Consumer Behaviour and Decision Making: A Comprehensive Study

Marketing
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Author’s Note

1. Concept of consumer behaviour:
Consumer buying behaviour is a part of observational activity, which is conducted to
study the approaches of customers that they perceive before purchasing a particular product or
services from an organization. Before buying a product, the customers intend to receive several
ideas or overviews about the product or services. In today’s business scenario and dynamic
progress of globalization, the needs and demands of the customers are changing gradually
(Govindan et al. 2015). Consumers’ buying behaviour is highly dependent on how business
experts intend to introduce their brands and services in the market. With the advancement of new
technology, the experts always intend to introduce their brands through social media platforms so
that customers from other geographical market can easily views the products. As a result, it can
easily reflect on the consumers’ buying behaviour (Karimi, Papamichail and Holland 2015). In
another point of view, the consumers’ purchasing behaviour is highly dependent on product
design, price, promotional methods, packaging, and positioning system arranged by the
organization.
2. Model of consumer decision making:
Consumers’ decision-making is implied with five major stages. Before purchasing a
particular product or services, the customers have to get challenges in choosing the right
products for fulfilling their needs and demands (Wolny and Charoensuksai 2014). Five stages of
consumer decision-making process is a systematic model, which helps the business experts in
selecting the right products and services for them.
 Problem recognition:

In this very specific stage, the customers feel for the need of a particular product, which
they tend to purchase immediately. In the phase of this problem recognition, the customers tend
to select the brand so that they can purchase the products (Rani 2014). This very specific stage is
the initial phase from where the customers’ decision making process of highly dependent.
 Information search:
After selecting the brand and services, customers intend search necessary information
regarding brand quality and their method of services (Chiu et al. 2014). Social media, traditional
media are the necessary platforms from where information can be gathered. While collecting in-
depth research on the products, customers generally focus on product design, packaging, product
components and so on.
 Alternative evaluation:
If the information collected from different resources comes as a positive the customers,
buying behaviour is also portrayed as a positive response. On the other hand, if the market
reviews fails to satisfy consumers’ purchasing behaviour they decide to go for alternative option.
The customers then decide to change their brands for purchasing the same products (Wen et al.
2014).
 Purchase decision:
Purchasing decision is highly dependent on two previous stages mentioned above. If the
information collected from different media tools seem to be positive the customers’ intend to
show their positive purchasing decision (Shende 2014). On the other hand, if the business experts
fail to grab the customers of customers, they cannot influence their buying behaviour. Therefore,

customers’ purchasing decision is highly focused on the approaches introduced by the business
experts.
Post-purchase behaviour:
Post purchasing behaviour is the phase when customers share their point of view
regarding their overall impression about the product or services. Post purchasing behaviour may
be positive or negative which completely depends on the customers’ perception about the brands.
In some cases, the customers after making market review and product data get influences in
buying the product (Raheem, Vishnu and Ahmed 2014). After purchasing the products their
behaviour towards the products completely changes. Therefore, in this phase, the customers’
satisfaction rate is judged completely.
Figure: Five stages of consumer decision-making process
3. Value of mapping a path to purchase: