Buying and shopping is something, which if preferred my everyone, belonging to all age groups. The buying decisions of men and woman depend on their habit and lifestyle. Habits and lifestyle drive most decisions and it is important for companies to study these habits for understanding the buying decisions of the purchasers. Companies try to focus and study the initial buying decision to gain advantage of them before their decision is overruled by their habit. This ensures that their products and things that they are selling is the beneficiary of the habits of the consumers.
There is particular buying process through which a customer has to go before purchasing anything. This process is called as Customer Buying Process (also called a buying decision process). This process shows the journey of a customer before buying anything. And it is important to understand this journey to align the products and strategize the entire process of product advertising selling accordingly.
Following things are focused while understanding a buyers mind:
- Initial Stimulation of a Need : Companies spend millions of dollars each year to motivate the buyers for purchasing their products and for motivating them to buy the products which are healthier, wealthier, attractive and safer. That’s why, coupons, discounts and sales are also provided. These mainly attract the purchasers. Many purchasers tend to change their habits and lifestyles which further change and shift their shopping habits.
- Influence of Third Parties: Third parties are mainly friends, peers or authority who have influence on the habits and lifestyles of people. This further affect the selection of products. Word of mouth marketing is considered more because it provides honest reviews about different products. It is considered to be more trustworthy than individual advertising. That’s why companies try to seek and attract customer endorsements and enlist celebrities as product spokespeople to help gain the attraction and purchasers.
- Personal Evaluation : Decisions for buying one product as compared to other similar products is influenced by a number of factors and it includes packaging appeal and the convenience of payment. This process of choosing one product over another helps in making better decisions and better choices.
Hence, consumers should be aware of their habits which are the major deciding factors while purchasing anything. Evaluating and objectively determining every purchase is considered to be impractical and not preferable. Sometimes the outcomes are more critical and there can be significant differences in their price, quantity, quality, durability and utility etc. And for a successful result it is important to make rational purchasing decision.
Shopping always makes us feel good. Even after buying something, the excitement of trying them immediately after getting home excites a lot and in my case, I always have a feeling of achievement after buying a product that I like. We all know that sense of pleasure and joy when be go through different stores and buy something that we want…. It can be a new shade of lipstick, or a hardware or furniture or electronic item or pair shoes or anything else. This is called a retail therapy and it has also been studies scientifically. Scientific studies of retail therapy have shown the effectiveness of buying and shopping something which we need or want.
