Professional Documents
Culture Documents
8. 8. Engel-kollat-blackwell Model This model was created to describe the increasing, fastgrowing body of knowledge concerning consumer behavior. This model, like in other models,
has gone through many revisions to improve its descriptive ability of the basic relationships
between components and sub-components, this model consists also of four stages;
Information Input Information Processing Decision Process Variables Influencing The
Decision Process
9. 9. Thank You
Need Recognition
The very first step in the process is when consumers realize that they have a need for something.
Marketers want to create an imbalance in consumers between their present status and their
preferred status. This imbalance will create a need and make a consumers search out and buy a
product or service. Need recognition occurs when a consumer is faced with a difference between
an actual and a desired state. A need can occur immediately and can be a very basic impulse that
you experience, such as when the ninja develops hunger pains. This is called an internal stimulus.
Or it can be a change in the ninja's lifestyle, such as when he finds out that he is going to be
expecting a baby ninja.
An external stimulus is when you are affected by outside influences, such as when a friend tells you
about a fantastic movie, restaurant or an ad for a car. The key weapon of a marketer to create an
imbalance/consumer need is to use advertising and sales components. When consumers recognize
an unfulfilled need and that a product will satisfy it, they have created a want. The marketer can then
tailor new products and current products to reach the consumers and create a successful purchase
situation.
There are three ways that consumers recognize unfulfilled wants. The first way is when a consumer
becomes frustrated with the fact that a product he or she has is not performing properly. Perhaps the
car that the consumer owns is now requiring time in the shop for repairs, or the jeans he owns have
developed holes. The consumer now has developed a want and need for a new car and new jeans.
Marketers will even act fast and use advertising and sales to further move the consumer to a new
purchase. Car brochures, test drives, sales, promotions and rebates are all ways for the consumer to
be drawn further into the need recognition process.
Another way that a consumer recognizes an unfulfilled want is when the consumer runs out of the
product. This can be as simple as an empty shampoo bottle or a need for more bread. Marketers can
tempt consumers to purchase their products through coupons, deals, contests and promotions.
The last way consumers can recognize an unfulfilled need is if they become aware of a product that
is better than their current product. Marketers love to create newer versions of their product in order
to tempt consumers to upgrade their old versions, such as technology and automobile companies,
which consistently upgrade to newer models.
Information Search
After the consumer has developed a want or a need, he or she needs to start an information
search about the different alternative selections that they can purchase to satisfy their need. Our
ninja has decided he needs a new ninja hideout. He will look both internally and externally for his
information to help him make a decision. An internal information search consists of utilizing
information from memory, such as past experiences with the product.
An external information search is the process of seeking information in the outside environment.
The ninja will start by asking personal ninja friends and family about their experiences with acquiring
a new ninja hideout. They can also research public sources, such as consumer reports for ninja
hideouts with the best ratings.
Another external information source for the ninja would be marketing-controlled sources, such as
radio, television ads, brochures, etc. The amount of time dedicated to this step usually depends on
the consumer's past experience with buying the product, the risk involved and the level of interest.
The new ninja hideout would be of high interest and have a large risk due to the fact the ninja wants
to be well protected. Once the ninja has created a set of alternative ninja hideouts to choose from, he
has created an evoked set. This set consists of the ninja's most preferred alternatives. Once the
evoked set has been decided upon, the ninja will then conduct final research to further shrink his
choices.
Like this