Definition of Consumer Buying Habits and Perceptions of Emerging

Non – Store Choices

Introduction

As studied earlier in the chapters perception is the process by which an individual interprets various stimuli received and forms picture of the world.

The stimuli are received through the sensory organs namely eyes, ears, nose, mouth and skin and sorted out by the brain and stored as information. While doing so the individuals brain colours and tags the information using its own logic and the previous memory/experience if any. In fact the reality of the world and everything that surrounds is merely the perception of the individual. There is a possibility therefore that different individuals perceive different ‘realities’ of a single event or object.

Importance of Consumer Perception

Perceptions are being formed by the individual all the time and being stored away for future references. Perceptions so formed will come into play when the individual has to take any consumption decisions. Therefore perceptions about a product or service that are formed in the mind of the consumer are vital factors for the success of the product or service in the market. Astute marketers therefore take extraordinary care to study how perceptions are formed and how they can be changed.

Formation of Perceptions

Though we have said that the individual constantly receives sensory stimuli throughout his wakeful life, the stimuli do not always register. The stimuli that do get picked up by the sensory organs but do not get registered are in fact the larger portion.

The first reason for non-registration is any monotony and constancy of a given stimulus. As an example we can show that a person may be conscious but not take “notice” of light, sound, touch or movement if any of these stimuli is constant on a time scale and unvaried in strength. The person can notice a light touch on his skin by a feather but does not notice that his feet are touched and pressed by the floor all the time. Similarly if a person is driving through a street that has billboards of identical style and positioned all along the road, only the first one may be noticed and later on eve that image may erased as the drive continues.

The second reason for non-registration is that even if the stimulus increases or decreases, the change or difference may not be substantial to merit notice. We will examine this phenomenon in a little more detail later in the chapter under the head JND (Just Noticeable Difference).

The third reason for non-registration is the “shut-out” or rejection by the individual. This shut out or turn-off occurs automatically in the individual who is exposed to an overdose of any sensation for a length of time. As an example, an individual who is shown a TV commercial over and over may mentally block it and may not notice it any longer. If such individual is forced to notice it by mere changes in the strengths of stimuli like its sound or light without any change in its content, may even develop an unfavourable perception about it.

Marketers can learn important lessons by observing the above phenomenon and avoid counter productive communications and wasted efforts in advertisements.

Marketer’s Concern

A company marketing its products constantly strives to make the consumers form a positive and favourable perception about the company and its products. For this the stimuli sent out by the company through its messages, the packaging, advertisements and the very products themselves should stand out. They should be designed to be noticeable among the din of other stimuli. Some strategies to make the stimuli stand out are:

By contrasting

Inviting attention to an advertisement by employing contrast with the surroundings in size, colour, colour-reversal, or style is common. Newer methods of contrasting are being found all the time. A short silence in an audio commercial or a blank space in a closely printed page or a color spot in black and white visual create contrast and can be used with advantage. Printing a message upside down, using different language and symbols, printing a teasing message, etc., are some of the others methods which fall broadly in this category.

By Projecting the Unexpected

Delivering the blow where and when it is least expected is another strategy tograb attention. Advertisements cleverly using phrases such as “DONOT BUY. . . . ” Or “WE ARE SORRY…” “WHY WE CANNOT. . . . ” Do grab attention. They succeed in making the target audience read the message fully to solve the intrigue.

Stimuli that demolish certain prevailing myths or certain preconceived notions are always better noticed. In fact one would tend to notice a message that contradicts a belief than another message which goes along with the belief. For example, if you notice a commercial that depicts Dubai as a cool and green place or Bangkok as a place for family holiday an religious pilgrimage, you are tempted to read the message fully.

By Motivating

In the separate chapter on motivation it has been explained how the highlighting of dissatisfaction and projecting of solutions can motivating a person. By a proper design of the messages, the advertiser can grab the attention of the person who are dissatisfied with a particular situation. Their perception of the cause of dissatisfaction can be moulded and a positive perception about the solution created.

As an example, we can mention the advertisements for HORLICKS, which points the dissatisfactory condition of a convalescing patient and how the patient can find a solution in HORLICKS. The promotional campaigns for soft drinks in the tropical countries have always projected how one gets thirsty and how thirst can be quenched by the soft drink.

Consumer Perceptions in Service Sector

The understanding and the handling of consumer perception become more complex as one moves from the arena of goods to services.

It is universally accepted that consumers have more difficulty in evaluating “quality” when it comes to service. Since services are intangible, perishable, and have no preset physical standards, the customer may form perceptions based on ideal expectations. The supplier too forms a perception of what is adequate. Often there is no meting point even to start with Worse still is the fact that the supplier and the consumer never sat together and created a common agreed perception. The result is that after the service is actually delivered the consumer gets a disappointment or shock – a wholly avoidable thing.

As an example we can talk about a package holiday sold by a tour operator to a first time consumer. The supplier did not inform the consumer of certain exclusions and limitations in the specification of the package in the intervening time before the tour commenced. The consumer in the meantime built his own high expectations. He thought that,

Accommodation in hotels was single bedded.

Free bed tea and breakfast were included.

Visa charges and entrance tickets to museums were included in the fare.

None of the above was met. By the negation of the above three minor expectations, the entire tour was perceived as lousy and unsatisfactory. Tourists who had earlier experiences along these lines however did not have such expectations and their perceptions were positive.

Perceptions and Brand

Brand identity helps in making the consumer remember the association of the brand with quality and speeds up the purchase decision. However, the consumer presupposes that brand ensures an earlier perceived quality. In fact the expectation in a brand purchase situation is higher and shortcomings are not easily forgiven or forgotten. The golden principle in this for marketers is that they should offer only quality products when a brand is invoked.

Consumer Perception of Risks

Every consumer perceives some possible risks even with purchase decisions already taken. Apprehensions about these risks are not openly expressed. Even after a transaction is completed without any risks materializing, the consumer may carry the perception that there were risks. These perceived risks are:

Functional risk of the product not performing as expected.

Financial risk of having paid a higher price than necessary.

Risk of effort and time being wasted consequent to a possible product failure.

Marketers can do a lot to reassure the consumers post-purchase, on the correctness of the choice. More importantly they should follow up every successful transaction and lay the foundation for repeat purchases and erase perception of risks.

Playing Trumps

At the store or on the Net or a home, you are bound to find consumers who are having difficulty in making choices due to the risks they perceive. In such cases the sales executive has the duty to guide the consumer. He could:

Ascertain their real needs and suggest products that can meet these needs.

Encourage consumer to rely on the brand.

Give honest brand comparisons.

Explain the scope and limitations of after-sales-service and warranties.

When in doubt, play trumps. Recommend only the best, setting aside the cost factors.