The Buyer Decision Process (BDP)
Understanding and effectively responding to the process of customer’s behaviour such as their recognition of a need as well as searching for information and evaluation of alternatives before they purchase a product are key success factors for marketing strategy (Johnston, 2013). This process which consists of 5 stages is called the Buyer Decision Process. Subsequently is an outline of the 5 stages in the BDP:
• The recognition of unmet need/problem – the first and the most significant footstep in BDP is identifying a need from internal or external stimuli such as hunger, thirst, or word of mouth.
• Information Search – after understanding a problem, then the consumer normally search the information from internal and external factor to find out what they feel is the best solution. For instance, the information from personal experience, observation of other consumers, advertising or communication generated by or outside the organization.
• Evaluation of Alternatives – in this step, the buyer will evaluate which products are more beneficial. However, there is other consideration such as the customer’s attitude and involvement toward the evaluation process. If the customer’s attitude is positive and involvement is high, then they will evaluate a number of companies or brands; but if it is low, only one company or brand will be evaluated.
• Purchase Decision – it is the moment where the final purchase takes place. According to Philip Kotler (cited in Johnston, 2013), there are two issues that arise in this stage which has a big impact in the customer buying decision. They are the negative response from other buyers and the motivation to accept the feedbacks.
• Post-purchase Behavior – the last stage in BDP focuses more on retaining customers. The customers’ expectations, either satisfied or dissatisfied, are very important. In