are developing direct relationships with the consumer. Procter and
Gamble are now focusing their attention on developing direct rela-
tionships with the consumer through direct response promotion;
with their Pampers brand of nappies, consumers are offered the
opportunity of obtaining discounts by completing a coupon which
provides valuable data including name, address, telephone number,
number of children and their age. This allows them to track con-
sumer needs more closely and make appropriate and timely offers
to them. Many other manufacturers within the retail sector are now
looking at these activities with enormous interest.
The decision-making unit
Central to the understanding of customer behaviour is the decision-
making unit. The concept of the decision-making unit (DMU) is
important at all levels within the distribution chain. The DMU
model suggests that the ‘customer’ comprises a number of individ-
uals who have different roles in the purchase decision process.
These include users, influencers, deciders, buyers and gatekeepers.^9
The roles of these buying unit members in the DMU are shown in
Figure 2.4. Whilst this model was proposed in the context of the pur-
42 Relationship Marketing
●Users Users are the members of the organization who will use the product or
service. In many cases, the users initiate the buying proposal and help define the
product specifications.
●Influencers Influencers are persons who influence the buying decision. They often
help define specifications and also provide information for evaluating alternatives.
Technical personnel are particularly important as influencers.
●Deciders Deciders are persons who have the power to decide on product require-
ments and/or on suppliers.
●Approvers Approvers are persons who must authorize the proposed actions of
deciders or buyers.
●Buyers Buyers are persons with formal authority for selecting the supplier and arrang-
ing the terms of purchase. Buyers may help shape product specifications, but they play
their major role in selecting vendors and negotiating. In more complex purchases, the
buyers might include high-level officers participating in the negotiations.
●Gatekeepers Gatekeepers are persons who have the power to prevent sellers or
information from reaching members of the buying centre. For example, purchasing
agents, receptionists, and telephone operators may prevent salespersons from talking
to users or deciders.Figure 2.4 The decision-making unit (DMU) concept.
Source: Based on Webster and Wind.^9