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Home , Consumer behaviour

“THE 'S PURCHASE DECISION PROCESS-A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK” Sadaf Siddiqui1, Dr Kirti Agarwal2 1Research Scholar, Sri Venkateshwara University, Gajraula (India) 2Supervisor, Director, ITERC College, GZB, NCR (India)

ABSTRACT The study of consumer behaviour is concerned with all aspects of purchasing behaviour - from pre-purchase activities through to post-purchase and evaluation activities. It is also concerned with all persons involved, either directly or indirectly, in purchasing decisions and consumption activities including -influencers and opinion leaders. Research has shown that consumer behaviour is difficult to predict, even for experts in the field. However, new research methods such as and consumer are shedding new light on how make decisions.

I. INTRODUCTION Consumer behaviour is the study of individuals, groups, or and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy their and wants. It is also concerned with the social and economic impacts that purchasing and consumption behaviour has on both the individual consumer and on broader society. Consumer behaviour blends elements from , , social , and , especially behavioural economics. It examines how , attitudes and preferences affect buying behaviour. Characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics, lifestyles and behavioural variables such as usage rates, usage occasion, loyalty, brand advocacy, willingness to provide referrals, in an attempt to understand people's wants and consumption are all investigated in formal studies of consumer behaviour. The study of consumer behaviour also investigates the influences, on the consumer, from groups such as , friends, sports, reference groups, and society in general. The study of consumer behaviour is concerned with all aspects of purchasing behaviour - from pre-purchase activities through to post-purchase consumption and evaluation activities. It is also concerned with all persons involved, either directly or indirectly, in purchasing decisions and consumption activities including brand-influencers and opinion leaders. Research has shown that consumer behaviour is difficult to predict, even for experts in the field. However, new research methods such as ethnography and are shedding new light on how consumers make decisions. Customer relationship (CRM) databases have become an asset for the analysis of customer behaviour. The voluminous data produced by these databases enables detailed examination of behavioural factors that contribute to customer re-purchase intentions, consumer retention, loyalty and other behavioural intentions such as the willingness to provide positive referrals, become brand advocates or engage in customer citizenship activities.

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Databases also assist in , especially behavioural segmentation such as developing loyalty segments, which can be used to develop tightly targeted, customized marketing strategies on a one-to-one basis.

II. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Purchase decision process begins with problem recognition (also known as category or need arousal). This is when the consumer identifies a need, typically defined as the difference between the consumer's current state and their desired or ideal state. A simpler way of thinking about problem recognition is that it is where the consumer decides that he or she is 'in the market' for a product or to satisfy some need or want. The strength of the underlying need drives the entire decision process.

III. OBJECTIVBES OF THE STUDY  To know the framework of models of purchasing decision process  To know the elements which affects on consumer purchasing decision.

IV. REVIEW LITERATURE The essence of this approach is critical for organizational success, so that they can have a better understanding of their customer (Solomon et al., 2006). The physical action or behavior of consumer and their buying decision every day can be measured directly by marketers (Papanastassiu and Rouhani, 2006). For that reason many organizations these days are spending lot of their resources to research how consumer makes their buying decision, what they buy, how much they buy, when they buy, and where they buy (Kotler, Amstrong, 2001). To get a well coherent result, organizations normally looked at these behavior base their analysis on difference conceptions; whether customers buying behavior were measured from different perspectives, such as product quality and better service, lower price structured etc (Papanastassiu and Rouhani, 2006) Different theories and researchers have claimed that when fully meet all aspects of its customer needs, the result enhances their profitability (Chaudhuri, 2006), and also enable them to develop a better tackling strategies for consumer (As seal, 1998). Possibly, the most challenging concept in marketing deals with the understanding why buyers do what they do and what method or philosophy are they using to evaluate the product after the transactions and what might be the effect on future transaction (Schiff man, 2004). The reason why marketer chooses to learning about consumers” buying behavior is, from a perspective; to be able to be more effectively reach consumers and increase the chances for success (Sergeant & West, 2001). Therefore the field of consumer behavior has taken a tremendous turn in the commercial world and became the fundamental concepts of achieving company goal (Schiff man and Kanuk, 2007). More recently, different researchers and author have given their definition and of consumer behavior. For Michael R. Solomon (2001) consumer behaviors typically analyze the processes of group selected or individual purchases/dispose of product, service, concept or experiences to satisfy their need and desires. Additionally, Kotler (1996) suggested that consumer behaviors have a huge impact in a firm marketing decision making process every year. There is a risk that what a consumer does will inflict on his or her behavior and generate consequences. (Snoj, Pisnik Koda & Mumel, 2004). The user and the purchaser can be different person, in some cases; another person may be an

