Consumer Behaviour and Insight: Decision Making at Boots Ltd. UK

This report provides an analysis of consumer behaviour and insights within the context of Boots Ltd, a company operating in the health, beauty, and pharmacy sector. It explores the stages of consumer decision-making, highlighting the importance of mapping the purchase path and understa...Read More

Consumer Behaviour
and insight

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Stages of consumer decision making process ............................................................................3
Importance of mapping the purchase path and consumer decision making................................5
Differences in decision making process of B2B AND B2C.......................................................6
Approaches to market research and it methods...........................................................................7
Influence of marketers on consumer decision process in B2B and B2C....................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Consumer behaviour refers to the study of consumers, groups, organizations and all the
activities related to purchase of goods and services. Consumer insight means an interpretation
used by marketers to gain a deeper understanding of how the consumers thinks. Analysing the
consumer’s behaviour gives businesses to understand what they need and why? Consumer
research is done in order to understand market needs, sizes, competitors and customers. Having
knowledge of consumers mindset can be extremely valuable. It helps companies to map
customer journey and find any faults. They tell companies why companies why consumer is
buying certain products. This report is based on Boots limited, established in year 1849. It deals
in health, beauty and pharmacy sector. Study of stages of consumer decision making for the
product and mapping the path of purchase is important is going to be done. Difference between
decision making of B2C and B2B are going to be discussed. How marketers can influence the
decision process and approaches to market research is also evaluated.
MAIN BODY
Stages of consumer decision making process
Consumer decision making process is very complex, but consumers go through some
steps while purchasing a product or service to know what fits their need. It involves the process
of identifying needs, gathering information, evaluating alternatives and decision of buying which
is influenced by economic and social factors (Bognar, Puljic and Kadezabek, 2019). Each
consumer has different needs so they make different decisions. So marketers evaluate the process
by using 5 step which affect consumer decision process.

Figure 1Consumer Decision making process, 2022
Need Recognition
First step in buying process is the need of consumer which need to be satisfied. It is the
trigger point of buying products. They feel something is missing which needs to be satisfied.
Boots ltd. Which deals in beauty and health products and their target consumers are consumer
who are focussed more on looking good and stay healthy. So the marketers of Boots company
choose marketing strategies which target these consumers. They are fulfilling the demands of
consumers which need products related to health and beauty. Company runs advertisements
which promote use of healthy products and at the same time encourage consumer to buy their
products.
Searching information
Consumers are not experts of products they buy or use. So while making decision they
research for the products and gather information about products they need. Internet has become

the primary source of tool to search the information as it the easiest and instant way for
searching. Consumers decisions are also affected by familie4s, friends and past experiences.
Boots ltd. Uses online marketing tools to advertise their products and conduct regular surveys
about their products to know the in efficiency (Halwani, 2020). They run campaigns to influence
the consumer by various means such as keyword marketing, positive\ reviews and many more
which affect the decision process.
Evaluation of Alternatives
After consumer has researched about the products they begin to look for the best deal.
Price and quality are the major factors which affect the decision process. They read reviews,
compare various products prices and choose which fulfils their demands and needs. Boots ltd.
Offer the products at such prices in compare to competitors which affect the decision process of
consumer. They provide excellent quality products to customers so that mouth publicity makes
them ahead of competitors.
Selection stage
Customers after matching all the criteria now decide what product they are going to
purchase and from where. They can choose products which they have already used or select
products after seeing the advertisements and on reviews. Boots marketers try to do marketing in
such a way that the consumers get attracted to their products and buy it over all the alternatives.
Evaluation
After doing purchase of the product consumers evaluate that whether product has
satisfied their need or not and met their expectation? Companies want a lifelong consumer not
one-time buyer. So they try to provide experience which makes loyal customer base. Boots ltd.
Provides excellent quality and services to consumers in order to establish themselves as a
consumer centric brand (Szmigin and Piacentini, 2018).
Double loop journey- McKinsey model of purchase decision has various stages of
customer journey which is cyclical in nature, consumer decision making process doesn't end at
buying but move ahead by post purchase experiences.

Figure 2Customer journey double loop map, 2021
Post purchase experience- Regular customer conversion into loyal customer starts after the
services provided by the company to them. Post purchase experience is very important and
feedback about the products move along the journey of the brand, BOOTS LTD. Engage with
the customers by various means like surveys, emailss, appreciation and many more. Company
provides assistance to consumers who are facing any issues regarding the product. These
experiences create an image of the company in the minds of the consumer which encourages to
buy them again.
Loyalty loop- There are 2 types of loyalists active and passive. Customers who openly show
preference for a brand and buys only that. Passive are those who buy products but do not prefer
to market it to other consumers. Boots ltd. Focuses on building active loyal consumers who will
help them to market their product by mouth publicity. Her loop comes as when need any product
they recall the brand of the company. Loyalty loop allows consumers to bypass the consumer
decision process and immediately reach to buying decision after need recognition.
Consumer decision making process is very important part for organizations to sell their
products. Proper understanding of consumer behaviour increases their efficiency of their
marketing plans.

