Running head: DECISION MAKING WHILE PURCHASING A PRODUCT 1

Decision Making while Purchasing a Product

Sakshi Manot

BUS 610 Consumer Behavior

West Cliff University

Prof: Bharat Bhatta / Samip Dhungel

25th May 2020

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Abstract

In this assessment it includes about the purchase decision that I made recently while purchasing a

product. It also includes about the five process which I used while purchasing a product. In this

assessment I have also talked about the cognitive process which I have used and also I have used

my experience, knowledge and belief while making decision of purchasing a product. While I

made decision the stored knowledge and the cognitive process plays a vital role and also various

environmental factors that enhance the cognitive process.

Keywords: purchase, decision, product, cognitive process, knowledge, belief

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Decision Making while Purchasing a Product

Consumer behavior is considered as the study of individual, groups and it is also known as the

steps that consumer use while selecting the product, arranging a purchase which satisfies the

needs and wants of the consumer[ CITATION Sol18 \l 1033 ]. While we make decision that is also

considered as the consumer behavior. The five steps we use while purchasing the product are

problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternative, purchase decision and post

purchase behavior[ CITATION See13 \l 1033 ]. Recently, the purchase I did was IPhone X from Evo

Store, Labim Mall.

Knowledge Belief and Cognitive Process

When we purchase anything, first thing we make an image of that goods in our mind. It is very

important to have a certain knowledge about the product that you are purchasing. One of the

major aspects that plays a vital role in order to get a correct information about product is via

social media and other various internet sources. So, organization should also plan prices, offers

and other factors accordingly for the product on the basis of sellers to consumers[ CITATION

Mau16 \l 1033 ]. While I purchase the product, the decision I made by using the following

cognitive process and they are[ CITATION Fur06 \l 1033 ]:

 Problem Recognition: It is the first step of decision making process. In this step buyer

senses a difference between his/her actual need and want. A need is triggered by internal

stimuli or external stimuli. In this stage, the marketer should research about consumers in

order to find the needs of problem that has been arise, what brought them about and ho

consumer led to the particular product. Before I was using IPhone 6 and suddenly it start
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to get hand and was not working properly. So, after that I knew about my problem and

thought to buy a new phone.

 Information Search: This is the second step of decision making process. When we know

about our problem we start searching the information about the product. If the consumers

drive is strong and satisfying product is available nearly than consumer is likely to buy

the product and if not than consumer stores the information in the memory for future use.

The consumer can obtain information from various sources. When I knew about my

problem I started to collect the information either by asking friends or searching on

google and looking reviews of the customers towards phone. I also looked for the prices

online and also either some discounts or offers were available or not. With the help of

information search we are able to compare different alternatives and select accordingly

which also helps to satisfy the need of the individual.

 Evaluation of alternatives: It is the third step of decision making process. As we have

seen that consumers uses various information to arrive at a set of final choices.

Consumers do not use a simple and single evaluation process in each and every buying

situation. In this stage, individual tries to compare the available alternatives and see

which one is the best. And after comparing both the alternatives I decided to purchase a

new phone and I had two options one was Note 8 and other was IPhone X and lastly I

decided to purchase IPhone X.

 Purchase Decision: It is the fourth step of decision making process. The consumer

generally prefer to buy most preferred brands. After looking for alternatives, individual

tends to buy a product. When I finally decided to purchase a phone, I evaluated all the

alternatives properly and I thought yo buy a phone from Evo Store of Labim Mall as it
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was convenient for me as they also offered me some discount and I finally bought a

phone. So, generally when people choose between the various choices to buy which can

fulfill the individual needs and wants.

 Post Purchase Behavior: It is the final step of decision making process. The marketer’s

job doesn’t end when consumer purchased the product. After purchasing the product the

consumer will be satisfied or dissatisfied and then they engage in post purchase behavior.

When I bought the product than I didn’t liked the phone because the battery of phone was

not good as I expected, after using certain apps the battery of phone instantly get low. So,

while purchasing IPhone later in the future I will rethink twice and make decision

accordingly.

Influence of Stored Knowledge and Cognitive Process

Different people have different thoughts so for business holders it is very difficult to know about

the thoughts of the consumer towards the product. It is also difficult to understand the consumer

thoughts. The influence between cognitive process and stored knowledge plays a vital role

because there arise a purchase decision. When I purchase the smart phones I realized that my

stored knowledge about the goods went to various approaches like attention, perception about the

product and thinking process. Generally we grab new information which we get from the

environment and use it rather than focusing towards the available information all around the

world[ CITATION Gra13 \l 1033 ].

While I made the decision of purchasing a product, I also had asked my friends, relatives

and I also searched on google to grab more information about the information. The interface can

be as I knew more detailed about the product with the help of cognitive process. As, it was
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helpful when I decided to purchase a product and get more information about the product. Also

cognitive process influenced me to purchase the goods.

My Behavior and Environmental Factors

Various environmental factors can hamper the individual when purchasing a product. Also,

culture and emotion can affect the behavior of individual while purchasing a product[ CITATION

Haw16 \l 1033 ]. When I purchased a product the environmental factor that took place in my

scenario was friends, relatives, internet etc. In order to grab the information the product this

factors was helpful for me. For instance: When we purchase a luxurious product like TV, Fridge,

Car, we just don’t go and purchase instantly. We try to communicate with our relatives, friends

and tries to collect as much as information we can collect. We also consider for a reputed brands

while buying the product. We also look for the reviews and feedbacks from consumer through

social media or internet. Similarly, when I purchased a smart phone I also did the same thing.
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Conclusion

So, when we are buying any product, we go through some processes as well as steps which is

helpful to make our decision smooth and correct busying decision. We try to grab as much as

information available about the product and we also compare it with other various brands. While

decision making each and every individual have different perception and is influenced by

external or internal factors. So, the cognitive process that was very helpful in order to select and

purchase the product on a basis of my cognitive thoughts.

References
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Furrer , O. (2006). Marketing Strategies. Marketing Management: International Perspective , 81-

98.

Gravin Brod, M. W. (2013). Influence of Prior Knowlege on Memory: A Development

Cognitive Neuroscience Perspectives. Frontier in Behavioral Neuroscience, 7, 1-3.

Hawkins, D. L., & Mothersbaugh, D. L. (2016). Consumer Behavior; Building Marketing

Strategy. NewYork: Mc Graw Hill Education.

Mauroner, O. (2016). Social media for the purpose of knowledge creation and creativity

knowledge. International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital, 13(2), 167.

See, P. P. (2013). Understanding Consumer Behavior: Their Consumption Chain. International

Journal of Business and Management, 5(2).

Solomon , M. R. (2018). Consumer Behavior (12 ed.). United States: Pearson Education

Limited .
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