The document summarizes the consumer decision process, which consists of 5 stages: need recognition, information search, alternative evaluation, purchase/consumption, and post-purchase evaluation. It describes factors that influence each stage such as functional vs. psychological needs, external vs. internal information searches, attribute and decision rules for evaluation, and outcomes of satisfaction and loyalty. Recapping, the consumer decision process model outlines the comprehensive steps consumers go through in making purchase decisions.

1. Consumer
Decision
Process
• Adeline Moore
• MRK.2100
• Professor Brar
• 28 July 2020

2. The Consumer Decision Process
Need
Recognition
Information
Search
Alternative
Evaluation
Purchase Consumption Post-Purchase
Grewal et al. 176

3. Types of Consumer Needs
Functional Needs:
Performance-related products or
services.
Example:
Buying a Ford F-150 because it fits your
specifications better than aToyota
Tacoma.
Psychological Needs:
Personal gratification from a product or
service.
Example:
Getting a Rolex watch instead of an off-
brand watch, because it feels nice to
have an expensive item, regardless of
superior quality.
Grewal et al. 177

4. Information Searches
External Search:
• Uses information outside of
personal experience
• Can be implemented in a variety
of ways; friends, family, internet,
television, etc.
Internal Search:
• Uses personal memory and
knowledge
• Has prior experience with
product or service
Grewal et al. 179

5. Factors Affecting
Information
Searches
 Perceived Benefits vs. Costs
 Locus of Control
 Internal (people have control over their actions)
 External (fate controls all outcomes)
 Actual or Perceived Risk
 Performance risk (Product/service does not
perform as expected)
 Financial risk (Initial and continued costs of
product)
 Social risk (Others might regard purchase
negatively)
 Physiological/safety risk (Harm inflicted if
product fails)
 Psychological risk (Emotions felt if product does
not convey the right image)
Grewal et al. 181-182

6. Attribute Sets
Universal sets: all possible choices in
a category
Retrieval sets: brands/stores that
are easy to recall
Evoked sets: potential alternative
brands
Consumer Decision Rules
Compensatory: trade between two
characteristics
Noncompensatory: choice based on
one characteristic, regardless of the
others
Choice Architecture: influencing
consumers through environmental
design
Grewal et al. 184-185

7. PURCHASE
Purchase: decision to buy a
product/service after evaluating
alternatives.
Conversion rate: success rate in
converting purchase intentions into
actual purchases.
 Purchase is based on the
consumer’s needs/wants, so a
business needs to be identified
by performing better in a specific
area than its competitors
Grewal et al.

8. CONSUMPT
ION
Consumption is simply the act of using
something that you purchased or received
(m-w.com). In the business sense of the
term, not just products are consumed.
Services can also be consumed.
Consumption is also the basis for the
entire economy. Without consumption,
there would be no point to have
advertising or businesses
(myaccountingcourse.com).

9. Postpurchase Behavior
Postpurchase Outcomes
Postpurchase
cognitive
dissonance
Customer satisfaction
Customer loyalty
The postpurchase behavior provides marketers
with information on consumers’ satisfaction
and the elements of the purchase that
contributed to their satisfaction or lack thereof.
Customer satisfaction: Did the purchasing
process meet the customer’s expectation?
Postpurchase cognitive dissonance: Was the
purchase appropriate for the customer’s needs?
Customer loyalty: Will the customer continue
going to a specific store for his/her purchasing
needs?
Grewal et al. 187-188

10. RECAP OF CONSUMER DECISION PROCESS
There are five stages (and one
substage):
• Need Recognition
• Information search
• Alternative evaluation
• Purchase (and
consumption)
• Postpurchase
• Marketers must create strategies to
cater to consumers through each of
these stages. All of them are
important to consider, and there
are many different aspects to
consider within each stage.
Businesses who take all of these
stages into consideration will
attract more customers and the
customers will be more likely to feel
satisfied after buying a product or
service because all of their needs
and concerns were met.
Grewal et al.

11. Works Cited:
Grewal, Dhruv, and Michael Levy. Marketing. McGraw-Hill
Education, 2020.
“Consume.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster,
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consume.
Accessed 28 July 2020.
“What Is Consumption?” My Accounting Course,
myaccountingcourse.com/accounting-
dictionary/consumption.Accessed 28 July 2020.