Buyer Behavior

his short report will demonstrate and explain how I (and consumers may) use the consumer buying decision process in conguction with another model. The product I will be talking about is my iPhone 4s from Apple.

I decided to purchase a new phone as my current Nokia was failing. I did previous research to why I may purchase an iPhone . At the time purchasing an iPhone was only an idea as I had a very low budget. As most consumers shop upon price and look for deals , when looking at the iPhone I had to consider my value for money and running costs such as the cost of my line rental from Vodafone and if the was any other better deals than the offer I was presented with.

For me to have purchased the iPhone i needed to know its tangibles such as the touch screen, camera, social network, apps and other features. Also the intangibles (which I used as a plus) could be the loyalty to the Apple brand (having already an iPod and iPad thought there was no harm in trying the iPhone 4S. ) As I have already been satisfied with previous purchases from Apple.

When buying my iPhone I believe my individual influences helped when deciding whether to take the phone such as my personality and my social belonging as I was the only one out of my friends who didn't have a flashy phone even though the life style costs are way over my budget it contributes to my personal alternative , such as my emotions , self image and my morals. The technical side also came into play such as the performance of the phone the styles it came in and the convenience it had.

The decision making process

Figure 3:1 (Lecture Slide - Principles of Marketing)

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Figure 3.3 (Lecture Slide 19 - Principles Of Marketing )

In comparison the decision process and Maslow's hierarchy of needs are very different. The decision making process is more technical looking at every aspect and balancing out the needs and wants. Whereas Maslow's model is more self involvement , It's all about how you feel towards the product and pleasing yourself esteem, its more personal than the decision making process.

When buying my iPhone it's clear in which model I used to help me make my decision, I used most Maslow's because I got the phone to better my esteem and personal fulfilment , to satisfy my thirst for the product. I did use a little of the decision making process model to help with my purchase because I originally started out with the problem recognition and by making the purchase I felt like I solved it.