Importance of mapping the purchase path and consumer decision making
Customer journey mapping is the way of visualizing the experience of customer. It helps
marketers to tell the story of consumer experience with their brand across all touchpoints. These
exercises help organizations to see their business from customer’s perspective. It tells them pain
points of business and how they can improve it. It is very important for marketers to understands
customer behaviour. Mapping helps them to zoom out and look at company’s products from
multiple points and understand the problem they are trying to solve. BOOTS LTD. Sells health
and beauty products to its customers, its marketers map the journey of consumer experience so
that they can get the idea of problems and solve it. It helps them to identify opportunities like
mapping enables them to communicate aspects of consumer experience and tap in to new
markets (Berman, 2020). It creates solutions for future problems. Journey mapping gives
advantage to business as marketers need to discuss customer’s experiences, see their needs and
improve services. Mapping increase revenue as positive consumer experience about the business
increase sales. This method helps to improve service and consumers trust mouth publicity.
Mapping journey
 Identifying all touchpoints- Marketers start by listing all the existing touchpoints where
a customer can interact with the brand. Boots products are available at various
touchpoints so marketers have to locate all the points were customer can contact business.
For ex- Online website, social media, app etc.
 Choosing target customers- Creating a target market helps marketers to clarify and
build framework for reaching potential customers. Like Boots main customer is women
so it creates experience at each touch point for them. All the strategies are built for
increasing women customers (Rudkowski and et, al., 2020).
 Understanding customer goals- To move along customers in the journey of purchase
marketers need to understand what are their customer’s goals. Boot marketers review
consistently the touch points in order to know the consumer expectation, like website for
information of bandgap for products prices, phone for customer service etc.
 Visualise and map out the consumer’s flow of interaction- It is when customer
journey come to life, now Boots company has selected their target customer’s women and
marketers place touch points in a linear path towards final goal that is purchase.

 Prioritize touchpoints- By zooming out, marketers see what are the main touchpoints
were there target customers were more active. Then they develop strategy for growth.
Boots ltd. Examines each touch points and improve them as it will impact the consumer
decision.
 Review and update – Marketers improve services but in future when needed they review
the map and see whether any further improvement is needed as the market keeps
evolving.
It is very important for marketers for mapping the customer journey as it directly affect their
decision making and improve customer experience.
Differences in decision making process of B2B AND B2C
B2B means business to business company which provides services to other company
whereas B2C means business to consumer company which sells directly to consumers. Every
business has different models for serving to different customers (Thakur, 2018).
4 BIG DIFFERENCES
B2C B2B
Pricing models Boots ltd. Offers single tier
pricing for all customers
depending on product or
service. They are only affected
if any discount or sale is given
on products.
They usually follow multiple
levels of discounts based on
quantities. Their payments also
varies as company gives credit
of 30 days.
Customer service Company uses consumer
service representatives to help
customers to resolve their
issues.
Managers bring wholesale
customers and contact them
for orders.
Buying process These consumers buy more
frequently and are less
informed about the purchase.
They are slow and informed
about purchases as they order
in huge quantity.
Checkout structure It is designed to avoid
customers who are not
There involves more options
like automatic order point,

interested in buying. multiple shipping address.
Boots ltd. Provides services and products to both retailers and wholesalers as it many
stores in UK. Decision making process of both are very different as B2B customers take longer
time to purchase as their demand is huge and they want full details of the product before placing
any orders whereas B2C customers are more frequent buyers of the products as they buy in less
quantity. B2B customers are business who need products for solution for fulfilling their business
strategy. But B2C customers buy products to fulfil their needs. Sales and marketing for both
categories is different as advertising and commercials are used for B2C and for B2B personal
marketing by marketers is done to attract them. B2B customers buy products when certain
criteria are met by the organization like price, features and overall performance and benefit it
will bring to company but B2C customers purchases products according to their need and do not
have any specific requirements (Rėklaitis, and Pilelienė, 2019). Buying process is longer in B2B
as they see the cost reputation of suppliers and functionalities of the product whereas B2C
customers buy products which value for money, reading reviews. B2B customers want excellent
services after buying the product but B2C customers do not care for post sales services. All these
affect the consumer buying decision.
Approaches to market research and it methods
Market research reveals opinions about company’s products in compare to competitors. Firm
also gets to know about the factors that contribute to company’s success and allow marketers to
get understanding of consumer values. It can be useful in developing new products and new
marketing strategies. Marketers of Boots Ltd. Use various approaches to influence the decision
process of B2B and B2C consumers (Hackett, 2018). There are two types of researches which
company do primary and secondary.
Primary research- It is the original research conducted by the company that involves collection
of information directly from consumers. It usually consists of asking questions to consumers.
Some of these are-;
Surveys- For B2C consumer’s firms reaches them by online forms and by sending them mails
asking questions regarding products whereas for B2B consumers are directly contacted by phone
and meeting in person to ask any questions regarding services. Surveys help marketers to gain
knowledge about products and services they are delivering to consumers and improve it.

