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Consumer behavior is a com-
plex phenomenon, and how
individuals go through the decision-making process is still a
million dollar question. Several behavioral researchers have put forth
models to explain the factors that determine purchase behavior. In a
broad sense, the consumer decision making process generally follows the
following steps - problem recognition, information search, evaluation of
alternatives and selection, purchase and post-purchase behavior.
The catch in understanding consumers lies in the stage of
alternative evaluation and selection. There are several brands available in
the market and this perplexes the consumer and makes it very difficult
for him to arrive at a decision, especially in the case of low
involvement products. Further, an average consumer is not adequately
informed to judge the performance of competing brands on complex
evaluative criteria, such as quality and durability. Even in the case of
simple criteria, like price, it is difficult to make
comparisons, because sensory discrimination plays an
important role in the accuracy of individual judgments.
Sensory discrimination is the ability of an individual to distinguish
between similar stimuli. This ability of sensory discrimination is not well
developed in most individuals and as research rightly indicates,
consumers typically do not notice relatively small differences between brands
or minor changes in brand attributes. In addition, the complexity of
many products and services, and also the fact that some aspects of
performance can be judged only after extensive use, makes brand
comparison difficult. |
