Question 1
Identify the stages in the consumer buying process model and discuss using materials
from the case study how some of the stages of the model are changing in the retail sector
with the emergence of technologies?
The six main stages are problem recognition, information search, evaluation of
alternatives, purchase decision, purchase and post purchase evaluation. (Hammond and
James. 2008);
(i) Problem or Need Recognition
As the name suggest it is the problem and the need recognition for the consumers in order
to identify how to solve the particular problem or need. This is where they will be
looking for a services or product that can solve their problem easily. The consumers will
be facing problems such as the ticket price is very high. For instance, the price of the
AirAsia ticket is less expensive compared to Malaysian and other airlines. Another
problem that most consumers will face is the facilities that they can enjoy. As the price
for AirAsia ticket is low, the seats are too small and the consumers will not be able to sit
comfortably (Leventhal and Richard, 2006).
(ii) Information Search
,It is the stage where the consumer will do his research about the product or services that
can help to solve problem or the need of the consumer. A very good information research
will help the consumer to choose from a variety of products or services. For instance,
consumers can get information about AirAsia through the advertisements of the airline in
the newspapers. Moreover, consumers can acquire more information that they need
through the website of AirAsia itself. Another form of information research that will be
effective is through the Opinion Leaders where most consumers claimed to buy the
tickets after hearing the experience of other consumers consuming the product or service
(Danziger and Pamela, 2006)
(iii) Evaluation of Alternatives
In this stage, the consumer will be evaluating all the possible alternatives or the services
available through comparison of price, quality and the services being provided in a way
that can solve the need or problem of the consumer. For example. there are many
alternatives for consumers, especially in the airline market such as Malaysian Airlines
that can travel almost all parts of the world and the consumers who wants to travel to
United States will not be able to enjoy this service through AirAsia because AirAsia does
not provide that route. This will make the consumers search for an alternative or other
means such as Malaysian Airlines (Danziger and Pamela, 2006).
(iv) Purchase Decision
This is the stage where the consumer takes the decision to purchase the services from a
company after a thorough evaluation and comparison. The consumers can purchase the
AirAsia tickets through its website based on their preference and need. The tickets can
also be bought at the nearest AirAsia ticketing centre where the consumers can book the
ticket and even purchase it with the information, service and support offered by the
salesperson (Leventhal and Richard, 2006).
(v) Purchase
, This stage is where the consumer purchases the service or the product. The money is
given in exchange for the service or the product that the consumer is going to consume.
The consumers can make the purchase of a ticket of AirAsia via their credit card as
nowadays most consumers prefer online booking that allows them to choose the date at
their own pace. The consumers can purchase the ticket in advance ahead of the date that
can be done at the ticketing counter or online (Wright and Len Tiu, 2006).
(vi) Post Purchase Evaluation.
Post Purchase Evaluation is the outcome after the purchase of the product or services by
the customer. It can be either a satisfaction or dissatisfaction for the consumer.
Consumers can even choose the meals that they prefer to have during their flight hours.
Hence this allow the consumers to make their journey a satisfactory one. For example,
comfort and pleasure are provided while travelling by AirAsia (Wright and Len Tiu,
2006).
In the search stage phase, consumers try to gather precise and relevant information that
allow them to make well-informed decisions (Carlson et al. 2008). In the purchase stage
phase, consumers are aiming for buying the chosen product at the lowest price
(Balasubramanian et al. 2005; Hamilton and Chernev 2010). Finally, in the after-sales
stage, consumers wish to minimize effort using the products and services (Keeney 1999).
As taken from the case study 'The simple comparison engine that has become ubiquitous
throughout online retail sites has made the evaluation of alternatives more cutthroat.
Customers are empowered to evaluate a retailer's product against their competitors using
any feature or metric they want', the multichannel consumer (MCC), a more
knowledgeable and wise consumer (Verbeke et al., 2010; Tanner et al., 2005; Sharma,
2007) can get information about a product by just surfing and switching between
channels (Pookulangara et al., 2011) such as brick and mortar stores, websites, mobile
devices, and other emerging shopping outlets (Crittendenetal., 2010; Kumar and
Venkatesan, 2005; Noble et al., 2005). Normally, the pre-purchase stage, in which
consumers initially search for information, has different requirements on the marketing
Identify the stages in the consumer buying process model and discuss using materials
from the case study how some of the stages of the model are changing in the retail sector
with the emergence of technologies?
