The Internet is a collection of computers hooked together with telephone lines that enables users to communicate and share information around the globe. The World Wide Web has turned the Internet into an important source of marketing information, linking customers and companies around the world. Consumer buying behavior refers to the purchasing of products for personal or household use, not for business purposes. Organizational buying behavior is the purchasing of products by producers, resellers, governmental units, and institutions. Consumer Buying Behavior.
Consumers use different types of decision behaviors when buying different products.
For frequently purchased, low-cost items, a consumer employs routine response behavior. The buyer uses limited decision making for purchases made occasionally and when more information is needed about an unknown product in a well-known product category. When buying an unfamiliar, expensive item or one that is seldom purchased, the consumer engages in extensive decision making. A person deciding on a purchase goes through some or all of the steps shown in Figure 12.4 . Organizational Buying Behavior.