Today, consumers go through various complex processes when making purchasing decisions. In this process, the complex functioning of the brain and the influence of various factors play an important role. The consumer purchasing decision process is not as simple or straightforward as many of us think. For example, the fact that a product is useful to the consumer or fits his budget may not be a sufficient reason for him to buy that product. In the background, there are many factors in the consumer brain that affect purchasing behavior. That’s why it’s important to evaluate consumers and follow a good strategy. Understanding the factors affecting consumer behavior is more difficult than we think. Because the consumer expresses the factors that affect the purchasing decision in fewer words than we think. The reasons for this include various factors such as ethical values and the consumer’s lack of awareness of the situation they are affected by. Therefore, determining a strategy by conducting in-depth research is of critical importance. In this article, we will touch upon various details about the purchasing decision process in order to understand your consumer behavior.
Overview of Purchasing Decisions
In order to understand the consumer’s purchasing process and decision, it is important to first understand what kind of being the consumer is in general and to know what kind of situations he is affected by. This is followed by Coca-Cola & We can explain it with the Pepsi experiment.
In this experiment, which is a classic example, participants are asked to taste two cola without brand labels. Then they are asked which cola they like. Participants choose Pepsi as more delicious when they taste it without knowing the brand.
In this case, you can think of Pepsi as the winner. But when the experiment is done again in branded bottles, things change. This time, 75% of the participants find Coca-Cola more delicious. This experiment shows that we are not completely rational beings. If we were rational, we would logically choose Pepsi because it tastes better. But what is important here is the brand image. Brand image actually affects our primitive brain. Coca-Cola is a brand that establishes an emotional bond with its customers. Try to remember Coca-Cola commercials. Images such as happy people smiling while eating together and Coca-Cola bottles at family iftar meals during Ramadan create a positive and warm impression in the perception of the Coca-Cola brand.
For this reason, although Coca-Cola is negative in terms of an important factor such as taste, brand perception affects consumer awareness by overriding even this serious factor. In fact, consumers often act according to the brand image that has been ingrained in their brains, without knowing the real reason behind this decision.
We gained a better understanding of consumer awareness in a simple way by taking an overview of purchasing decisions. So now let’s take a look at how the purchasing process takes place.
Consumer Purchasing Processes
Since the consumer decision-making process and its impact involve various factors, it may be perceived as a mysterious and complicated process at first. However, you can actually use your own thought process as a basis when trying to understand this process. For example, if you want to buy a car, what do you do first? You think, research and compare your options before making a decision. Afterwards you often wonder if you made the right decision. While trying to understand the purchasing process and produce strategies, you should put yourself in the shoes of the customer and try to create more impact by reviewing the steps in the consumers’ decision-making process. We can say that the process generally consists of five stages.
First Step: Recognition of the problem
In the problem recognition phase, consumers must recognize their need for a product or service. Desires triggered by both internal impulses and external factors eventually emerge as a need.
Internal stimuli are an important point at this stage because they originate from the individual’s inner world. Internal factors such as hunger or basic urges can trigger consumers’ need for a product or service. This is where adjusting your efforts to target internal stimuli can help you reach customers more effectively. Additionally, building brand awareness and trust also plays a big role at this stage. Developing a comprehensive brand campaign is important to ensure consumers recognize you. You should make customers feel that the product or service you offer can best meet their needs and also appeal to their emotions.
Searching for information
During research, one of the safest sources for consumers is the old purchases of that product. are the ones. In other words, customers’ comments and complaints. The task of the brand is to provide access to product reviews to potential buyers who want to purchase the product. To do this, you can create a resource yourself or use strategies such as word of mouth marketing.
Evaluation of alternatives
Having now developed criteria in the consumer decision-making process, buyers begin to make comparisons with potential alternatives. They evaluate in terms of price, performance and style. Therefore, your goal should be to convince people that your product is superior to other alternatives.
Purchase decision
At this stage, after all the data has been collected, consumers must come to a logical conclusion about the product or service they will purchase. If you’ve done it right, the consumer will understand that your product is the best option. Thus, the purchase will take place.
Post-purchase evaluation
This part is a step where the customer’s experience will affect the decision-making processes of future potential customers. It is also important for post-purchase customer loyalty. For example, you can give discount coupons or send e-mails to gain repeat customers after the purchase.
In order to be successful, it is important for brands to understand the purchasing decision process of consumers and develop effective strategies at these stages. It is of great importance to establish trust in the recognition phase of the problem, to emphasize the advantages of the product in the evaluation of customer comments and alternatives in the information search phase, and to convince consumers in the purchasing decision phase.
Post-purchase evaluation is a factor that affects customer loyalty and future purchasing decisions. Providing customers with post-purchase support and valuable offers can increase brand loyalty and create positive customer experiences.
As a result, understanding consumers’ influences on purchasing decisions and following an effective strategy in this process forms the basis of a successful marketing approach.
