The Purchasing Decision Process: Key Steps

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Decision making is a complex set of mental processes that include identifying possible courses of action, assessing their usefulness and probability, choosing the best option, and then assessing the correctness of the choice made. This process is influenced by many external and internal factors and is aimed at solving problems of varying scale and complexity.

What factors influence the purchasing decision making process

The purchasing decision process is influenced by many twitter database factors that can significantly impact a consumer's choice. Understanding these factors and taking them into account in your work is important to creating an effective marketing strategy.

Personal factors

Each buyer makes a purchasing decision based on their current lifestyle, which is determined by their core values, interests, outlook on life, and personal preferences. Personal factors include:

Lifestyle: Influenced by a person's priorities and interests, their outlook on life and personal preferences.
Personality type: Level of self-confidence, social status, degree of self-assurance and attitude towards oneself.
Social class: Position in society and the norms and expectations that go with it.

Social factors

A person, as a social being, is inevitably subject to the influence of others. This influence can come from both the immediate environment and a wider circle of communication. Social factors can be divided into several types:

Normative influence: Based on rules, regulations and sanctions.
Value-based influence: Involves accepting the values ​​and beliefs of a group.
Informational influence: Occurs through the exchange of data and experience.
Social Impact: Includes participation in community life.
Status influence: Limitation of the realization of needs and desires depending on the level of influence in the group.

Psychological factors

These factors are based on the personal experience and emotional experiences of the consumer. Psychological factors include:
Adoption: The process by which a user acquires new knowledge and skills about a product or service. This forms their attitude toward products and brands that is difficult to change once formed.
Perception: Formed on the basis of information received from advertising or other sources. The perception of a product depends on how the consumer interprets the data received.

Examples of factors influencing purchasing decisions


Personality factors: For example, a person who leads an active lifestyle will likely choose sporting goods and clothing that suit his or her lifestyle and interests.
Social factors: A young person may buy a particular brand of phone because his friends and colleagues also use that brand, which creates a sense of belonging to a group.
Psychological factors: A consumer who has had a positive experience with a particular brand is likely to remain loyal to that brand in the future, despite the emergence of new alternatives.




However, despite the diversity of situations, the decision-making structure remains stable and includes the following stages:
Awareness of need
Search for information
Pre-purchase evaluation of alternatives
Purchase and consumption
Post-purchase evaluation
Deliverance

Awareness of need

The first stage of the decision-making process begins with need recognition. This occurs when the consumer becomes aware of the difference between their current and desired state. This difference may be caused by internal needs or external social and cultural factors. For example, a person may recognize the need for new clothes for an upcoming special event or for sports equipment to maintain health and fitness.

Search for information

Once the need is recognized, the consumer begins searching for information. This process may include both internal memory search and external search in the environment. Internal search is based on existing knowledge and experience, while external search involves accessing external sources of information, such as the Internet, reviews from other consumers, and consultations with sellers. The extent and intensity of information search depend on the complexity of the purchase and the individual characteristics of the consumer.

Pre-purchase evaluation of alternatives

At this stage, the consumer evaluates the available options using certain criteria and standards. This may include comparing different products or brands based on parameters such as price, quality, functionality, and reviews from other users. The goal of this stage is to narrow down the choice to the most preferable alternative.

Purchase and consumption

The purchase stage involves the conclusion of a transaction between the consumer and the seller. This can be either a direct purchase in a store or an online order. After the purchase comes the consumption stage, when the purchased product is used for its intended purpose. Consumption can be immediate or delayed for a certain period. In a highly competitive environment, sellers are increasingly focused on satisfying the needs and retaining customers, and not just closing the deal.


Post-purchase evaluation

After using the product, the consumer evaluates the degree of satisfaction with the purchase. This stage includes analyzing the consumption experience and identifying positive and negative aspects. It is important to understand what exactly the consumer liked, what improvements he would suggest, and why he might return to this brand or product in the future.

Deliverance

The final stage of the decision-making process is product disposal. This may involve completely disposing of the used product, recycling it, or reselling it on the second-hand market. In today's environment, especially in developed countries, this stage is of particular importance in the context of environmental responsibility . Manufacturers strive to demonstrate their environmental policies by offering packaging recycling and recycling of used products .

Thus , the consumer decision -making process is multi-stage and complex. It includes recognition of a need, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase, consumption, post-purchase evaluation, and disposal of the product. Understanding these stages allows companies to better meet the needs of their customers and create more effective marketing and sales strategies.