What type of consumer are you?
When it comes to consumers, they can generally be broken down into two primary types of consumers. The organizational consumer and the individual consumer. However, I would say individual consumers can be broken down into many sub-types based on personality traits and shopping behaviors. I would consider myself to be an informed, rational individual consumer. What I mean by this is I generally rationalize my purchases based on whether it is a necessity or a want. I always make sure I am making informed purchases and have done background research on more expensive items or new products. I tend to be a bargain shopper regarding daily use products or household items as long as the same job can be accomplished and quality is comparable. Even though I seem to be a cautious consumer, I will not say that I have never made an impulse buy. However, I think we all fall victim to impulse buying occasionally.
What influences your buying decisions, and how?
As consumers, we are making purchasing decisions all the time, and many factors can influence whether we buy or not. Generally for me, I find that word of mouth is a big influencer for me when it comes to a product I have considered purchasing. For example, I bought a minivan for my family, and a friend told me not to buy a specific brand and model due to some issues with unfixable transmissions. It was good he shared this information with me as my wife was interested in that particular minivan. Naturally, we tend to trust the word of those we know and trust over any marketing advertisement. This rings true even when I do not have close friends or family to base recommendations on. Instead, I find myself reading customer reviews to see what others who have purchased the product may have to say about it or their experience with the company. Sometimes, social reputation influences my decision whether or not to purchase a company’s product or service, as I wouldn’t want to support a company with poor morals or values.
Which stage actually leads to your purchasing decisions?
Unfortunately, word-of-mouth opinions are not always reliable or available from trusted sources. While the opinions of others heavily influence my decision to buy, ultimately, the research performed and comparison to alternatives leads me to my purchasing decisions. Let’s face it: no company is perfect, and a consumer somewhere has likely had a bad experience or received a faulty product that they love to share with the world. Therefore, personal research is what ultimately leads to my purchase decision. If not, I would own an Apple PC and an iPhone because that’s what is socially popular. However, I like more control and customization capabilities with my devices, so I purchased a Samsung operating on Android. Comparing features, benefits, and specifications allows me to really decide if the product is what I am looking for. Welp, there you have it. For me, the research stage is what ultimately leads to my purchasing decision. What about you? Which stage leads to your purchasing decision? Let me know in the comments!
How are you influenced by marketing research and marketing design?
I appreciate a well-researched and thought-out campaign regarding marketing research and design. One that has been personalized to appeal to me as an individual, grasp my attention, and is likely to retain it long enough to pique my interest and curiosity further to learn more. Knowing how to get my attention and what pain points I have become valuable research at influencing my buying decision. Marketing design affects me by being consistent with their design or branding. I become familiar with the brand and can distinguish them from competitors. I am also influenced by the aesthetics of the packaging and the emotions the marketing design can make me feel. For example, suppose the packaging for a family game was a bunch of words and dull colors. In that case, I will not get family fun vibes and skip right on past that board game to something like Perfection, Operation, or Uno.
Do you experience any post-purchase behavior?
Oh boy, do I! Lol! Of course, I experience plenty of post-purchase behavior. And I am not just referring to use and disposal or recycling. As a consumer who loves researching to inform purchasing decisions, when I have had a stellar experience with a company’s service or product, especially one that I found to have mixed reviews, I am quick to help other consumers by leaving a review on either Google or Amazon or other relevant sites. This is also true when I have had terrible experiences with either new or established companies, mainly to help inform potential customers and keep the established player accountable. Sometimes, I have to return a product or request a service refund. In my experience, most businesses are good at making things right. If not. Well, remember that review I usually write. Well, let me say I’ll be sure to include my customer service experience as well. Nobody has time to buy from businesses that don’t make time to have excellent customer service. Nor should consumers sacrifice such opportunity cost to return a faulty product.
What type of Consumer are you? What influences your purchasing decisions?
Let us know in the comments!
