Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Consumer buying behavior.
Another well-known concept to explain consumer
behavior on the Web is consumer buying behavior.
The outcome of consumer searching is often a purchase or some other type of
conversion defined by the advertiser. Although this purchase decision can be consid-
ered as a step in the consumer search process, it is such a core part of commerce that
consumer buying behavior is a field in its own right.
The consumer buying process is usually presented as a hierarchical staged model
consisting of one or more prepurchase, purchase, and postpurchase phases. The pre-
purchase phase includes need recognition, information search, evaluation of alterna-
tives, and product choice [
6
].
Concerning the consumer buying process, we will use a six-phased process. The
six phases are:
1.
Problem Recognition
: awareness of need or desire
2.
Search
: gathering of information to reduce uncertainty
3.
Evaluation of Alternatives
: evaluating available information and choices
4.
Purchase Decision
: determining whether or not to make the purchase
5.
Purchase
: the act of procuring the product or service
6.
Postpurchase Evaluation
: assessment of the product or service purchase.
Naturally, not all consumer buying decisions lead to a purchase, and not all consumer
buying decisions include all six stages. This is determined by the degree of complex-
ity of the buying decision.
One of the most predominant determinants of complexity is the level of impulse
buying and the frequency of purchase for the product or service [
38
]. Impulse buy-
ing, in its purest form, is defined as consisting of four components [
39
]:
•
It is
unplanned
.
It the result of an exposure to
•
stimulus
.
•
It is decided “
on-the-spot
.”
It involves an emotional and/or cognitive
•
reaction
.
The relationship between frequency and impulse is shown in
Figure 5.5
.
From
Figure 5.5
, we see different levels of consumer engagement:
•
Low
Frequency-Low Impulse
: high levels of consumer buying engagement
•
Low
Frequency-High Impulse
: low levels of consumer buying engagement
•
High
Frequency-Low Impulse
: high levels of consumer buying engagement
•
High
Frequency-High Impulse
: low levels of consumer buying engagement.
Common elements of buying funnel and consumer buying behavior
In addition to similarities in stages, both the buying funnel and the consumer buying
behavior models have the elements of uncertainty and bounded rationality in common.
Uncertainty.
One reason consumers search for prepurchase information is to reduce
their uncertainty about a decision. The range of possibilities for a consumer during a