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influencer providing recommendations for or against certain products without actually buying or using them (Solomon 1999; Solomon et al. 1999). In this case, most of the large consumer electronics retailers tend to gathered more information about customers motivating factors and what influences their buying behaviors Solomon & Stuart (2000).

V. THE PURCHASING DECISION MODEL For most purchase decisions, each of the decision roles must be performed, but not always by the same individual. For example, in the case of family making a decision about a dining-out venue, the father or mother may initiate the process by intimating that he/she is too tired to cook, the children are important influencers in the overall purchase decision, but both parents may act as joint deciders performing a gate-keeping role by vetoing unacceptable alternatives and encouraging more acceptable alternatives. The importance of children as influencers in a wide range of purchase contexts should never be underestimated and the phenomenon is known as pester power.

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To understand the mental processes used in purchasing decisions, some authors employ the concept of the "black box"; a figurative term used to describe the cognitive and affective processes used by a consumer during a purchase decision. The decision model situates the black box in a broader environment which shows the interaction of external and internal stimuli (e.g.consumer characteristics, situational factors, marketing influences and environmental factors) as well as consumer responses. The black box model is related to the black box theory of behaviourism, where the focus extends beyond processes occurring inside the consumer, and also includes the relation between the stimuli and the consumer's response. Consumers evaluate alternatives in terms of the functional and psycho-social benefits offered. Functional benefits are the tangible outcomes that can be experienced by the consumer such as taste or appearance. Psycho-social benefits are the more abstract outcomes such as the social currency that might accrue from wearing an expensive suit, designer label or driving a 'hot' car. Brand image is an important psycho-social attribute. Consumers have both positive and negative beliefs about a given brand. Consumer beliefs may differ depending on the consumer's prior experience and the effects of selective , distortion and retention. The marketing organization needs a deep understanding of the benefits most valued by consumers and therefore which attributes are most important in terms of the consumer's purchase decision. It also needs to monitor other in the customer’s consideration to optimise planning for its own brand.

VI. INFORMATION SEARCH AND EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES During the evaluation of alternatives, the consumer ranks or assesses the relative merits of different options available. No universal evaluation process is used by consumers across all-buying situations. Instead, consumers generate different evaluation criteria depending on each unique buying situation. Thus the relevant evaluation attributes vary according to across different types of consumers and purchase contexts. For example, attributes important for evaluating a restaurant would include food quality, price, location, atmosphere, quality of service and menu selection.

Consumers, depending on their geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural characteristics, will decide which attributes are important to them. Potential patrons seeking a hedonic dining experience may be willing to travel further distances to patronise a fine-dining venue compared to those wanting a quick meal at a more utilitarian eatery.

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After evaluating the different product attributes, the consumer ranks each attribute from highly important to least important. These priorities are directly related to the consumer’s needs and wants. Thus, the consumer arrives at a weighted score for each product or brand - representing the consumer's subjective assessment of individual attribute scores weighted in terms of their importance, to arrive at a total mental score or rank for each product/brand under consideration.

