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Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Chapter 10 Marketing
• Implement the decision. When an option is
selected, consumers choose where and when
to make their purchase. They may decide
to delay the purchase for various reasons,
such as to save up money or wait for a newer
model of the product to be available.
• Evaluate the purchase. After a purchase,
consumers evaluate their purchasing
experience. This includes their expectations
of the goods, store, and service they received.
Consumers do not always use all the steps
in the decision-making process to make buying
decisions. Some purchases may require a great
deal of research and evaluation, and others may
need little or none.
There are different levels of decision making
for consumers when making decisions about
a purchase, as shown in Figure 10-9. There are
four levels of buying decisions: impulse, routine,
limited, and extensive.
• An impulse buying decision is a purchase
made with no planning or research. This
type of purchase typically does not involve
any steps in the decision-making process.
• A routine buying decision is a purchase
made quickly and with little thought. These
purchases are made when a consumer
has experience with a product or prefers a
certain brand.
• A limited buying decision is one that
requires some amount of research and
planning. This process is used when buying
unfamiliar products or those that are
purchased only occasionally.
• An extensive buying decision involves a
great deal of research and planning. It is
usually used when buying higher-priced
items, such as cars and real estate. These
purchases typically have a major impact
on an individual’s daily life, safety, and
finances.
Business-to-Business
The business market consists of customers
who buy products for use in a business. A
customer in the business market is a business
that buys products from another business.
Businesses that sell primarily to other businesses
are in the business-to-business (B2B) market.
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 10-9 Some consumer buying decisions involve little planning and no research, while others may involve a
great deal of thought and research.
Levels of Consumer Buying Decisions
Impulse Purchase No prior planning; spur-of-the-moment purchase
Routine Purchase Little thought or planning; familiar products purchased often
Limited Buying Decision Some research and planning; new purchase
Extensive Buying Decision A great deal of research, time, and planning; usually an expensive good or
service
Dragon Images/Shutterstock.com
An example of a routine buying decision for a
B2C sale is toothpaste. Little thought is given to
purchasing a familiar product.