In the behavioral perspective, the product discussed is chocolate. Under this perspective, the consumers do not search for a lot of information about the product. This is usually because the product is purchased regularly and thus it is considered to be a low involvement product.
Lastly in the experiential perspective, the chosen product is restaurant meal. Under this perspective, the product is looked at as a whole including the features such as. sanitary levels, decor, serving methods, ingredients etc
. To market this product the marketers should ensure that they advertise the product well and all the advantages of the product should be shown. Also referral marketing should be used as word of mouth plays a big role in promoting a restaurant.
(Solomon, 1996)
Major differences between the perspectives:
Rational perspective:
This perspective has high involvement which means that the consumer is highly involved throughout the decision making process. (Solomon, 1996) this could mean that it involves high information search where the consumers spend a great deal of time looking for information about the product. There is the need for high information search as the product is expensive and therefore there is little room for error in decision-making. The research and the decision-making is extensive as there are different features of the car to be looked at.
Behavioral perspective:
This perspective has low involvement, which means that the consumers are not involved in the decision-making. No information is needed when purchasing the product, as it is a habitual purchase. (Solomon, 1996). Therefore we can say that the products under this perspective are cheap or affordable. The consumer does not look at the features of the product under this perspective.
Experiential perspective:
This perspective has limited involvement, as the consumers are involved but only to some extent. Not much research is needed for this perspective as the consumer relies on past experience. (Solomon, 1996) The prices for the products under this perspective vary according to the brands of the products. The consumers look at the product as a whole.
The problem solving activities and the characteristics for the chosen activity:
Under the rational perspective, the most appropriate problem solving activity is the extended problem solving activity (Solomon, 1996). This is because under that activity there is high information search and, as the decision is important. The characteristics of the product that make this so are:
- There are different makes of the mobile phone available in the market.
- Consumers search for information in newspapers and magazines, internet, newspapers etc.
Steps in decision making (rational perspective)
Understand how information is obtained: -
1st hand information; information obtained by using a previous phone
Information obtained from friends
Information obtained from the Internet, friends, adverts and mobile phone dealers.
How beliefs are formed
Through learning; observational, operant and classical.
Conformity
By assessing environmental cues.
Product choice; criteria specified by consumers
Could be different due to individual differences
Under the behavioral perspective, the most appropriate problem solving activity is the habitual decision making. This is because the decisions are made out of habits and out of no conscious effort (Solomon, 1996). Consumers maybe highly involved in a decision, but still the decisions cannot wholly be explained rationally. (http://www.umsl.edu/~melliott;/Chp09.ppt; Perspectives on Decision Making)
The characteristics that lead to choosing this problem solving activity are:
- No information search is needed for this perspective
- This product is usually purchased in an impulse
Marketers should consider:
Characteristic of environment
Physical surroundings- for instance chocolate should be placed in front of the consumers’ eye or maybe together with other confectionery products. So seeing it on the rack makes the consumer indulge in influential buying
Lastly, under the experiential perspective, the most appropriate problem solving activity is the limited solving activity (Solomon, 1996). This is because only low information search is needed and usually decisions are taken through in-store displays. The characteristics that led to this problem solving activity are:
- Consumers tend to make in-store decisions
- Limited information search is needed under this perspective
- Consumers rely on advertisements or advice from friends to make the decisions
Marketers should consider (experiential perspective):
Measuring consumers effective responses:-
Service
Food served for example; delicious, hot etc
Sanitary levels of the restaurant
Ingredients used
Appropriate subjective reactions: -
Tip given
Suggestions/remark book
Increase in customers
Conclusion:
In conclusion we can see that to market a product, the marketers have to ensure they know which category the product belongs to. They should know the amount of time that is needed for the consumers to make a decision about that product and hence they should provide all the information needed. The products should be found in line with these perspectives so that the consumers can consider them while in the process of satisfying their needs. For marketers to be able to attract consumers to their products, they should market them within these perspectives using the appropriate methods. They should be able to fully understand their consumer’s decision making styles and the product.
References:
Michael R. Solomon. (1996). Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having and Being. 3rd edition. Prentice Hall.
Micheal R. Solomon, consumer behavior, (http://www.umsl.edu/~melliott;/Chp09.ppt; Perspectives on Decision Making), last retrieved on 09/09/2004
