The decision time period is extended-as is the life expectancy of the system being considered. Suppliers are increasingly asked for long-term product plans and commitments to interface and interoperate with products from other vendors. Problem definition is a new buyer need. Therefore, impulse buying is a diminishing factor. Given the plethora of substitute and product categories available today, the high tech DMU places a higher value on vendors that are able and willing to provide advice and then define their problem and solution.
Product usage is a new variable, placing further restraints on the brand to guide the buyer.
High tech products are designed to be malleable in their deployment. It is a given that usage questions will arise from the diverse set of infrastructures into which the client will deploy the offering. The extent to which the supplier or its channels meet this need will play a major role in brand acceptance. This practice, ostensibly aimed at bonding customers more closely to a company and enabling companies to capture more revenue from these customers, has had unintended consequences. Creating the right bundles at the right prices without the negative consequences seen up to this point is a complex, multi-stage process.