The six main stages are problem recognition, information search, evaluation of
alternatives, purchase decision, purchase and post purchase evaluation. (Hammond and
James. 2008);
(i) Problem or Need Recognition
As the name suggest it is the problem and the need recognition for the consumers in order
to identify how to solve the particular problem or need. This is where they will be
looking for a services or product that can solve their problem easily. The consumers will
be facing problems such as the ticket price is very high. For instance, the price of the
AirAsia ticket is less expensive compared to Malaysian and other airlines. Another
problem that most consumers will face is the facilities that they can enjoy. As the price
for AirAsia ticket is low, the seats are too small and the consumers will not be able to sit
comfortably (Leventhal and Richard, 2006).
(ii) Information Search
,It is the stage where the consumer will do his research about the product or services that
can help to solve problem or the need of the consumer. A very good information research
will help the consumer to choose from a variety of products or services. For instance,
consumers can get information about AirAsia through the advertisements of the airline in
the newspapers. Moreover, consumers can acquire more information that they need
through the website of AirAsia itself. Another form of information research that will be
effective is through the Opinion Leaders where most consumers claimed to buy the
tickets after hearing the experience of other consumers consuming the product or service
(Danziger and Pamela, 2006)
(iii) Evaluation of Alternatives
In this stage, the consumer will be evaluating all the possible alternatives or the services
available through comparison of price, quality and the services being provided in a way
that can solve the need or problem of the consumer. For example. there are many
alternatives for consumers, especially in the airline market such as Malaysian Airlines
that can travel almost all parts of the world and the consumers who wants to travel to
United States will not be able to enjoy this service through AirAsia because AirAsia does
not provide that route. This will make the consumers search for an alternative or other
means such as Malaysian Airlines (Danziger and Pamela, 2006).
(iv) Purchase Decision
This is the stage where the consumer takes the decision to purchase the services from a
company after a thorough evaluation and comparison. The consumers can purchase the
AirAsia tickets through its website based on their preference and need. The tickets can
also be bought at the nearest AirAsia ticketing centre where the consumers can book the
ticket and even purchase it with the information, service and support offered by the
salesperson (Leventhal and Richard, 2006).
(v) Purchase
, This stage is where the consumer purchases the service or the product. The money is
given in exchange for the service or the product that the consumer is going to consume.
The consumers can make the purchase of a ticket of AirAsia via their credit card as
nowadays most consumers prefer online booking that allows them to choose the date at
their own pace. The consumers can purchase the ticket in advance ahead of the date that
can be done at the ticketing counter or online (Wright and Len Tiu, 2006).
(vi) Post Purchase Evaluation.
Post Purchase Evaluation is the outcome after the purchase of the product or services by
the customer. It can be either a satisfaction or dissatisfaction for the consumer.
Consumers can even choose the meals that they prefer to have during their flight hours.
Hence this allow the consumers to make their journey a satisfactory one. For example,
comfort and pleasure are provided while travelling by AirAsia (Wright and Len Tiu,
2006).
In the search stage phase, consumers try to gather precise and relevant information that
allow them to make well-informed decisions (Carlson et al. 2008). In the purchase stage
phase, consumers are aiming for buying the chosen product at the lowest price
(Balasubramanian et al. 2005; Hamilton and Chernev 2010). Finally, in the after-sales
stage, consumers wish to minimize effort using the products and services (Keeney 1999).
As taken from the case study 'The simple comparison engine that has become ubiquitous
throughout online retail sites has made the evaluation of alternatives more cutthroat.
Customers are empowered to evaluate a retailer's product against their competitors using
any feature or metric they want', the multichannel consumer (MCC), a more
knowledgeable and wise consumer (Verbeke et al., 2010; Tanner et al., 2005; Sharma,
2007) can get information about a product by just surfing and switching between
channels (Pookulangara et al., 2011) such as brick and mortar stores, websites, mobile
devices, and other emerging shopping outlets (Crittendenetal., 2010; Kumar and
Venkatesan, 2005; Noble et al., 2005). Normally, the pre-purchase stage, in which
consumers initially search for information, has different requirements on the marketing
