98 CHAPTER5ANALYZINGCONSUMERMARKETS ANDBUYERBEHAVIOR
The Stages of the Buying Decision Process
In addition to examining buying roles and behavior, smart companies research the
buying decision process involved in their product category. They ask consumers when
they first became acquainted with the product category and brands, what their brand
beliefs are, how involved they are with the product, how they make their brand
choices, and how satisfied they are after purchase.
Figure 3-2 shows a five-stage model of the typical buying process. Starting with prob-
lem recognition, the consumer passes through the stages of information search, evalua-
tion of alternatives, purchase decision, and postpurchase behavior. As this model demon-
strates, the consumer buying process starts long before the actual purchase and has
consequences long afterward.^25 Although the model implies that consumers pass sequen-
tially through all five stages in buying a product, consumers sometimes skip or reverse
some stages. However, we use this model because it captures the full range of considera-
tions that arise when a consumer faces a highly involving new purchase.^26Stage 1: Problem Recognition
The buying process starts when the buyer recognizes a problem or need. This need
can be triggered by internal stimuli (such as feeling hunger or thirst) or external stim-
uli (such as seeing an ad) that then becomes a drive. By gathering information from a
number of consumers, marketers can identify the most frequent stimuli that spark
interest in a product category. They can then develop marketing strategies that trigger
consumer interest and lead to the second stage in the buying process.Stage 2: Information Search
An aroused consumer who recognizes a problem will be inclined to search for more
information. We can distinguish between two levels of arousal. At the milder search
state of heightened attention,a person simply becomes more receptive to information
about a product. At the active information searchlevel, a person surfs the Internet, talks
with friends, and visits stores to learn more about the product. Consumer information
sources include personal sources (family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances), com-
mercial sources (advertising, Web sites, salespersons, dealers, packaging, displays),
public sources (mass media, consumer-rating organizations), and experiential sources
(handling, examining, using the product). The consumer usually receives the most
information from commercial (marketer-dominated) sources, although the most
influential information comes from personal sources.
Through gathering information, the consumer learns more and more about
competing brands. The first box in Figure 3-3 shows the total setof brands available to
the consumer. The individual consumer will come to know only a subset of these
brands (awareness set). Some of these brands will meet initial buying criteria (considera-
tion set). As the person gathers more information, only a few brands will remain as
strong contenders (choice set). The person makes a final choice from this set.^27Figure 3-2 Five-Stage Model of the Consumer Buying Process