The desire to purchase any good or service is paved by problem recognition. Prior to the issue recognition, nobody has the ambition of satisfying any want or need. Whether internally or externally prompted, the problem recognition response tends to be the same: a need. Therefore, problem recognition is inevitable, and in case it tends to be a basic need, it must be settled down. When a consumer recognizes a need, he automatically conceives ideas to wave consciousness on how to settle the need. At this phase, it is complex to influence the clients on what decisions to make. In fact, the internal stimulus comes from the consumer and may be primary impulses, such as hunger and lifestyle changes, in case it intends to be a want (Qazzafi, 2019). Marketing strategies and efforts are emphasized on external stimuli. Comprehending brand campaigns will significantly build brand consciousness and pave recognition to pave trust to consumers, and be confident you can settle their problems.
Subsequently, researching options of how they will tackle their problems waves, which similarly rely on internal and external factors, as well as prior experience with the good or brand, which can be positive or negative. At this stage, the consumer can rely on social media to source information regarding his/her good or service (Qazzafi, 2019). They can also consult with peers to get information. Moreover, they can visit trade centers, such as shops and supermarkets, where a variety of goods are available and make their choices. The other critical stage is conducting an alternative evaluation. The customer has to decisively conceive a decision-making process and scrutinize what they need in the product. According to Qazzafi (2019), the decision is critically based on weighing choices against comparable varieties. Notably, the alternatives are typically expressed in; favorable prices, availability of the good or service, extra product benefits, and personal issues, such as color tastes or stylistic choices. Marketing strategies are applied at this phase to convince clients’ superiority of your product against those of rivals.
The subsequent stage is choosing what to purchase. After gathering enough information regarding the product’s qualities, brands, and extra benefits, consumers eventually have to choose what to buy. As a supplier, if your job, especially the supply chain, is administered well, the consumers will make a significant choice in response to your good job. Ultimately, there is post-purchase evaluation, which predominantly reflects consumers and suppliers (Qazzafi, 2019). In case it happens to be the seller, you should be eager to balance on the following; how did the purchase cater to the buyers’ needs, is the customer satisfied, reliability of the customer in the future, and will the client continue having a positive experience on the goods.
However, the factors influencing consumers on what decisions to make purchases may be personal or external factors (Gopinath, 2019). For instance, in 2020, I had ambitions of purchasing a new model, the Volkswagen Sedan car. The purchase was a want because the car was to add luxury and settle the long-lasting ambitions I had hosted for almost half a decade. Nonetheless, my purchase was critically based on both personal and external factors. For instance, audience demographics like profession, age, culture, and background played a pivotal role in deciding my choice. Being a certified accountant in profession, Volkswagen car could serve me better. In addition, being a middle-aged man, Volkswagen could pose and enhance my fashion. At the moment, I resided in New York, a city with well-developed infrastructure; therefore, I enjoy my Volkswagen predominantly in the streets because of the infrastructure. Coincidentally, it happened that the same year, the Covid-19 pandemic had previously waved from China, severely triggering massive deaths (Fairlie & Fossen, 2022). In our culture, purchasing luxury goods while other people are ruined due to disasters is unfortunate. Instantly, ambiguities depicted my choices on what to have or safe and what to leave. Any choice I could make could leave severe uncertainty on the other choice, and eventually, desperation stirred fame uncertainty. Since I had prolonged ambitions of having a luxury car, I bought Volkswagen, but the culture affected my decisions critically.
Similarly, I was predominantly influenced by macro factors: economic, marketing mix, functional, social, and psychological. The most critical factor in my case was the economy. Although I was eager to make the purchase, I could only buy what I could afford. Being a middle-waged accountant, I could comfortably afford to serve my Volkswagen in terms of insurance covers, fueling, and state and federal licensing. Therefore, the need for a car could not play any role, but affordability could be the most imperative factor to consider. The functional factor of the Volkswagen car could fully satisfy my needs in terms of comfortability, speed, safety, and innovation. In fact, the functional factor served my interests the best and significantly steered my final decision to purchase the car. The other factor that pivotally drove my decision was market mix issues: promotion, product, price, and place. Issues like product features, the price charged, and the product’s availability are core determinants of consumer choices. The availability of substitute products plays a pivotal role in determining what consumers will buy; one can consider a product in place of another due to the prices charged and alternatives it may have (Gopinath, 2019). Some entities provide after-sales services for their products to win the interest of potential consumers in the market.
