98. In 1998 Gates released this newer version of Window s 95, which made the world Gates' subject for the biggest beta test ever. Windows 98 was just an upgrade of 95. Upgrade may be an understatement, but on the surface it is almost identical, underneath they are worlds apart. Recently Microsoft's ghosts have come to haunt them. Netscape, their main rival in the Internet division, had started an Anti-trust case in the federal supreme court. The accusations spawned from a dispute where Netscape's browser were being loaded onto pre made Compaq computers and Microsoft did not approve of thi...

Events that Sparked the American Revolution essays

Events that Sparked the American Revolution essays The reasons the colonists rebelled against the British in 1776 were many. Unfair taxations, violations of human rights, changes in the British military policies, and a long legacy of both religious and political ideas prompted the colonists to break away from British rule and declare their independence. Taxation was clearly one of the major factors that led to the colonists rebellion. In 1763, George Grenville became the prime minister of England. While in office, he noticed that England was spending four times more in the colonies than it collected from them. Also, England was in debt due to the French and Indian war. He felt taxes should be collected from the colonists. He passed the Sugar Act in 1764, which put a tax on foreign sugar and molasses. He also set up the Stamp Act in 1765 that required the colonists to purchase stamps for anything written or printed on paper. The Townshend Acts also put a tax on glass, lead, tea, paper, and dyes. The colonists were not pleased with these new taxes. Before, the British policy was one of salutary neglect, which meant that they left the colonies alone and did not interfere with their affairs. Now, not only were the colonists being taxed but they were also not fairly represented in Parliament. Colonists declared, No taxation without representation. The British argued that they were given virtual representation in the government, which did not sit well with the colonists. Some merchants even boycotted British goods to show their opposition to the new taxes. Protest groups, such as the Sons of Liberty were formed. In order to stop the Tea Act, which had made the British East India Tea Company a monopoly, the Sons of Liberty went aboard the British ships and dumped 90,000 lbs of tea into the water. In response to this bold act, the British passed the Coercive Acts, which were renamed the Intolerable Acts. These acts closed the port of Boston until the tea that was lost was...

Control Structures in programming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Control Structures in programming - Essay Example s control structures for the statements have been held up for the reason that the primeval control structures of a digital computer that has a sequential uni-processor that is adequate to replicate some other control structure. The compensate of extraordinary as well as meticulous control structures are for the most part in simplicity plus briefness of appearance and in programming effortlessness, events which are tough to determine and normally in unpredictability by competence of accomplishment proceedings. It is accessed that "language programmers should by no means be pleased by languages that give permission to them to program the whole thing, on the other hand to computer program not anything excluding attention simply"(Fisher, 1990). The control arrangements of programming have not reserved rate by the augment (Fisher, 1990). The next important control structure is the selection that permits the selection in the middle of diverse ways. For instance the C++ offers dissimilar ranks of assortment: we have the one-way choice by means of an â€Å"if structure† then we have the 2-way choice by means of an â€Å"if-else structure†. The last selection can be used for the multiple choices by means of a â€Å"switch statement†. The last type of the control structure is the iteration control structure that guides to the looping of the programming statements. In the C++ we have 3 types of the iteration control structure lopping structures:2 This type of the control structure permits single set of programming language statements to be performed if an outcome is correct plus one more group of proceedings to be performed if a statement is false.   A selection structure is as well acknowledged as an "If-Then-Else" arrangement, its pictorial representation is given below in picture # 1. Here in the selection control structure the state in the â€Å"if statement† is the expression that is calculated for the decision of the â€Å"if statement†. If this statement is correct,

Amazon Prime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Amazon Prime - Essay Example So, in order to generate value for the customers, frequent purchases on the online store is necessary. For repositioning the service, a multi step strategy can be implemented. The first one is to create awareness about the service among the loyal customers, who have high shopping frequency. The second step will be to highlight the benefits of faster product delivery during the holiday seasons, which are the prime shopping seasons (Rao, 2013). The third step can be to pitch the service to consumers, who has a high movie watching tendency. The final tactic will be to offer attractive price rate for consumer electronics and books, since they have the highest purchases in the online stores (Nanji, 2013). By offering attractive prices, the purchase frequency of the consumers can be increased and this will create a pull demand for the Amazon Prime Service. Kline, D. (2014). Is Amazon Prime Still Cost Effective With a $20 Price Increase? Retrieved from: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/04/17/is-amazon-prime-still-cost-effective-with-a-20-pri.aspx Rao, L. (2013). eBay And Amazon On This Year’s Marketplace Holiday Shopping Trends. Retrieved from: http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/24/ebay-and-amazon-on-this-years-marketplace-holiday-shopping-trends/ Nanji, A. (2013) Online Shopping Trends 2013: Most Popular Categories, Top Purchase Drivers. Retrieved from: