CHAPTER 3

The Consumer Decision

Process

Roger D. Blackwell, Paul W. Miniard, and James F. Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth
Edition
The Consumer Decision Process

How do consumers make

purchase decisions?

How do firms use this information

to develop new products and
marketing programs?

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
The Consumer Decision Process

P&G used
consumer
information
regarding
various
decision
process stages
to create and
market Dryel

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Consumer Decision Process Model
Need Recognition

Search for Information

Pre-purchase Evaluation of Alternatives

Purchase

Consumption

Post-consumption Evaluation

Divestment
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Consumer Decision Process Model
Need Recognition

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Need Recognition
Need: the difference between what a
person perceives to be the ideal
versus the actual state of affairs

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Need Recognition
Need: the difference between what a
person perceives to be the ideal
versus the actual state of affairs
Consumers recognize needs and
seek to fulfill them, or sometimes
seek to solve their problems
Knowing consumers needs, helps
firms develop products and
marketing programs to reach them
more effectively (itch and scratch)
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Need Recognition

Communicating
a need and
raising
consumer
awareness of
need or
problem
Special needs
of baby teeth

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Need Recognition
Environmental
Influences
-Culture
M -Social Class
-Personal Influence
E -Family
M Need -Situation
O Recognition
Individual Differences
R -Consumer Resources
Y -Motivation
-Knowledge
-Attitudes
-Personality, Values,
and Lifestyle
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Consumer Decision Process Model
Need Recognition

Search for Information

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
CDP Model Need Recognition

Internal
Search
Search
Environ-
Exposure mental
Influences
Attention M
Compre- E
Individual
hension M Differences
O
Acceptance R
Y
Retention

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Search For Information
Internal search: retrieving know-
ledge from memory
External search: collecting
informa-
tion from peers, family, and the
marketplace

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Search For Information
Internal search: retrieving know-
ledge from memory
External search: collecting
informa-
tion from peers, family, and the
marketplace
Search may be passive as
consumers become more receptive
to information around them, or
consumers can engage in active
search behavior
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Search For Information

Need Environmental
Recognition Influences

Internal
Search Search Individual
Differences
M External
E Search
M
O
R
Y
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Search: Sources of Information
Marketer Dominated
Non-Marketer Dominated Stimuli

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Information Processing
Exposure

Attention M
Stimuli:
-Marketer E
Dominated Comprehension M
-Nonmarketer O
Dominated
Acceptance R
Y
Retention

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Search: Sources of Information
Marketer Dominated
Non-Marketer Dominated Stimuli
-Family and peers
-Publications
-Television ads
-Internet or
website
-In-store displays
or salespersons
-Shopping
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Search: Information Processing

Exposure

Attention

Comprehension

Acceptance

Retention

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Consumer Decision Process Model
Need Recognition

Search for Information

Pre-purchase Evaluation of Alternatives

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
CDP Model Need Recognition

Internal
Search
Search
Environ-
Exposure Pre-purchase
mental
Evaluation of
Influences
Attention Alternatives
M
Compre- E
Stimuli Individual
hension M Differences
O
Acceptance R
Y
Retention

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Pre-purchase Evaluation of
Alternatives
The process of evaluating alter-
natives identified from search,
which leads to product or brand
most likely to satisfy the consumer

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Pre-purchase Evaluation of
Alternatives
The process of evaluating alter-
natives identified from search,
which leads to product or brand
most likely to satisfy the consumer
Can use new or preexisting evalu-
ations stored in memory
Evaluative criteria: standards and
specifications used to compare
different products and brands
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Pre-purchase Evaluation of
Alternatives

Aunt Jemima
maple syrup
focuses on the
evaluative
criteria of
thickness in
this
advertisement

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Consumer Decision Process Model
Need Recognition

Search for Information

Pre-purchase Evaluation of Alternatives

Purchase

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
CDP Model Need Recognition

Internal
Search
Search
Environ-
Exposure Pre-purchase
mental
Evaluation of
Influences
Attention Alternatives
M
Compre- E
Stimuli Purchase Individual
hension M Differences
O
Acceptance R
Y
Retention

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Purchase
Purchase decisions involve
choosing a form of retailing, a
specific retailer, and a particular
product and brand

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Purchase
Purchase decisions involve
choosing a form of retailing, a
specific retailer, and a particular
product and brand

Purchase intention can change

during the purchase stage--it can
be influenced by factors such as in-
store promotions, discounts, or
stock-outs
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Consumer Decision Process Model
Need Recognition

Search for Information

Prepurchase Evaluation of Alternatives

Purchase

Consumption

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
CDP Model Need Recognition

Internal
Search
Search
Environ-
Exposure Pre-purchase
mental
Evaluation of
Influences
Attention Alternatives
M
Compre- E
Stimuli Purchase Individual
hension M Differences
O
Acceptance Consumption
R
Y
Retention

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Consumption
The process of using the product or
service purchased
Consumption can either occur
immediately or be delayed

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Consumption
The process of using the product or
service purchased
Consumption can either occur
immediately or be delayed
Consumers may use products as
intended or as they choose,
especially when instructions are
not included or not read
How consumers use a product
affects satisfaction with product
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Consumption

