Ch. 6 Consumer Decision Making

For a company such as Apple Inc. the main goal is to have consumers want and buy their products. In order for a company to achieve that goal greatly and consistently they have to know how consumers go about making decisions of choosing which products to buy. When a consumer goes about deciding what to buy they normally use the "consumer decision making process". It's a 5 step process that consumers generally go through when choosing a product to buy.

The first stage is "need recognition". When it comes to electronics such as the products Apple has the consumer has to establish the need for it. Most consumers find that need through "external stimuli" based on word of mouth about the popularity of the product. With the popularity of Apple products at an all time high its easy to hear from friends or associates how great, easy to use, and better the product is all around any other type of product. That generally creates the need for the product.

The second stage is "search for information" where consumers will generally search for information on the product. Consumers can search internally by past experiences and externally by listening to what the company says about their products which is "market controlled", or what friends say about their past experiences with the product. Generally consumers are internally happy with Apple products with past experiences. When Apple releases an updated version of a previous product current customers generally buy the new upgraded version. Apple has probably the best advertisement for their products because they advertise how much "cooler" their products are then the competition.

The third stage is "evaluate alternatives" where consumers look for other options for that product. But Apple is viewed to have superior products or products that are wanted more then the competition. So when it comes to phones, mp3 players, and laptops they set the standard for consumers.

The fourth stage is "purchase" where consumers feel like they've done enough to choose the product to buy. Which has been no problem for Apple lately because like I mentioned earlier the products are very popular. Here is Apple's Fourth Quarter Results

The fifth and final stage is "post purchase behavior" which is what a consumer expects from the product they just purchased. Depending on if the product delivers what they believe it would deliver then the consumer would be satisfied or dissatisfied. But judging by the amount of returning and new customers
Apple gets with its products consumers are generally satisfied.