MEDIA AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOURS

MEDIA AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOURS

Consumer buying is usually not static due to the fact that, customers undergo certain stages before taking action of buying the products or services. These stages differ from time to time due to difference circumstance. There are levels to which each consumer interacts with the factors and process.

Consumers usually pass through various stages before they decide to consume or purchase the product or services. It is very complex process and hard to predict, and this is due to the fact that consumer behavior always are dynamic and real complex. It is important to identify the various stages in order to know how customers behave.

The widely adopted consumer buying process has five (5) stages. These stages show possible activities that can take place in buying process, though these stages may not be followed in all percentage, some customers used to follow all stages and others used to skip some stages when want to make purchases.

Kotler and Armstrong (2008), suggest that, the process begins with the consumer identifying a need or problem that has to be resolved. This occurs when consumers realize that there is a difference between their existing situation and their desired situation. The next stage of the process is information search, after that the consumer will now have to do a proper assessment of each product or service offering from the companies. This stage is known as evaluation of the alternatives.

after evaluation of alternatives gives a fair idea to the consumer as to which service to purchase. The purchase decision as the stage after evaluation of alternatives can however be influenced by the consumer’s economic power, friends and family, time available, esteem and other socio-cultural factors and lastly is post purchase evaluation.

By

Peter Felister