Summary Consumer Behavior - Chapter 7-10

Marketing 2: chapter 7 – 10

Chapter 7

7.1 Problem recognition

Ideal state: the way a consumer wants a situation to be

Actual state: real situation as consumer perceives it now

Problem recognition: perceived difference between an actual and an
ideal state
 the greater the discrepancy, the higher the level of MAO

7.2 Internal search: searching for information from memory

Internal search: the process of recalling stored information from memory

1. extent of the search

Engagement in internal search: depends on MAO
- attempt to recall more information when felt involvement, perceived
risk or need for cognition is high
- greater degree of knowledge means greater ability to search
internally
- time pressure and distractions will limit internal search

2. nature of the search

Brands, attributes, evaluations and experiences

Consideration or evoked set: the subset of top of mind brands
evaluated when making a choice
 if consumers cannot recall brands from memory to form a
consideration set, the set will tend to be determined by external
factors such as available products on the shelf

Increase possibility of recall and including brand in consideration
set:
- Prototypicality: brands that are closest to the prototype are more
easily recalled
- Brand familiarity: well-known brands are more easily recalled
- Goals and usage situations: activation of goal-derived and usage-
specific categories determine which brands are being recalled
- Brand preference: positive attitudes towards brand
- Retrieval cues: by strongly associating the brand with a retrieval cue

Factors that influence the recall of attribute information:




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, - Accessibility or availability: more accessible -> more likely to be
recalled
- Diagnosticity: more diagnostic -> more likely to be recalled.
Negative information tends to be more diagnostic, because the
former is more distinctive.
* Diagnostic information: helps us to distinguish objects from one
another
- Salience: consumers can recall very salient attributes even when
their opportunity to process is low.
* Salient attribute: attribute that is top of mind or more important
* Attribute determinance: attribute that is both salient and
diagnostic
- Vividness: vivid information is presented as concrete words, pictures,
etc. -> easier to recall than less dramatic information. Only when
consumer hasn’t formed a strong prior evaluation.
- Goals: goals determine which attribute is recalled

Recall of evaluations: we find overall evaluations and attitudes
(dislike/like) easier to remember than specific attributes.
 evaluations are more likely to be recalled by consumers who are
actively evaluating the brand when they are exposed to relevant
information

Online processing: when a consumer is actively evaluating a brand as
he/she views an ad for it.

Recall of experiences: experiences that are more vivid, salient or
frequent are most likely to be recalled.

Is internal search always accurate?

Confirmation bias: the tendency to recall information that reinforces or
confirms our overall beliefs rather than contradicting them.
 making our judgment or decision more positive than it should be

Selective perception: we see what we want to see

Inhibition: the recall of one attribute inhibiting the recall of another

Mood: good mood, use of humor or attractive visuals can enhance the
recall of positive attribute information

7.3 External search: searching for information from the environment

External search: the process of collecting information from outside
sources (magazines, dealers)

Two types of external search




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, - Prepurchase search: search for information that aids a specific
acquisition decision
- Ongoing search: search that occur regularly, regardless of whether
the consumer is making a choice (bijv: wekelijks een autoblad lezen)

1. source of the information

- Retailer search: visits or calls to stores/dealers
- Media and social media search: alle soorten advertenties en
informatie
- Interpersonal search: advise/mening van anderen (ook recencies op
sites)
- Independent search: contact with independent sources of
information
- Experiential search: using product samples or product trials

Internet sources: consumers can use the internet to get information
from all five of the sources.
 consumers may perceive that a site downloads quickly when its
color has a relaxing affect
 veel bezoeken, goede websites en een shopping agent motiveert
aankopen

Information overload: depending on the way in which information is
structures, an overload can lead to a decline in decision quality.

Simulations: creating a virtual product experience has a positive effect
on consumer product knowledge and brand attitude.
 reducing perceived risk and increasing purchase intention

The online community: reviews can be very influential

2. the extent of external search

The degree of search activity is usually quite limited, even for purchases
that are considered important.
 search activity increases with more online shopping

Six factors increase our motivation to conduct an external search:
- Involvement and perceived risk: higher situational involvement leads
to a greater prepurchase search. Enduring involvement relates to an
ongoing search.
- Perceived costs and benefits: external search activity is greater
when its perceived benefits a high relative to its costs.
- Consideration set: if the consideration set contains numerous
attractive alternatives, consumer will be motivated to do more
external search.




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