This document outlines the consumer decision making process from multiple perspectives, including the decision making, experiential, and behavioral influence perspectives. It describes the stages in the consumer decision making process as problem recognition, information search, alternative evaluation, purchase, and post-purchase evaluation. Finally, it discusses factors that influence consumer satisfaction and dissatisfaction after purchase.

2.  Decision making perspective
◦ High involvement decisions
◦ Low involvement decisions
 Experiential perspective
 Behavioral influence perspective

3. Problem
Recognition
Extensive
Search
Extended
Alternative
Evaluation
Complex
Choice
Acquisition
Evaluation

4. Problem
Recognition
Limited
Search
Minimal
Alternative
Evaluation
Simple
Choice
Processes
Acquisition
Evaluation

5. Problem
Recognition
(affect driven)
Search for
Affect-based
Solutions
Alternative
Evaluation
(comparison
of affect)
Choice
(affect-based)
Acquisition
Evaluation

6. Search
(learned
Response)
Choice
(behavior
results from
reinforcers)
Acquisition
Evaluation
(self-perception
process)
Problem
Recognition
(results from
discriminative
stimulus)

7.  Initial purchases
◦ Tend to require more extensive problem solving
 Repeat purchases
◦ Tend to require limited problem solving, sometimes
habitual decisions

8. Problem/Need Recognition
Information Search
Evaluation of Alternatives
Purchase
Post-Purchase Evaluation

9.  Consumer recognizes a gap or discrepancy
between his/her current state and his/her
desired state.

12.  Deliberate attempt to gain knowledge
about a purchase decision; goal is to
reduce uncertainty.
 Internal search
◦ Retrieve information from long term memory
 External search
◦ Gather information from external sources, e.g.,
ads, media, friends, stores

14.  Occurs either separately or in conjunction
with information search.
 We rely on internal processes to help us
organize the evaluation process.
◦ Consideration (evoked set)
◦ Decision rules (heuristics)

16.  Strategies used by consumers to guide
decision making.
 Some decision rules use product
characteristics to guide decisions.
◦ Compensatory
◦ Noncompensatory
 Some decision rules rely on stored
information in consumers’ memories to
guide decisions.

17.  Select the best overall brand
◦ Consumer evaluates brand options in
terms of each relevant attribute and
computes a weighted or summated score
for each brand. The consumer chooses the
brand with the highest score.
 A compensatory model because a positive
score on one attribute can outweigh a
negative score on another attribute.

18.  Conjunctive Decision Rule
◦ Consumer sets a minimum standard for
each attribute and if a brand fails to pass
any standard, it is dropped from
consideration.
 Reduces a large consideration set to a
manageable size.
 Often used in conjunction with another
decision rule.

19.  Disjunctive Decision Rule
◦ Consumer sets a minimum acceptable
standard as the cutoff point for each
attribute--any brand that exceeds the
cutoff point is accepted.
 Reduces large consideration set to a more
manageable number of alternatives.
 Consumer may settle for the first
satisfactory brand as final choice or may
use another decision rule.

20.  Lexicographic Decision Rule
◦ The consumer ranks the attributes
according to importance and then selects
the brand that is superior on the most
important attribute.
 If one brand ranks sufficiently high on just
one attribute, it will be selected regardless of
how it scores on other attributes.

21.  Synthesized decision rule
◦ Consumers maintain overall evaluations of
brands in their long term memories.
Brands on not evaluated on individual
attributes but on the highest perceived
overall rating.

22.  Another way in which consumers evaluate
information is the frame of reference from
which s/he subjectively evaluates messages
related to a decision problem.
◦ “Percent lean” vs. “Percent fat”
◦ “Sale” vs. “Clearance”

24.  Consumers evaluate purchases during
consumption process.
 Three possible outcomes.
 Postpurchase cognitive dissonance.
 Complaining behavior.

25.  Actual product performance matches
prepurchase expectations
◦ Neutral Feeling

26.  Actual product performance exceeds
prepurchase expectations.
◦ Positive disconfirmation of expectations
◦ Satisfaction

27.  Actual product performance is below
prepurchase expectations.
◦ Negative disconfirmation of expectations
◦ Dissatisfaction

28. Dissatisfaction Satisfaction Delighted

29.  Alternative actions
◦ Do nothing
◦ Avoid seller/brand in the future
◦ Negative WOM to friends
◦ Seek redress of problem from seller
◦ Complain to outside agency

30.  Is based on:
◦ Level of dissatisfaction
◦ Importance of decision/purchase
◦ Costs/benefits of actions
◦ Personal characteristics
◦ Attribution of blame

31.  Understanding decision making process
enables marketers to assist consumers along
decision pathway.
◦ Offer products that meet needs/wants
◦ Advertising
◦ Making information available
◦ Making product available
◦ Follow-up sales calls, good service