The Consumer Decision Process (CDP) Model

Need Recognition
Search for Information
Pre-Purchase Evaluation
Purchase
Consumption
Post consumption evaluation
Divestment

As the model above states the various steps involved in the decision process of a
customer, it signifies their co-relatedness, as any of the former establishes the basis
for the later.

Need Recognition:
Customers only act to buy something, if the need is felt. This state arises from the
degree of difference between the desired and actual state of affairs. Thus the need
is the base of every decision
Recognition of the need of the customer and provision of the value accordingly is
main driver of success for every company.
The primary objective of every restaurant is to provide the feasible and versatile
meal for the customers at a price, same in our scenario of Campus Kitchen, the
objective remains to be same with an addition to it that the prices should be
affordable.
During the need recognition phase of the Campus Kitchen business, we need to
consider aspects like the versatility of the food, for example operating in a multicultural environment where the customers include foreigners as well as Indians; the
penetration rate would be slow if the environmental and individual influences are
not considered. In other words Indians would prefer spicy foods while foreigners
mostly prefer a low-fat and less spicy food items.

Search for Information:

Once the customers get to know that they need something, they would rush to gain
the appropriate information on the basis of which they would make an appropriate
decision.

The search for information can be from various sources. We would like to
disseminate the appropriate and sufficient information in a timely mannered fashion
to the customers to each corner.
The provision of information for the customers would include various
communication strategies, like posting of the information on the university sites,
publishing posters and banners in every foot-falls of the university
We will also reap the benefit of the social networking sites in disseminating and
wide spreading the information of Campus Kitchen.
As far as the information is concerned, we will try to fill every gap so that to ensure
that the quality and sufficient piece of information is always available to the
decision makers.

Pre-Purchase Evaluation:
The customers always prefer the best, and would like to be profited every time;
hence their decisions are mostly based upon a proper evaluation before
implementation.
Proper access to the proper information will help facilitate the pre-purchase
evaluation of the customers, as the customers would get the answers for every
question which they have for the product in consideration.
Our strategy will be to help the customers avail the right and sufficient information
at the right time about Campus Kitchen, which makes the comparison decision easy.
The main challenge is to stimulate the customers to go for our product, because the
subsequent purchases would be gained by the satisfaction. Once the customers are
encouraged to avail the services of Campus Kitchen and get served there, our
service and food quality will ensure their future visits.

Purchase:
The purchase phase of the decision encompasses the actual delivery of the good
which is already evaluated among the alternatives against the price paid for it.
This phase is the implementation of the decision, it is undertaken with the hope to
fulfill the need to the widest extent possible.
Once our customers get the information about the Campus Kitchen, we would like to
provide all the possible facilities to their convenience, for example we might provide

them packing of meals, home-delivery etc. Based on our provision of the services,
our customers will have an option of the mode of purchase.

Consumption:
The good purchased maybe consumed or stored, it depends upon the nature of the
product, but once its consumed the feedback for the product arises.
If the feedback is positive it is said to have gained the satisfaction level, or in other
words the need is fulfilled, but if its negative it is said that either the product had
some shortcomings or the expectation level was high. The former case mostly leads
in the promotion of the product while the later may affect vice versa.
As far as the nature of the fast-food is concerned, it is to be consumed on the time
of purchase or within a short span of time; hence the consumption occurs close to
the purchase. Our strategy would be to provide the consumption facility like chairs
and tables and all the requirement for the customers to have their meal in the
premises of the Campus Kitchen, but if a customer desires to take the food away,
we will be ready to pack the meal in a manner that the quality and durability of the
food is ensured.

Post Consumption Evaluation:

As stated earlier the customers while consuming a product, are either satisfied or
unsatisfied. The level of satisfaction and dissatisfaction lies upon the degree of the
need fulfillment.
There is no single product which is not evaluated after consumption. Indeed post
consumption evaluation is inevitable.
In case of our product, the customers would definitely provide their feedback by
frequent visit from Campus Kitchen, or by decrease in the number of the
consumers. The latter case would suggest for a behavioral study of the customers
that what makes them not to buy a product of our kitchen.

Divestment:
The last stage of the CDP model emphasize on the fact that the demand for a
particular product will not remain the same it may decline after a certain period of

time. The availability of the close substitute for the product and unfair pricing
models may result in reduction of the demand level.
So we have a strategy to go with variety of foods and meals because the customers
should never get bored of having the same menu. The strategy will be expansion
rather than replacement, it means that additional items would be added to the
menu so that the customers find enough ground to exactly get their order placed.

Its noticeable that every steps of CDP is to be followed and considered carefully in
order to establish a well-base for the operation of a business. Our business of
Campus Kitchen as well require due consideration. Consumers are the decision
makers and we can never force them to buy something they dont like, meanwhile
no one can force them not to buy something they like.
Hence the customers may escape a step but the sequence remains same, for
instance a customer might not search for information or might not undergo the prepurchase evaluation stage, but purchase the product and undergo the subsequent
stages. It means that the customers need not necessarily go all the eight steps of
the CDP model, but the sequence remains same, as in the above case a customer
will still consume what he purchase and will declare a post-consumption behavior.