VII. PURCHASE DECISIONS Organizations use a variety of techniques to improve conversion rates. The provision of easy credit or payment terms may encourage purchase. Sales promotions such as the opportunity to receive a or enter a competition may provide an incentive to buy now rather than defer purchases for a later date. messages with a strong call- to-action are yet another device used to convert customers. A call-to-action is any device designed to encourage immediate sale. Typically, a call-to-action includes specific wording in an advertisement or selling pitch that employs imperative verbs such as "Buy now" or "Don't wait". Other types of calls-to-action might provide consumers with strong reasons for purchasing immediately such an offer that is only available for a limited time (e.g. 'Offer must expire soon'; 'Limited stocks available') or a special deal usually accompanied by a time constraint (e.g. 'Order before midnight to receive a free gift with your order'; 'Two for the price of one for first 50 callers only'). The key to a powerful call-to-action is to provide consumers with compelling reasons to purchase promptly rather than defer purchase decisions. As consumers approach the actual purchase decision, they are more likely to rely on personal sources of information. For this reason, personal sales representatives must be well versed in giving sales pitches and in tactics used close the sale. Methods used might include: ‘social evidence’, where the salesperson refers to previous success and satisfaction from other customers buying the product. ‘Scarcity attraction’ is another technique, where the salesperson mentions that the offer is limited, as it forces the consumer to make a quicker decision, and therefore less time evaluating alternatives.

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VIII. CONSUMER DECISION STYLES A number of theorist have argued that certain fundamental decision-making styles can be identified. A decision- making style is defined as a "mental orientation characterising a consumer's approach to making choices." Sproles and Kendall (1986) developed a consumer style inventory (CSI) consisting of eight factors, such as price-sensitivity, quality-consciousness, brand-consciousness, novelty-seeking, fashion-consciousness and habit. Based on these factors, the authors developed a typology of eight distinct decision-making styles: Those who shop for pleasure are known as recreational shoppers Quality conscious/Perfectionist: Quality-consciousness is characterised by a consumer’s search for the very best quality in products; quality conscious consumers tend to shop systematically making more comparisons and shopping around. Brand-conscious: Brand-consciousness is characterised by a tendency to buy expensive, well-known brands or designer labels. Those who score high on brand-consciousness tend to believe that the higher prices are an indicator of quality and exhibit a for department stores or top-tier outlets. Recreation-conscious/ Hedonistic: Recreational shopping is characterised by the consumer’s engagement in the purchase process. Those who score high on recreation-consciousness regard shopping itself as a form of enjoyment. Price-conscious: A consumer who exhibits price-and-value consciousness. Price-conscious shoppers carefully shop around seeking lower prices, sales or discounts and are motivated by obtaining the best value for money Novelty/fashion-conscious: characterised by a consumer’s tendency to seek out new products or new experiences for the sake of excitement; who gain excitement from seeking new things; they like to keep up-to-date with fashions and trends, variety-seeking is associated with this dimension. Impulsive: Impulsive consumers are somewhat careless in making purchase decisions, buy on the spur of the moment and are not overly concerned with expenditure levels or obtaining value. Those who score high on impulsive dimensions tend not to be engaged with the object at either a cognitive or emotional level. Confused (by over-choice): characterised by a consumer’s confusion caused by too many product choices, too many stores or an overload of product information; tend to experience . Habitual / brand loyal: characterised by a consumer’s tendency to follow a routine purchase pattern on each purchase occasion; consumers have favourite brands or stores and have formed habits in choosing, the purchase decision does not involve much evaluation or shopping around.

XI. CONCLUSION Consumers use a number of strategies to reduce purchase dissonance. A typical strategy is to look to peers or significant others for validation of the purchase choice. can also be used to remind consumers that they made a wise choice by purchasing Brand X. When consumers make unfavorable comparisons between the chosen option and the options forgone, they may feel decision regret or buyer's remorse. Consumers can also feel short-term regret when they avoid making a purchase decision, however this regret can dissipate over time. Through their experiences consumers can learn and also engage in a process that’s called hypothesis testing. This refers to the formation of hypotheses about the products or a service through prior experience or word of mouth

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communications. There are four stages that consumers go through in the hypothesis testing: Hypothesis generation, exposure of evidence, encoding of evidence and integration of evidence.

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