Everyday people make a purchase following a similar buying pattern. First something arouses your need or desire to make a purchase. Whether it is an ad you saw on television or you realizing you ran out of your favorite shampoo. You have now recognized the need to purchase an offering. After you have discovered this need, you begin to evaluate your alternatives in an attempt to satisfy this need. This can be in the form of information searching, or simply recalling where you have previously made a purchase with a positive outcome. Lastly, you decide how you will make your purchase, be it online or taking a drive to your destination where the product or service is being offered. Now this process may seem like one that is lengthy, however if you truly think about it, you go through this on a daily basis for a number of different situations.
Think about it, your hungry but not starving, it’s late so you decide not to eat. Then you lay on the couch put on the t.v. and again another ad is on. It is Burger King, advertising it’s new chocolate swirled cheesecake , $1 for 2. Now because you were already hungry you are paying close attention to this t.v. ad. Watching the ad makes you recognize just how hungry you are specifically for dessert. So now you begin to evaluate the food Burger King has to offer and your past experiences with them. Is it worth getting up to get dressed to go and pick up some dessert? You decide, Burger King’s food has left you satisfied in the past. So where is the nearest Burger King? You get up, get dressed and head over to Burger King and purchase your cheesecake. You are now satisfied.
I believe we go through this process more now than ever before because of all the new marketing tools that are being used today. Consumers are bombarded with ads daily causing them to purchase things they did not think to purchase. Specifically e-marketing has had an impact on the way we make purchases today. The internet is a very resourceful tool when it comes to making purchases. Before when we recognized a need to make a purchase we would have to physically go out to get more information , or maybe we would call a friend or family member. Now we are able to get as much information as we need online, only a click away. Most companies have websites, with pricing information, fact sheets on products, reviews from customers and so much more.
E-marketing also prompts us to want to make a purchase we otherwise did not desire at that moment. When you sign up to a stores data base and agree to receive information on new products, newsletters, or promotions you are exposing yourself to yet another way to recognize a new need. After you make a purchase you can now complete an online survey or post up a review of your experience with your purchase. E-marketing is yet another tool for marketers to reach their target market and observe consumer behavior. For example, I frequently shop at BeBe. In the past they approached me with the opportunity to become a Club BeBe member, and I decided to join. Whenever I made a visit to their store they would send me home with a coupon to be used with my next purchase, or they would send me promotions and catalogs through the mail. In addition to the marketing tools they were already using to retain my business, they now send me all of these promos and catalogs via email., and many times it has pushed me to want to visit the store earlier than I anticipated. I am sure this has happened to several consumers.
Social Media marketing has also played a strong role in the consumer buying process, however it could play a stronger role. Yes you can go to a company’s Facebook page and “like” them and read things about them, but they can add a few extra bonuses for visiting their page. They could add a sweepstake to get more consumers to visit their page, or they can make their page more interactive. In any case social media is still a very successful tool, there are just ways to stimulate more growth using this tool.
E-marketing is changing the world of marketing today. The world surrounds itself by technology and specifically the internet. As e-marketing grows so will our purchases.
Ashley Farrell
I agree with what you wrote in paragraph 3. This has happened to me recently. I was in need of a new phone, the ad of the iPhone 3gs going for cheap at local AT&T stores came up. I did some more research online at their site, asked some friends on Facebook their thoughts on some certain phones, went to the store, ending up getting the iPhone.
ReplyDeleteI also agree, the power of e-marketing is amazing. One of my guilty online pleasures is forever21. I started shopping there over 4 years ago and I must say that our company/customer relationship has changed quite a bit. Over the years, I have gone from making time every couple of weeks to travel downtown, to browse the selves and hangers for those unique pieces of clothing that fit my personality. I would even pay a $10 parking fee just to visit one store. Over time, and after several occasions where I found nothing interesting, I moved on to browsing the online store before traveling to the actual store. Eventually, I cut out the customer service rep, by placing all my orders online. Now, I haven't stepped foot in one of there stores for over a year. This may not be a problem for the company, but for me I shutter to think what would happen if all of my favorite stores had online purchase’s available. Also, being an online member opens the line of communication to a constant stream of deals and reminders, but I don't mind it too much; we have to sacrifice something for a good deal. I think!
ReplyDeleteYour paragraph on chocolate swirled cheesecake has had me reach for that ice-cream cheesecake I almost forgot I had in my freezer. If not for that ice-cream I would probably be searching for the nearest Burger King now :)
ReplyDeleteI have to say that while reading your description on our buying habits I was somewhat amazed that this process is quite complex when reading it, and yet as you mentioned it we do it on a daily basis almost subconsciously. The arousal of food craving when seeing the commercial, evaluation of the food advertised, passed experiences with it, and finally deciding whether it is worth the hassle to satisfy your food cravings by making the trip, seems like a long decision process. Nevertheless, in reality for most of us it happens so fast that by the time the commercial ends you have your car keys in hands and ready to make that trip to Burger King.
I think your story about the late night Burger King commercial is exactly right, well at least it is for me. I’ve had the same situation happen to me where I go to bed hungry so my stomach starts to growl, but I know it’s too late for me to eat anything so I resist the urge. The situation changes when I turn on the television and put on the Food Network channel to see delicious food being made, that makes me get out of bed to find something to eat. It’s crazy what a television show, commercial, or television ad could convince you to do. I agree that even if we don’t need a certain product but it’s advertised well, the company is going to persuade you to want to buy the product. The only thing you’ll want to do is to run to the physical store or go online to their website to buy the item. In fact, this happened to my sister after she watched the Verizon Wireless commercial that was advertising the iPhone 4 from Apple. The Verizon Wireless commercial convinced her to go straight to their store and purchase a phone that she doesn’t need but had to have. The exposure of a product by popularity creates a certain reaction that a customer wants to act on.
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