Get to know your buying decision behavior here and at which situations you use it:
1. Complex Buying Behavior
You have the complex buying behavior when deciding to buy something. You may be very involved in making decisions when you want to buy products that are quite expensive. So in this case, you tend to dig some information about the product as much as you can. You will much likely spend much time comparing the different aspects of the products or differences amongst the brands. You use this buying decision behavior when you want to buy, for example, a motorcycle or a laptop[1]. You need to have more information and also do some comparison before finally deciding what to buy.
2. Dissonance Reducing Buying Behavior
You are highly involved when you are going to buy things.When you want to buy a product, you do not really care or notice the brand differences. For example, when you are buying carpet or ceramics, you don’t really care about the brands and do not even bother to do comparison since in your perspective all the carpets in the same range of price are the same[2]. You will look around and see what is in the store and most likely ended up intrigued to buy something that is considered to be affordable and suits your pocket. After you purchased that one product, you will most likely begin to experience post-purchase dissonance or an after-sale discomfort. You will feel the discomfort starting to come when hearing good things about the products that did not end up buying. “Why did I buy this in the first place and not the other product?” is what you will start to think.
3. Habitual Buying Behavior
You got the habitual buying behavior !It means that when you are buying products, you don't really care about the brand. But, you would rather go with what the majority of people buy. For example, if you are buying a lighter or a match box. There is no brand loyalty. You do not need information regarding the lighter’s brand or its details. Another example is when you are buying mineral water, you might just go to supermarket and grab what most people buy for water. You buy things out of habit[3]. For such brands that people usually buy out of habit, TV commercials and other advertisements build a positive image for the consumers.
If you have this buying decision behavior, then you are the easily bored or always wants to try new things type, therefore you are often changing from one brand to another brand out of curiosity. You do so, because you want to know what distinguishes one product brand from another product brand, not because you are not satisfied with the product brand. You will evaluate the product brand during your consumption. It is almost the same with experiencing the products by buying it.
Therefore, competing companies will give something that you and the other consumers will be interested in buying their new products. For example, the companies will lower their products’ prices or make discounted prices for every purchase of at least 2 or also buy 2 free promos 1, and others. Companies must observe other companies for potential competition and have to come up with great consumers-attracting ideas to deal with those who have your buying decision type.
You will know more about the product you will purchase. But, consumer loyalty to the product is very low. One way companies can compete well is to create products of the same brand but have different or many variations. For example, companies can create chips with different flavors to increase the curiosity of consumers to try them out.
So, which one are you? Which buying decision do you often use? Is it complex, dissonance reducing, habitual, or variety seeking buying behavior? Regardless of what you got, I hope we can always be wise and full of consideration in making your purchase decision.
[1] Kotler, Philip, Gary Armstrong, and Margaret H. Cunningham. 2005. Principles of marketing. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall.
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
Written: by Gina Faridah, Jimmy and Arna Sintya
i think i’m the first one of that type