Consumer Behaviour Analysis: Researching the Consumer Decision-Making Process

This paper discusses the research on consumer decision-making process in buying, focusing on the stages of buying behaviour and comparing academic theory with real-life instances. The study evaluates the purchase decisions of two consumers who bought LG Televisions and finds that there are no significant differences between theory and reality. The paper provides insights into the stages of purchasing behaviour and concludes that they are universal.

Running Head: MARKETING MANAGEMENT
Topic- Consumer behaviour analysis
Assignment 1: Researching the consumer decision-making process
Student name
University name
Author notes

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Executive summary
The paper is based on research of consumer decision-making process in buying. Two
consumers are considered here and are interviewed about their latest purchase of LG Television
from the same store at New South Wales. Their stages of buying behaviour are evaluated to
academic theory on consumer buying behaviour to find any gap if prevalent. The need for buying
may different but the stages of decision-making in purchase are similar in both theories and
reality. The paper discusses the same here.

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Table of contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Discussion........................................................................................................................................4
Background information of the product and organisation...........................................................4
Primary research..........................................................................................................................4
Comparison of the primary research with academic literature....................................................5
Summary of purchasing behaviour..............................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7
Appendix..........................................................................................................................................8

4CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Introduction
The report is a reflection of the evaluation of primary research and theoretical approaches
in relation to consumer buying behaviour. Here two consumers are interviewed and their
purchase decisions are evaluated to find any gap in between theory and reality.
Discussion
Background information of the product and organisation
In this report the product Television is considered for analysis and the brand LG is
chosen. Television is an essential commodity of every household in present times but is a limited
type of purchase (Wang, Zhao and Li 2013). That is, consumers invest one time in it and not on
daily basis. In the limited decision-making process of such white goods the investment is not
very high or in other words is nominal (Tuškej, Golob and Podnar 2013). But experiencing the
product is a regular-function, as watching TV is a daily phenomenon. Online media has widened
the scope of decision making on limited products like TV as sitting at home only one can
compare and contrast the various features of a TV and can choose the best (Goodrich and De
Mooij 2014). In this regard, two consumers who have purchased LG Television from Betta
Home Living Forbes are considered for interview.
Primary research
Two consumers, Nick and Tony, from New South Wales who have purchased the same
television of brand LG, from the same store are interviewed and their feedback is used for
researching consumer decision-making process in regard to both literature support and real life
needs fulfilment. Both consumers bought LG Television set, Nick bought it recently, 1 week
back and the Tony has bought it 2 months back. The buying decision was obviously limited
purchase decision-making for both consumers. Also, for both Nick and Tony, it was a high
involvement decision-making as the purchase decision involves high risk, high value and
increased time for option comparison.
For Nick the purchase decision was essential and henceforth quick. He did not have
enough time to compare and contrast all features to choose the best Television for himself
because of his busy lifestyle. But he only wanted the latest version of a smart TV unlike his
neighbour that will have HD features. But he was sure about the brand and wanted his TV to be

5CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
of brand LG only. He went to the store and asked the sales person for a good HD quality TV, the
sales man showed him OLED TV. But due to budget constraints (below 40,000) he finally
chooses LG 108 cm Full HD LED Smart TV for 34,000. He only wanted good picture and good
sound quality smart TV. The sales man provided a full description of the television set and its
latest features and also mentioned how it best fulfils his purchase criteria. And finally, Nick
purchased the TV. There was 1-year warranty and 2 services free of cost along with free
installation. Moreover, he won some free gifts along with it in lucky draw coupon vouchers.
For Tony, the purchase decision was not quick and he compared a lot of options to
choose the best television set for his new home. The purchase decision was also influenced by
his family members and they all wanted a television that will also perform the job of a home-
theatre. Budget restriction was not there and they wanted the latest and the best television for
their home. Keeping these factors in mind they went to the store and asked for the best latest
television. After listening their prerequisites for buying the sales man advised them to buy the
latest 4K OLED television of LG which will be best for their new home. They also compared
Sony with LG and finally decided to go with LG. the OLED TV set comes in a full set having
HD speakers and quality sound system. Unlike other television it does not have one year of
warranty instead it has two years of warranty and five free of cost services. Moreover, as it was
New year time there was some discounts as well along with free gifts. Installation was free and a
set-top box was also provided additionally with the whole set of the TV. Finally, after 2 long
hours of research in the store, Tony and his family were convinced to buy the 4K OLED version
of LG TV.
Comparison of the primary research with academic literature
In literature there are a number of stages a consumer goes through before final purchasing
of the product or service (Rani 2014). First is need recognition, second is information gathering
and research, next comes evaluation of those alternatives, then comes final purchase of the
product or service and it is followed by post purchase behaviour (Jisana 2014).
Need is the most important factor that is responsible for purchase decision or leads to the
buying of the product or service (Muruganantham and Bhakat 2013). Need is the triggering
catalyst in buying decision making in individuals. For limited purchase products, as in the case
here, the next two steps of information search and evaluation of alternatives are most vital

