The Engel-Kollat-Blackwell model views consumer behavior as a 4-step decision making process involving information processing, a central control unit, decision processes, and external influences. It was originally developed in 1968 to organize the growing body of knowledge around consumer decisions. The model accounts for differences in involvement between high-risk and low-risk purchases. It provides a framework for understanding how consumers actively seek, process, and evaluate information to make purchase decisions over time.

1. ENGEL-KOLLAT-BLACKWELL
MODEL
PRESENTED BY,
ANOOP S NAIR
ADARSH SURESH

2. INTRODUCTION
 First developed in 1968.
 The EKB model of consumer behavior was originally designed
to save as framework for organizing the fast growing body of
knowledge concerning consumer behavior.
 This model talks of consumer behaviour as a decision making
process in the form of four steps (activities) and other related
variables which occur over a period of time.
 The Engel- Kollat -Blackwell model is essentially a conscious
problem solving and learning model of consumer behavior.

3.  This model has a good description of active information
seeking and evaluation processes of consumer.
 Like Howard-Sheth model it has gone through a no. of
revision aimed at improving its descriptive ability & clarifying
basic relationship between component &sub component.
 A key feature of the EKB model is the differences between
high and low involvement as part of the buying process.
 High involvement is present in the high risk purchase.
 Low involvement is present in the low risk purchase.

4. COMPONENTS
 INFORMATION PROCESSING
 CENTRAL CONTROL UNIT
 DECISION PROCESS AND
 EXTERNAL INFLUENCES

5. INFORMATION PROCESSING
• This component comprises the consumer’s selective exposure,
attention, comprehension and retention of stimuli relating to a
product or brand received from marketing and non-marketing
sources.
• The consumer is exposed to stimuli (and the accompanying
information);attention determines which of the stimuli he will focus
upon; Thereafter he would interpret and comprehend it, accepts it in
his short term memory and retains it by transferring the input to long-
term memory.

6. CENTRAL CONTROL UNIT
The stimuli thus received and retained are processed in the
central control unit.
 Stored information and past experience about the product/ brand
which serves as a memory for comparing different alternatives;
 Evaluative criteria which the consumer uses in judging the
alternatives.
 General and specific attitudes which influence the purchase
decision;
 Basic personality traits, which influence how the consumer is
likely to respond to various alternatives.

7. DECISION PROCESS
It is triggered at any time during information processing The
decision process component of the model consist of:
 PROBLEM RECOGNITION
 INTERNAL SEARCH AND EVALUATION
 EXTERNAL SEARCH AND EVALUATION
 PURCHASE PROCESSES
 DECISION OUTCOMES

8. EXTERNAL INFLUENCES
• The environmental factors that may influence the consumer’s
purchase decision are income, culture, family, social class
and physical situations.
• Depending on the specific product under consideration, these
factors may have a favorable or unfavorable influence on the
purchase decision.