The other factor that significantly influences consumer decisions is the psychological factor. The buying behavior of any consumer is critically affected by psychological factors, such as motivation, learning, perception, beliefs, and attitudes (Gopinath, 2019). As a consumer, one can be motivated by various marketing strategies like advertising in ads, videos, and on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Learning may be initiated through processes like past experiences of using the product or being perceived by peers. Beliefs tend to lie under the consumer’s culture, which may be based on misconceptions, stereotypes, and norms. Regarding attitudes, they are personal internal impulses that may wave unconsciously or unquestionably (Gopinath, 2019). Ultimately, perception is conceived through learning directly from the actual product and subsequently getting perceived about the products.
The social factor is another external determinant of making buying decisions. Under this philosophy, the client is essentially guided by the people interacting, such as reference groups, social status, and family members (Gopinath, 2019). Through peers, a consumer can learn about a specific entity’s product quality, simplicity in utilization, and efficiency, making the consumer base his/her interests on particular products.
Alternatively, marketing plays a significant role in influencing consumers in each stage of the decision process. For instance, in the initial phase of ‘problem recognition,’ ancient marketing, or PR, the issue is tackled through advertising. Structured ads narrate consumer issues and how the services or goods can handle the issue (Gopinath, 2019). However, content marketing can cater to the issue in online commercial activities. Deploying the right content will identify target consumers, communicate their requirements, and nurture reassuring resources.
According to Qazzafi (2019), The second stage of consumer purchasing behavior poses the most significant potential for marketers to access respective consumers since consumers will look for products that will settle their needs. Therefore, marketers should emphasize the product. Ensuring the product is really good will seduce some clients to become brand advocates without even gaining any payment for the role. Building plant authority will respond and drive regular marketing (Qazzafi, 2019). The authority can work on the entity’s website, avail easy accessibility by the clients, and learn more about the company’s products and services. Eventually, company reviews and partnerships will play a significant role in influencing the clients’ decisions. This strategy is conducted by paving links with experts in the field, such as review websites and bloggers, to assist the company in standing out.
In Step four, due to quick decisions made in the first attempt, most consumers do not settle their issues in the first solution they find (Pop et al., 2022). Therefore, coming back will mandate them to evaluate various options, potential benefits, and hitches. Under certain situations, it is critical to consider value more than what rivals do and perceive correspondence clients about your values. However, this strategy can only apply in some industries, such as software, where quality features can be deployed (Qazzafi, 2019). The next stage embraces the purchase decision. Under this step, customers know after exploring and scrutinizing various options. During this stage, suppliers remind clients about their needs (Omar & Atteya, 2020). In the final stage, most customers have decisions already, but ensuring your websites are speedy enough can aid in getting the few who have not made their decisions yet.
Both writing and verbal communication are critical fields in marketing strategy. Although contemporary marketing is presented in computer form in terms of graphics, ads, and videos, handwriting and verbal communication are essential. For instance, most video adverts are accompanied by recorded audio to drive clarity within the advert (Pop et al., 2022). Therefore, it paves the significance for improving our skills in writing and communication. Communication skills can be improved by conducting various presentations. Regular debates will enhance communication skills (Gutiérrez-Puertas et al., 2020). Moreover, taking communication classes will play a pivotal role, especially when kept in practice. Employ the mentality of being clear, concise, and confident while tackling communication classes or debates to erase fear. On the other hand, the issue of writing can be catered to being involved in practice often (Márquez-Hernández et al., 2020). Similarly, typing skills are tackled efficiently and effectively when practice is considered.
In conclusion, the eagerness or ambitions of buying a good or service can only be waved by problem recognition. However, whether the good or service is a want or need determines what has caused the problem recognition. Subsequently, the decision of getting reasonable or the want lies under a specific protocol that must be followed regarding urgency before consumers purchase any good; it is always critical to consider other issues, such as price, quality, and alternative substitutes.
References
Fairlie, R., & Fossen, F. M. (2022). The early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business sales. Small Business Economics, 58(4), 1853-1864.
Gopinath, R. (2019). Factors Influencing Consumer Decision Behaviour in FMCG. International Journal of Social Sciences, 9(7), 249–255.
Márquez-Hernández, V. V., Gutiérrez-Puertas, V., Granados-Gámez, G., & Aguilera Gutiérrez-Puertas -Tanique, G. (2020). A systematic review is an educational intervention for nursing students to develop communication skills with patients—international journal of environmental research and public health, 17(7), 2241.
Omar, A. M., & Atteya, N. (2020). The impact of digital marketing on the consumer buying decision process in the Egyptian market. International Journal of Business and Management, 15(7), 120-132.
Pop, R. A., Săplăcan, Z., Dabija, D. C., & Alt, M. A. (2022). The impact of social media influencers on travel decisions: The role of trust in the consumer decision journey. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(5), 823-843.
Qazzafi, S. H. E. I. K. H. (2019). Consumer buying decision process toward products. International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, 2(5), 130-134.
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