Outline the customer decision-making process and the influences on customer behavior - Essay Example

Consumer decision Making Process Consumer decision Making Process Introduction Each time a consumer makes a decision to purchase a particular good or service; he/she passes through the process of customer decision making process. This decision making process does not only benefits consumers, it even benefits the marketers. Marketers can gain success in achieving their aims and objectives if they align their marketing technique with the consumer decision making process. BodyThe procedure of consumer decision making starts as soon as the consumer realizes that there is a gap or a need that needs to be satisfied.

Marketers need to realize this need and develop a product that satisfies the need of the consumer (Lamb, 1999, p.140). For example: the customer realizes that he/she is on a very unhealthy diet and the cafes they eat in offer very unhealthy food. The marketers need to realize that consumers need a café where they can obtain affordable food and the food should be healthy.Once the need has been identified by the consumer, next the consumer starts looking for alternatives to satisfy that particular need (Longenecker, 2012, p.57). After identifying alternatives, the customer is involved in the practice of evaluating these alternatives in order to select the best option that satisfies his/her needs (Hoyer, 2001, p.193). While looking for options the customer first looks for options he already knows about and is available in the market.

The customer is mostly aware of only those brands and options that have advertised their goods and services in an aggressive manner. For example: While locating a café where an individual can eat healthy food at reasonable prices, the customer may look at various options available to him/her.Once the customer has evaluated all its options, they will make the purchase decision (Longenecker, 2012, p.425). The purchase decision is dependant on various factors including how well the brand have been advertised, customer will always go for those brands that have been advertised well enough (Berkowitz, 1996, p.125). The purchase decision is even dependant on the accessibility of the option.

For example: if the customer wishes to eat healthy at a café, then he/she would select a café that offers healthy food. The third element on which this decision is dependant on is whether the customer has made a planned decision or has made a decision spontaneously. For example: while locating cafes that offer healthy food, customer will look at the sales representatives of the café and the over all environment of the café. These decisions can be taken into account by marketers while deciding upon the ambience and the theme of the café.

For example: if the customer prefers a café which has a soothing environment and relaxed seating arrangements, marketers can design their café accordingly.Once the customer has purchased the product and used it, he/she tries to identify whether the product or service has stood up to his/her standard of expectations (Longenecker, 2012, p.665). For example: whether the food offered at the healthy food café was as healthy as the customer has expected. The result f the purchase decision makes the customer realize whether he/she would opt for the option again or not.

ConclusionIf marketers properly plan their marketing strategy in accordance to the customer purchase decision making procedure, they can easily turn their marketing activities into a success. ReferencesBerkowitz, E. N. (1996). Essentials of health care marketing. Gaithersburg, Md: Aspen Publishers.Hoyer, W. D., & MacInnis, D. J. (2001). Consumer behavior. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.Lamb, C. W., Hair, J. F., McDaniel, C. D., Lamb, C. W., & Wardlow, D. L. (1999). Essentials of marketing. Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Pub.

Longenecker, J. G. (2012). Small business management: Launching and growing entrepreneurial ventures. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.