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(Lantos 2015). When the need is recognized, information search begins (Pappas 2016). Source of
information can be personal sources, commercial sources, public sources and experiential
sources (Mortimer and Pressey 2013). In the case considered here, both Nick and Tony relied on
personal sources the most. There are also influences of commercial sources to some extent for
Tony and experiential sources to some extent for Nick. Next comes evaluation of alternatives. As
in case of Nick time for evaluation was limited, he focused on his basic needs of having a smart
HD LG television within his budget limit of 40,000. On the other hand, Tony had enough time to
compare and contrast a number of alternatives and still unsure he asked for the sales man in the
store to suggest him the best and latest Television in market. The need, taste and pocket of Tony
was not limited and therefore he took longer time to decide upon the final alternative. But finally,
he and his family purchased the 4K OLED LG TV for their home. The post purchase analysis
was not so robust in the case of Tony as decision-making as done in such an extensive manner
that there is no scope of wastage or non-fulfillment of their needs. But they were happy with
their purchase. Nick was also happy as he got his need fulfilled within his budget.
It is clear from the above discussion that both in academic literature theories and practical
lives the decision making of buying behaviour are quite same and there are no such noteworthy
differences in consumer buying behaviour.
Summary of purchasing behaviour
It is evident that the stages of purchasing behaviour in literature is same in real life
instances as well. The most difficult stage is to convert a lead to a consumer (Bronner and de
Hoog 2014). In general consideration, the first stage of triggering the need is the most crucial and
is the most difficult in a buying process. Once the need is triggered information search and other
stages will follow accordingly (Goodrich and De Mooij 2014). But here, the need was already
triggered and for nick information search and evaluation was crucial as he was not able to
compare a number of alternatives and therefore risk of failure in choosing the best option for him
was higher. In case of Tony, he was stuck with evaluation of alternatives for a longer time and
this stage was crucial for him and his family.

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Conclusion
Thus, to conclude the paper it could be said that there is no line of demarcation among
academic theories and real-life instances of consumer buying decision-making process and the
five basic stages are universal to all, be it theoretical perspectives or real-life evidences.
References
Bronner, F. and de Hoog, R., 2014. Social media and consumer choice. International Journal of
Market Research, 56(1), pp.51-71.
Goodrich, K. and De Mooij, M., 2014. How ‘social’are social media? A cross-cultural
comparison of online and offline purchase decision influences. Journal of Marketing
Communications, 20(1-2), pp.103-116.
Jisana, T.K., 2014. Consumer behaviour models: an overview. Sai Om Journal of Commerce &
Management, 1(5), pp.34-43.
Lantos, G.P., 2015. Consumer behavior in action: Real-life applications for marketing
managers. Routledge.
Mortimer, K. and Pressey, A., 2013. Consumer information search and credence services:
implications for service providers. Journal of Services Marketing, 27(1), pp.49-58.
Muruganantham, G. and Bhakat, R.S., 2013. A review of impulse buying behavior. International
Journal of Marketing Studies, 5(3), p.149.
Pappas, N., 2016. Marketing strategies, perceived risks, and consumer trust in online buying
behaviour. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 29, pp.92-103.
Rani, P., 2014. Factors influencing consumer behaviour. International journal of current
research and academic review, 2(9), pp.52-61.
Tuškej, U., Golob, U. and Podnar, K., 2013. The role of consumer–brand identification in
building brand relationships. Journal of business research, 66(1), pp.53-59.
Wang, J.J., Zhao, X. and Li, J.J., 2013. Group buying: A strategic form of consumer
collective. Journal of Retailing, 89(3), pp.338-351.

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Appendix
Transcript of interview session (here interview is taken by John in both cases)
Interview with Nick
John: Hi, Mr. Nick!!! Hope your latest purchased TV is performing smoothly?
Nick: Yes, absolutely... smiles
John: ok, I want to ask you a few questions regarding your purchase better to say purchase
decision, as a part of my marketing project. I have nothing personal to it, only for academic
purposes.
Nick: Yes, sure. But please be fast.
John: sure. So, what made you purchase the Television?
Nick: Well, it is quite obvious to have a television in one’s home as it has become part and
parcel of our daily lives. It has become basic necessity in our lives. But yes, I have purchased
it only for entertainment and amusement purpose and to pass my time during holidays and off
days. I live alone here renting an apartment and few days back my neighbour bought the same
a TV and this triggered my need and I also purchased it finally.
John: ok, so what information you needed for purchasing? Do you compare other options?
Nick: See, basically, I am not such a fascinating person to buy an OLED TV for myself and
also do have budget constraints. I wanted a TV having good sound and picture quality. I
preferred brand LG as in my home we have one. So, I purchased a smart LED LG TV and that
too in my budget. I have not actually compared other brand options but have compared TVs of
LG to a considerable extent.
John: that’s great. What about post-purchase evaluation?
Nick: not any such but yes, it’s working greatly and I am happy with my purchase. No regrets.
John: ok. Great, thank you so much for you valuable time. Thank you
Nick: please. Thank you, bye.

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Interview with Tony
John: Hi, Mr. Tony!!! Congratulations on your new TV purchase. Hope it is performing
smoothly?
Tony: ohhh... its great…amazing. A perfect fit for my new home.
John: that sounds great. Just a few questions about your purchase. You purchased it 2 months
back, right? Did you regret of purchasing it 2 months before as new and better options are
available in market at present?
Tony: no, not really, it was a joint family decision to purchase on that time and all are happy
with it and so am I.
John: so how did the need arise?
Tony: we have recently shifted to our new home and have replaced most of our old furniture
and fixtures and having a Home theatre like TV was our dream. And it is fulfilled now.
John: that’s great. So how do you collect information and compare alternatives?
Tony: actually, we did not have any brand preference nor did we have any budget constraints.
We only wanted the latest and the best of all. We even went to the store keeping in mind that
we need the best TV and the store manger and the salesman there guide us in choosing the best
alternative of all. Actually, we did an extensive research but could not come to a conclusion
and when we mentioned our criteria for the TV, they guide us in our purchase.
John: so how is you post purchase experience?
Tony: its amazing, we all are enjoying watching it and are very happy with our purchase.
John: great!!! Thank you, for sharing your experiences.
Tony: thank you very much.