Dove Brand: Buyer Decision Process and Marketing Recommendations

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the buyer decision process, using Dove as a case study. It explores the five stages of the consumer decision-making process: need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase, and post-purchase evaluation. The report applies relevant theories and models, such as Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Bates' Berry-picking model, utility theory, and cognitive dissonance theory, to understand consumer behavior in relation to the Dove brand. It examines how Dove utilizes marketing strategies to influence each stage of the buyer's journey, particularly focusing on how Dove promotes its products globally. The report concludes with recommendations for Dove to enhance its marketing efforts, including leveraging social media, adding new features to its products, and implementing pricing strategies to increase sales. The analysis highlights the importance of understanding consumer behavior and adapting marketing strategies to meet the needs and preferences of customers in the competitive global market.

BUYER BEHAVIOR
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Executive Summary
This assignment is based on buyer decision process that had been described in five stages
which helps the brands to understand their customers actual needs and requirements. These
stages helps buyers to take decision of final product purchasing. This assignment had laid
emphasis on case study of DOVE so that they can implement various techniques to sell their
products globally. There are various kinds of models or theories that had been applied at
different stages of buyers decision making process.
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Contents
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................4
Overview of case study:..............................................................................................................4
Need Recognition........................................................................................................................5
Information search......................................................................................................................5
Evaluation of Alternatives..........................................................................................................5
Purchase......................................................................................................................................6
Post-purchase Evaluation............................................................................................................6
RECOMMENDATION...................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
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INTRODUCTION
The buyer decision process is mainly representing the stages of purchaser that will go
through understand the actual need and requirement. It also useful for making the final decision
of product purchasing.
Dove is a type of personal case brand that owned by Unilever in UK and sold their
products across 150 countries. It offers the variety of products for both women and men or
babies. It was founded 1955 by Lever Brothers.
This report will discuss about the case study of “Dove” that can implement the technique
to promote their new product in global marketplace. It will describe about the various type of
theoretical concepts and model that can implement in the brand awareness. Furthermore, this
report will discuss about the different stages of customer buyer decision process.
MAIN BODY
Overview of case study:
Dove is a leading brand that provide the personal care products all over the world. It was started
in 1957 and now established their footprint over 80 nations in globally. It may include the wide
range of products such as body washes, hair car, lotions and other beauty items. It was started
their journey through advertisement in 1957 for providing the information about cleansing
cream. The promotional ad encourages the users to purchase the product because it can be
promoted effectively and efficiently (Agrawal, Daskalakis and Sivan, 2018). Suddenly, it also
moving towards the fashioned soap which emphasis the quality of item from other brands. In this
way, it has been successfully expanded their business and target the group of people.
In 2006, it was launched the new photo of real women after using the Dove products.
This advertisement usually part of campaign for real beauty. This type of strategy has been
planned for increasing the number of customers through global marketplace.
Stages of consumer decision making process:
It can be divided five different type of stages while many client passes through the stages
and also evaluating for product purchased decision. It has been implementing the efforts and
time which devote to each stage that may depend on the different factors such as client
motivations and risk.
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Need Recognition
It is initial step of buying decision because it never possible without recognition to the
need and requirement of purchase. The need of customer should be triggered by the external and
internal advertisement. In this stage, it is to be considered the Maslow’s theory that can help for
identifying the need of people (Bayevon, Schlippenbach and Wey, 2018). As per theory, when a
person only fulfilling the requirement at different stages. Human being ascends the level of need
hierarchy that can fulfilled requirement for achieving the self-actualization. It is mainly
conducted on the basis of self-actualization that must satisfying need of client.
Information search
It is second step in the purchase buying decision because client may take after the
recognition of issues and problem in the item. In this stage, it will identify that what type of
solution suitable. Many buyers are putting some efforts for search at searching the information of
“Dove” product by different sources and directly impact on the buyer decision making.
Bates’ Berry-picking model can be implementing the information search that continuing work on
the search tactics (MakRapoport and Gisches, 2018). It is one of common approach that must be
identifying the characteristics and complexity of search process. This type model consists of
different type of strategies that useful for “Dove Brand”.
 Search the queries and evolved it
 Identifying the barrier for finding set of retrieved.
 Access the resources in multiple content and formats.
Evaluation of Alternatives
In this stage, Customers are evaluating the different types of products of “DOVE” on the
basis of varying in their attributes. It also delivers the advantages of customers. This stage must
be influenced by the one attitude. On the other hand, the degree of Involvement always
influences the evaluation process (Osmonbekov and Johnston, 2018). For Example- involvement
of customer is very high towards the brand of “DOVE”.
