Consumer buying process

Buying is a crucial process for a consumer. He has to prepare at least for a minute. Before buying a product one will go through lot of thinking and analyses. In case of cheaper products buyer will take decision fast. But cases like students are purchasing a laptop, or an employer buys a car, goes through a long span of time with analysis and thinking. Today the world is dumped with thousands of products. The consumer always gets confused with the thinking of which one he will purchase? The following stages a common buyer passes through.

                    Recognition of a need is the first stage. When a person feels that he is lacking something, there arises a need. This is the first stage of a buying process. A need may be internal or external. When one feels thirst, hunger is an internal stimulus. When one feels a need because of the influence of the society it is an external need. After the need is identified the buyer will search for the products. There he will be finding thousands of products and its information. Here the consumer will collect maximum information regarding the products. He will collect the information from advertisements in newspaper, TV, radio, websites etc. also asks for friends and relations for information.

          

When the search is over, he will start for alternative products. After the collection of information, this process involves the classification, analysis and evaluation of the different alternatives available in the market. After the evaluation process the consumer will find which alternative bring favorable need satisfaction to him. Then the next stage leads a prospect to the purchase decision. Here he pays the products which he ranked first. This purchase may leads to a trial purchase or a repeat purchase.

   

For a marketer, after selling a product doesn't stop the duty to monitor these consumers. He has to look the consumers and has to find out whether he is satisfied or dissatisfied with the product and services. The marketer should understand; the behavior which may be higher satisfaction or neutral or below satisfaction.