Appealing to
consumers
with easy-to-
use positioning

Consumption-
oriented
product design
and benefit

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Consumer Decision Process Model
Need Recognition

Search for Information

Pre-purchase Evaluation of Alternatives

Purchase

Consumption

Post-consumption Evaluation

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
CDP Model Need Recognition

Internal
Search
Search
Environ-
Exposure Pre-purchase
mental
Evaluation of
Influences
Attention Alternatives
M
Compre- E
Stimuli Purchase Individual
hension M Differences
O
Acceptance Consumption
R
Y
Retention Post-consumption
Evaluation

External
Dissatisfaction Satisfaction
Search

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Post-consumption Evaluation
Satisfaction: when expectations are
met or exceeded by perceived
performance
Dissatisfaction: when performance
falls short of expectations
Consumption is an important
determinant of satisfaction

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Post-consumption Evaluation
Satisfaction: when expectations are
met or exceeded by perceived
performance
Dissatisfaction: when performance
falls short of expectations
Consumption is an important
determinant of satisfaction
Cognitive dissonance: questioning
decision (post-purchase regret)
Emotion affects evaluation
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Consumer Decision Process Model
Need Recognition

Search for Information

Pre-purchase Evaluation of Alternatives

Purchase

Consumption

Post-consumption Evaluation

Divestment
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Divestment
How consumers dispose of the
packaging or product after use
Options include:
Disposal
Remarketing or reselling
Recycling
Consumers environmental
concerns about divestment may
affect product choice

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Divestment
Mentadent
sells
toothpaste in
a dual-
chambered
pump, which
can be filled
with refills
and reused
rather than
thrown away
each time
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
CDP Model Need Recognition

Internal
Search
Search
Environ-
Exposure Pre-purchase
mental
Evaluation of
Influences
Attention Alternatives
M
Compre- E
Stimuli Purchase Individual
hension M Differences
O
Acceptance Consumption
R
Y
Retention Post-consumption
Evaluation

External
Dissatisfaction Satisfaction
Search
Divestment
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Variables Shaping the Decision
Process
Individual Differences:
Demographics, psychographics,
values, and personality
Consumer resources
Motivation
Knowledge
Attitudes

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Variables Shaping the Decision
Process
Environmental Differences:
Culture: values, ideas, artifacts, and
symbols that help individuals interpret,
communicate, and evaluate as
members of society
Social Class
Family
Personal Influence
Situation
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Variables Shaping the Decision
Process
Psychological Processes
Influencing Consumer Behavior
Information processing
Learning
Attitude and behavior change

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Consumer Decision Process
Continuum

Extended Midrange Limited

Problem Problem Problem
Solving Solving Solving
(EPS) (LPS)

High Low

Degree of Complexity

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Consumer Decision Process
Continuum: Repeat Purchases

Extended Midrange Limited Habitual

Problem Problem Problem Problem
Solving Solving Solving Solving

High Low

Degree of Complexity

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Types of Decision Processes
Initial Purchase
Extended Problem Solving (EPS):
Often occurs with expensive items or
can be fueled by doubts and fears
Importance in making the right
decision
All seven consumer decision making
stages are often activated
Dissatisfaction is often vocal

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Types of Decision Processes
Initial Purchase
Limited Problem Solving (LPS):
Consumers dont have motivation,
time, or resources to engage in EPS
Little search and evaluation before
purchase
More common among low involvement
or lower price items
Often accompanied by a feeling of
indifference toward choice
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Types of Decision Processes
Repeat Purchase
Repeated Problem Solving
Habitual Decision Making

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Types of Decision Processes
Repeat Purchase
Repeated Problem Solving
Habitual Decision Making
Impulse Buying
Unplanned, spur-of-the-moment action
triggered by in-store display or
promotion (least complex form of LPS)

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Types of Decision Processes
Repeat Purchase
Repeated Problem Solving
Habitual Decision Making
Impulse Buying
Unplanned, spur-of-the-moment action
triggered by in-store display or
promotion (least complex form of LPS)
Variety Seeking
Brand shifts
Can be triggered because bored with
current brand or because of special offer
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Nestle
appeals to
consumers
variety
seeking
behavior by
promoting a
variety of
desserts for
each day of
the week
(variety
without
brand switch)
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Factors Influencing Problem
Solving Extent
Degree of Involvement (High-Low)
Personal Factors (self-image, health,
beauty or physical condition)
Product Factors (is there perceived risk
in purchasing a particular brand or
product?)
Situational Factors (is the product
purchased for personal use or as a gift?)

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Factors Influencing Problem
Solving Extent
Degree of Involvement (High-Low)

Perceptions of differences among

alternatives

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Factors Influencing Problem
Solving Extent
Time Availability
How much time is available to devote to
solving the problem?
How quickly does the decision need to be
made?

Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
Factors Influencing Problem
Solving Extent
Time Availability
How much time is available to devote to
solving the problem?
How quickly does the decision need to be
made?
Consumers Mood State
How people feel at a particular moment of
time
Mood can reduce or increase length and
complexity of decision process
Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior , Ninth Edition, Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights
 Consumer Behavior
Roger D. Blackwell
Paul W. Miniard
James F. Engel
Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be
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Permissions Department, Harcourt, Inc.
6277 Sea Harbor Drive
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Copyright 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved.