No matter the industry, business one is in, one should be aware of the consumer buying process and take full advantage of it. Many companies forget about a consumer and put their efforts on marketing. A majority of businesses forget that a customer goes through some process before purchasing any commodity. It has been observed that consumers will engage in the process of buying before engaging with a company. This article will try and address the processes that a customer will go through even before they engage in the buying process (Foxall, 2014). When a business understands the buying process, they can design their products and even make improvements to their sales strategy.
Problem Recognition: This is the first step, and it entails a customer recognizing that they are in need of a product before they do the buying. This problem makes a product provider to have a challenge or an opportunity as they want to identify with a customer. A product manufacturer can articulate matter to do with any problem in the marketing efforts. A business should be able to communicate the problems that are addressed by a given commodity (Hamzah et. al, 2016). When a business has the needed content, it is easy to identify with an audience.
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Information search: After a customer gets to know their problems, they begin looking for information to get help. A majority of people are known to look for information from family members, friends or even colleagues with the aim of finding for recommendations. This is the most critical stage since if a customer is not satisfied with the information that they find, they end up being misplaced. Business people should take advantage of this stage and focus on their products. Once a product is good, the people themselves to broadcast the product. An organization should also try as much as it can and have and built authority like by having a strong presence on online platforms.
Evaluation of Alternatives: This is the third process in consumer buying process. Some customers will arrive at a decision as soon as possible while others will have to observe the available solutions critically. Some customers are known to evaluate all the available options looking at the advantages and disadvantages of them. A company may be having the best deal, but some consumers will go for another alternative. In beating the competition, an organization should have more value in a product and try to communicate what a product can do to a customer (Foxall, 2014).
Purchase Decision: After a customer has looked at all the available options, they will then decide if to purchase or not. A customer may have reached a decision, but they can still decide to keep off from the buying process. At this stage, a customer needs to be assured that their problem will be solved by a product that they are to purchase. In instances where customers walk away, an organization should bring them back by emailing them of new upgrades in a product that they were in need off.
Purchase: This stage calls for an organization to make it easy for a customer to do the purchasing. If a customer is buying by use of an online platform, the process should be easy. Using a phone or a desktop should come in handy (Foxall, 2014). All processes that can facilitate a customer from buying should be easy to entice a customer more to services offered.
Post-Purchase: After a customer buys a product, they may think hard by re-evaluating what they have purchased. These customers will do by looking if a product can meet their needs and satisfy them. When a customer is not satisfied with a product, they may not return to a shop that they bought from (Solomon et. al, 2014). In some instances, unsatisfied customers may want to be refunded their money. A good organization should address all the worries of a customer to accommodate a consumer’s feelings.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the six steps should make one have a better comprehension of the process of thought in the purchase process. They are instrumental when used in the consumer buying process. The steps can also be used in addressing the thinking of a customer. These steps are also handy when used with marketing efforts in enticing a customer buy a product (Farah, et. al,2017).
References
Farah, M. F., & Ramadan, Z. B. (2017). Disruptions versus more disruptions: How the Amazon dash button is altering consumer buying patterns. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services , 39 , 54-61.
Foxall, G. (2014). Consumer Behaviour (RLE Consumer Behaviour): A Practical Guide . Routledge.
Hamzah, S. B., & Sutanto, J. E. (2016). The Role of Marketing Mix (7P) for Consumer Buying Decision Pastry Cake in Malang City.
Solomon, M. R., Dahl, D. W., White, K., Zaichkowsky, J. L., & Polegato, R. (2014). Consumer behaviour: Buying, having, and being (Vol. 10). Pearson.
