Buying behavior can vary based on location, individual, and type of product. Complex buying behavior occurs when multiple people are involved in the purchasing decision and more deliberation is required. Consumers exhibit complex buying when highly involved in an expensive, infrequent, or risky purchase where brands differ significantly. Variety-seeking behavior occurs when involvement is low but brands vary. Dissonance-reducing behavior happens when a consumer is highly involved but sees little brand difference. Marketers should focus on the five stages of the consumer decision process: need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase evaluation.

1. By Preeti

2.  Buying decision behaviour varies from place
to place and person to person, either
purchase of a detergent soup or hardy bikes.
Buying decision behaviour become more
complex in the result of more buying
participants and deliberation.

3.  Complex Buying Behaviour
 Habitual buying behaviour
 Variety- seeking behaviour
 Dissonance reducing buying behaviour

4.  Consumers go through complex buying
behaviour when they are highly involved in a
purchase and aware of significant differences
among brands. Consumers are highly
involved when the product is expensive,
bought infrequently, risky and highly self-
expressive. Its good example is buying a
mobile or laptop. Both the products are
expensive and variety of brands.

5.  Many products are bought under conditions
of low consumer involvement and the
absence of significant brand differences. The
good eample is a lighter or match box. They
just go for it and purchase it, thre is no brand
loyalty.

6. In variety seeking buying behaviour situation
consumer involvement is very low but there
are significant differences among brands. In
this situation consumer perceive brand
switching. Good examples are purchase of
cookies, detergents etc. costumer try to use
different brands of such products because
they want to check variety of products.

7.  Sometimes the consumer is highly, involved
in a purchase but sees little difference in the
brands. The high involvement is again based
on the fact that the purchase is expensive,
infrequent, and risky. In this case, the buyer
will shop around to learn what is, available
but will buy fairly quickly because brand
differences are not pronounced. The buyer
may respond primarily to a good price or to
purchase convenience. A good example is
dimond.

8.  Marketers should focus on consumer decision
process rather than purchase decision.
Consumers go through all five stages of
buying decision process whenever they
purchase.but when consumer buy in ruteen,
they skip some stages of buying decision
process.

9. There are five stages of buying decision
process
 Need recognition
 Information search
 Evaluation of alternatives
 Purchase decision
 Post purchase behaviour

10.  The need recognition is the first and most
important step in the buying process. If there
is no need, there is no purchase. This
recognition happens when there is a lag
between the consumer’s actual situation and
the ideal and desired one.

11.  Once the need is identified, it’s time for the
consumer to seek information about possible
solutions to the problem. He will search more
or less information depending on the
complexity of the choices to be made but
also his level of involvement. (Buying pasta
requires little information and involves fewer
consumers than buying a car.)

12.  Once the information collected, the consumer
will be able to evaluate the different
alternatives that offer to him, evaluate the
most suitable to his needs and choose the
one he think it’s best for him.

13.  Now that the consumer has evaluated the
different solutions and products available for
respond to his need, he will be able to choose
the product or brand that seems most
appropriate to his needs. Then proceed to the
actual purchase itself.

14.  Once the product is purchased and used, the
consumer will evaluate the adequacy with his
original needs. And whether he has made ​​the
right choice in buying this product or not. He
will feel either a sense of satisfaction for the
product (and the choice). Or, on the contrary,
a disappointment if the product has fallen far
short of expectations.