In this stage, it is used the utility theory that can propose that client make decision on the
basis of their expected results and outcome of decisions. Client may view as the rational those
who are able to estimate the accurate results. Sometimes, client doesn't understand the consistent,
rational and aware about the element that enter in the decision making.
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Purchase
At this stage customers already decide what they want to purchase and from where they
want to purchase the product they desire for. At this stage customers had either made decision
based on television advertisements, or the knowledge they have gathered or through an
emotional connection with the brand (Karimi, Papamichail and Holland, 2015). Here, customers
have already devices which DOVE product they want to buy and from where they want to buy it
based on the research they have conducted. In this stage customers buy the right product from
the right place and gain a positive, wonderful and precious experience. But, however there are
various other factors that can affect their decision making process such as the DOVE product
they want to buy and from the place they want to buy is unavailable or out of stock. In such case
consumer either wait for the product or buy it from another shop of from online e-commerce
websites. Purchase decision of customers can also change based on sales or offers provided by
stores on the product. For example: Buy 4 DOVE soaps and get 1 free.
For this satisfying decision making theory can be used. This theory focuses on satisfying
results rather than optimal solutions. As per this theory customers mostly take decisions that
satisfy them rather than thinking of the most ideal and optimal solution. This is because as per
this theory searching of an optimal solution might consume unnecessary energy, consume time
and resources. This theory can be used in consumer decision making process for purchasing of
DOVE products.
Post-purchase Evaluation
Last stage in consumer decision making process is post purchase product evaluation
stage. Most of the companies do not focus on this stage and simply ignore this stage as it comes
after the purchasing of the product is done. But companies like DOVE do not ignore this stage as
it affects consumers further decision making process i.e. whether the customer will buy the same
product again or not. According to (Huang and Benyoucef, 2017) consumers decision making
process is a continuous process which completely depend upon their past experience with the
product or service and based on this experience they take decision whether they want to buy the
product or service again or not. In this stage customers simply review the product i.e. whether
they purchase a correct product or a wrong product.
For this cognitive dissonance theory can be used. It is a psychological theory that is used
when a person holds two or more simultaneous thoughts, ideas, beliefs, emotions etc. for a single
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thing. At this stage buyers either feel exited and happy about the product they purchased or feel
sad and remorse for the product they purchased. They may question themselves i.e. whether they
purchased a correct product or not. This might be because of their experience or because of the
advertisements of competitors products and might question their decision of purchasing the
product.
RECOMMENDATION
It has been summarized that Dove is a leading brand that provide wide range of products in
marketplace. It will use the social media platform to promote their product quality and service
which help for increasing the production and sales. As per case study, it has been analysed that
“Dove” should use different technique to promote their new product in global marketplace. It
also understands that different type of theoretical concepts and model will help for identifying
the need and requirement of client, it provide the information of product through distributed
channels. It has recommended to the brand of dove for adding new features and safety aspects in
their product so that many customers are attracted towards. On the other hand, it should require
for implementing the pricing strategy to give many discounts and sale.
CONCLUSION
As per discussion, it concluded that The buyer decision is a type of process that help for
identifying the suitable products and services for customer’s. it can be representing the stages of
purchaser that go through understand the actual need and requirement. It also useful for making
the final decision of product purchasing. It summarised that the case study of “Dove” that can
implement the technique to promote their new product in global marketplace. It describes about
the various type of theoretical concepts and model that can implement in the brand awareness.
Furthermore, this report discusses about the different stages of customer buyer decision process.
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REFERENCES
Book and Journals
Agrawal, S., Daskalakis, C. and Sivan, B., 2018. Robust repeated auctions under heterogeneous
buyer behavior. arXiv preprint arXiv:1803.00494.
Baye, I., von Schlippenbach, V. and Wey, C., 2018. One‐Stop Shopping Behavior, Buyer Power
and Upstream Merger Incentives. The Journal of Industrial Economics. 66(1). pp.66-94.
Huang, Z. and Benyoucef, M., 2017. The effects of social commerce design on consumer
purchase decision-making: An empirical study. Electronic Commerce Research and
Applications. 25. pp.40-58.
Karimi, S., Papamichail, K.N. and Holland, C.P., 2015. The effect of prior knowledge and
decision-making style on the online purchase decision-making process: A typology of
consumer shopping behaviour. Decision Support Systems. 77. pp.137-147.
Mak, V., Rapoport, A. and Gisches, E., 2018. Dynamic pricing decisions and seller-buyer
interactions under capacity constraints. Games. 9(1). p.10.
Osmonbekov, T. and Johnston, W.J., 2018. Adoption of the Internet of Things technologies in
business procurement: impact on organizational buying behavior. Journal of Business &
Industrial Marketing. 33(6). pp.781-791.
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