Field trials- Products are placed in store by marketers to know the response of them and how
they react to product in B2C while B2B consumers are provided with sample products to use and
tell the feedback.
Focus groups- Marketers gather information from a group which represents the larger group of
consumers of B2C and record response of them to know what changes they want in the product
but in B2B they personally ask consumers about specific requirements they want in the products.
Personal interviews- B2C consumers are asked questions about products with one participant at
a time to know the insights whereas B2B consumers are contacted personally and interviewed in
depth to know the response and feedback.
Observation- Marketers observe B2C consumers purchasing habits while they buy products and
note what are their shopping patterns and habits, while in the case of B2B consumers firm study
the patterns of buying and requirements of wholesale consumers.
Secondary research- It is the research which is already done by some other company. It can
have accessed from online journals, articles etc. It is useful for companies having less resources
to conduct market research (Esteban-Bravo and Vidal-Sanz,2021).
Marketers of BOOT LTD. use these all methods to know the what factors affect the decision of
consumers so that they can improve the services and products.
Influence of marketers on consumer decision process in B2B and B2C
Decision making of B2B and B2C is affected by marketers as they impact the whole
process by using various strategies like marketing campaigns, commercials and many more. Both
consumers’ needs are different from each other’s so marketers plan their campaigns accordingly
to establish their brand between consumers (Kranzbühler and et, al., 2018).
Need Recognition
Marketers influence B2C customers by providing them necessary information about the
products by putting ads and commercials so when they feel need of particular product, they
choose the company’s products. They make brand image between consumers so they buy the
firms products whereas B2B customers are impacted by marketers by brand imagery as they are
wholesalers who buy products from reputed companies and brand image matters here a lot.
Marketers show that they have all the products which can fulfil their need.
Searching information

B2B consumers who thoroughly research about the products before buying, here
marketers use different tactics to convert them into potential customers by engaging with them
personally and be available at all times and solve all their queries. B2C customer’s decisions are
affected by marketers with the use of internet marketing, SEO etc. Marketers give all the
information about products to customers by various means.
Evaluation of Alternatives
B2C customers are more price centric so marketers influence them by giving more
discounts and offers so that consumers get attracted towards the company products. B2B
customers are more quality centric and they require deals which also doesn't affect their budget
so marketers give them best deals according to purchase as their order is huge.
Selection stage
Retail customers after getting best price deals and discounts offer and discounts offer
from Boots marketers are more likely to choose the company’s products, but marketers choose
different approach for B2B customers as they buy seeing offers, they require excellent services
and company give them personalized presentation of products so they have knowledge about the
products and its quality.
Evaluation
Marketers provide post sales services to B2B clients more efficiently by regularly
contacting them and asking if there is some issue or not by managers personally but B2C
consumers are provided with customer support as they do not have frequent issues.
Marketing helps to increase the share in industry by attracting new customers by different
methods. It affects the decision of consumer by doing never ending marketing, consumer
engagement, trendsetting etc.
Influence of elements of marketing mix and cultural on consumer decision process
Consumers needs and behaviour are determined by culture. Boots products are majorly
youth oriented. Their buying behaviour is influenced by social class, culture, sub culture. All the
consumers who buy Boots products have different languages and values. For instance,
Consumers who belong to certain cultures like Islamic and Catholic cultures are ended to buy
more products which depicts their cultural values. Individuals who live in joint family are likely
to spend less money on beauty products than nuclear family individuals. This is how culture

affect their decision of purchase. Moreover, the company is highly affected by the culture and
subculture of its customers.
4Ps- Elements of marketing mix has a huge impact on decision of consumer.
Product- Wide range of products help in fulfilling the needs of consumer as per their
requirements. Consumer buy products from company which has variety of products, brand, size,
packaging. They want high quality in products as it shapes the brand image in their mind and
influence them to buy.
Price- It is one of the flexible elements which can change the whole buying decision of
consumer, so the price of the product must be reasonable and not so less also. Consumer decision
for buying the product can be influenced by applying various strategies to attract them.
Promotion- The mind-set of the consumer can be changed by effective marketing techniques.
Consumer observe and gather information about the product from advertising and marketing by
the company, so the companies should keep in this mind while making marketing strategies.
Place- It is the distribution channel from manufacture to consumer by the supply chain.
Consumer are tending to buy products which they can see on the shelf of the stores. So Boots ltd.
Should manage it supply chain effectively to make sure that consumer can easily find their
products as it can influence them to a great extent.
CONCLUSION
This report has extensively covered the topics relating to consumer decision process and 5 stages
of how a consumer buys a product by searching and evaluating products and how marketer
influence customer’s decision process. Mapping of customer journey to know the in and out of
the products and improve them by providing excellent services and products to consumer and
what is the difference between B2B and B2C buying decisions was also discussed. Different
approaches to market research and methods were also studied. Marketers play important role in
impacting consumers and studying their behaviour.

REFERENCES
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