“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates
How is buying done?
A person usually goes through five stages when he buys a product. Whether purchasing clothes, food, a car, or a piece of home furniture, he initially feels his need, looks for information about products that may satisfy his need, buys the product of his choice, uses the product, and develops after-sales feelings about the product.
Feeling a need
The buyer feels a need based on his normal needs — for food, drink, shelter, among others — and consequently tends towards objects he knows will satisfy his need. Then he starts walking towards a canteen if it is food he wants or invites a friend to accompany him to the movies, if he wants entertainment.
Information research
The buyer gathers information about his needs in order to satisfy them. He may approach friends for advice, scan advertisements in the newspapers, run an online search, go to display rooms and talk to salesmen, or even check out the various products for himself. His attention is focused on product quality and price,
Purchase decision
From among the various products he has seen, the buyer forms a set of preferences based on brand, quality, price, and the place where the product may be bought. His choice will depend on how well these preferences are met. For example, given the same brand of soap, he is likely to buy from a store in Cubao, if it is nearer his place of residence than from a supermarket in Marikina where the same soap may even cost a little less. Clearly, a buyer will choose a product whose characteristics best correspond to his set of preferences, including convenience factors.
Uses of the product
At this stage, the buyer finds out whether the product he got actually fills the need he initially felt. It may also happen that he would find other uses for the product or its container. For example, containers of powdered milk may end up as flower pots and big containers of biscuits may be used as pails, storage bins, or trash cans.
After-purchase feelings
After the sale, the buyer may, at one extreme feel very satisfied with the product or, at the other extreme, feel quite discontented with it. These after-sale feelings have important implications for the entrepreneur or the marketing man since satisfied buyers tend to develop loyalty towards the brand or product that fulfilled their need. Dissatisfied customer seldom buy the same item or go to the same store again.
(Watch out for Marketing basics 3: Segmenting the market)