CONSU

MER
The consumer buying process is the steps a consumer takes in making a purchasing decision.
The steps include recognition of needs and wants, information search, evaluation of choices,
purchase, and post-purchase evaluation.

PROBLEM
RECOGNITION

INFORMATION
RESEACRCH

EVALUATION OF
ALTERNATIVES

PURCHASE
DECISION

POST-PURCHASE
DECISION

PROBLEM RECOGNITION:
The purchase decision of a new product is induced by problem recognition. This means that
the buyer recognizes a discrepancy between the existing and the wanted situation. Problem
recognition starts with a feeling of discomfort. This feeling can arise from almost anything–
perhaps your neighbour telling you about their new vehicle, or having to do a series of
expensive repairs on an old vehicle, or even a sort of coming of age feeling (like a mid-life
crisis). Therefore, a successful campaign that intercepts this step in the Consumer Decision
Process would align with a common problem that instigates a need for a new car.
Therefore, the need before purchasing a Baleno could be:
 Fuel efficiency
 Less maintenance for the car
 Good after sale service
 More spacious vehicle
 Very popular and trendy vehicle
 Spatial convenience for servicing
 Safety
 Comfort

INFORMATION RESEARCH:
Following on from the problem recognition, the information search is the stage in which the
consumer will inform himself about the product. The purchase of a car is a high involvement
purchase which might mean that there will be an extensive information search. This
information search may cover external or internal sources of information. An external search
means gathering information from sources such as books and magazines, automobile articles,
salespersons at dealerships, friends and test-drives. The consumer can also use his long-term
memory or an internal information search. Even before consumers actually consider buying a
car, they are confronted with information out of advertising, television programs and articles.
Once consumers recognize the need for a new vehicle, they start looking for ways to ease the
discomfort. Does this sedan beat Ted’s new one next door? Have a good warranty? Will this
car make my hair appear thicker and fuller? Have good mileage? Whatever the identified
need is, consumers are looking to satisfy it and fast, but on a high involvement decision like
a vehicle purchase consumer also want to make sure they make the correct choice.
The consumer researches about the Baleno in the following ways:
 Friends and family reviews
 Respective company sites
 Magazines and media
 Reviews sites: Zig wheels, [Link], Auto Car India
 Test drives
 Experience about cars

EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES:
Once sufficient information is gathered, the consumer moves on to the evaluation of the
alternative solutions. The evaluation process of a car is complex. The consumer wants to
make a well- reasoned purchase decision and will consider several car attributes when
making his decision. In general, the consumer will assign different levels of importance to
attributes. t the three most important attributes consumers take into account when evaluating
car alternatives are the purchase price, the operating cost and the quality of the car. Based on
these attributes, consumers will select certain alternatives. Once these alternatives are
selected, consumers will base their actual choice by the evaluation of other car attributes.
There are various competitive cars of Baleno in the market such as:
 i20,
 Nexon
 Swift Dzire
 Swift, etc.
A consumer will compare Baleno to these cars on various prospective, the purchase price is
the first factor consumers take into account when purchasing a car. Then, the operating cost
consists of the maintenance cost and the cost of fuel consumption. Out of the non-monetary
attributes, the quality (reliability and security) of the car is the third important car attribute.
Consumers want their car to be safe, moreover the car has to react how the consumer wants
(e.g. in case of danger).
PURCHASE DECISION:
After the evaluation of several alternatives on the basis of the set of car attributes, the
consumer will form his purchase intention that will result in the actual purchase decision.
However, there are still two factors that can come between the purchase intention and the
purchase decision. First of all, the attitude of others such as family members: the stronger
their opinion and the closer related to the purchaser, the greater their influence on the
purchase decision. Secondly, the purchase intention can be influenced by unexpected
situational factors.
Therefore, there are various option to purchase Baleno:
POST-PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR:
The last stage within the decision-making process, is the evaluation of the purchased
product. The level of satisfaction will depend on the relationship between the expectations
about the product and the perception of the product performance. India’s highest selling
carmaker Maruti Suzuki has topped the rankings for the 17th consecutive year. Topping the
satisfaction charts with such consistency explains its sales leadership in the country.
The after-sales service process by examining dealership performance on the following five
factors:
 Service quality
 Vehicle pick-up
 Service advisor
 Service facility
 Service initiation