Consumer Purchase Decision Process a. The definition of consumer behavior emphasizes that a decision process underlies the visible act of making a purchase. The purchase decision process is the series of steps or stages a consumer passes through in making choices about which products and services to buy. Problem recognition is a perceived difference between a person's ideal and actual situation big enough to trigger a decision. An internal search involves the scanning of one's memory to recall previous experiences or knowledge concerning solutions to the problem.
Internal search is often sufficient for frequently purchased products.
An external search may be necessary particularly when past experience or knowledge is insufficient, the risk of making a wrong purchase decision is high, and the cost of gathering information is low. An important result of this stage is anxiety. Post- purchase anxiety, called cognitive dissonance, often results when two or more highly attractive alternatives exist in a purchase decision. Expensive relative to a consumer's disposable income. Can be perceived as reflecting a person's social image.