Marketing Notes-Consumer Adoption Process

a) Stages in the Adoption Process

1. Awareness. In this stage the consumer is aware of the new product but lacks further information about it.
2. Interest. The consumer is motivated to seek information about the new product.
3. Evaluation. The consumer determines whether or not to try the new product.
4. Trial. The consumer tries the new product on a small scale to test its efficacy in meeting his or her needs. Trial can be imagined use of the product in some cases.
5. Adoption. The consumer decides to make use of the product on a regular basis.

b) Individual differences in the adoption of innovations
1. Innovators. Innovators help get the product exposure but are not often perceived by the majority of potential buyers as typical consumers.
2. Early Adopters. This group serves as opinion leaders to the rest of the market.
3. Early Majority. Some 34% of the market that is the "typical consumer" but likely to adopt innovations a little sooner.
4. Late Majority. This group is skeptical and adopts innovations only after most of the market has accepted the product.
5. Laggards. This group is suspicious of change and adopts only after the product is no longer considered an innovation.

C. Product Life-Cycle Strategies
After launching the new product, management wants the product to enjoy a long and happy life. Although it does not expect the product to sell forever, the company wants to earn a decent profit to cover all the effort
a) Product development begins when the company finds and develops a new-product idea.
b) Introduction is a period of slow sales growth as the product is introduced in the market.
c) Growth is a period of rapid market acceptance and increasing profits.
d) Maturity is a period of slowdown in sales growth because the product has achieved acceptance by most potential buyers.
e) Decline is the period when sales fall off and profits drop.

Consumer buying behavior-process

Research suggests that customers go through a five-stage decision-making process in any purchase. This is summarised in the diagram below:

This model is important for anyone making marketing decisions. It forces the marketer to consider the whole buying process rather than just the purchase decision (when it may be too late for a business to influence the choice!)

The model implies that customers pass through all stages in every purchase. However, in more routine purchases, customers often skip or reverse some of the stages.

For example, a student buying a favourite hamburger would recognise the need (hunger) and go right to the purchase decision, skipping information search and evaluation. However, the model is very useful when it comes to understanding any purchase that requires some thought and deliberation.

The buying process starts with need recognition. At this stage, the buyer recognises a problem or need (e.g. I am hungry, we need a new sofa, I have a headache) or responds to a marketing stimulus (e.g. you pass Starbucks and are attracted by the aroma of coffee and chocolate muffins).

An “aroused” customer then needs to decide how much information (if any) is required. If the need is strong and there is a product or service that meets the need close to hand, then a purchase decision is likely to be made there and then. If not, then the process of information search begins.

A customer can obtain information from several sources:

• Personal sources: family, friends, neighbours etc
• Commercial sources: advertising; salespeople; retailers; dealers; packaging; point-of-sale displays
• Public sources: newspapers, radio, television, consumer organisations; specialist magazines
• Experiential sources: handling, examining, using the product

The usefulness and influence of these sources of information will vary by product and by customer. Research suggests that customers value and respect personal sources more than commercial sources (the influence of “word of mouth”). The challenge for the marketing team is to identify which information sources are most influential in their target markets.

In the evaluation stage, the customer must choose between the alternative brands, products and services.

How does the customer use the information obtained?

An important determinant of the extent of evaluation is whether the customer feels “involved” in the product. By involvement, we mean the degree of perceived relevance and personal importance that accompanies the choice.

Where a purchase is “highly involving”, the customer is likely to carry out extensive evaluation.

High-involvement purchases include those involving high expenditure or personal risk – for example buying a house, a car or making investments.

Low involvement purchases (e.g. buying a soft drink, choosing some breakfast cereals in the supermarket) have very simple evaluation processes.

Why should a marketer need to understand the customer evaluation process?

The answer lies in the kind of information that the marketing team needs to provide customers in different buying situations.

In high-involvement decisions, the marketer needs to provide a good deal of information about the positive consequences of buying. The sales force may need to stress the important attributes of the product, the advantages compared with the competition; and maybe even encourage “trial” or “sampling” of the product in the hope of securing the sale.

Post-purchase evaluation - Cognitive Dissonance

The final stage is the post-purchase evaluation of the decision. It is common for customers to experience concerns after making a purchase decision. This arises from a concept that is known as “cognitive dissonance”. The customer, having bought a product, may feel that an alternative would have been preferable. In these circumstances that customer will not repurchase immediately, but is likely to switch brands next time.

To manage the post-purchase stage, it is the job of the marketing team to persuade the potential customer that the product will satisfy his or her needs. Then after having made a purchase, the customer should be encouraged that he or she has made the right decision.