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iSeeit!: Consumer Decision Process

Behind the act of making a purchase lies a complex and important decision$-$making process. Buyers typically pass through a five$-$stage process where they must decide between a set of possible options to meet their needs. Take for instance Gabby and her need to fly home to see her parents during the holiday season. With her limited budget, and even less experience, she relies on her parents, her boyfriend Justin, and the Internet as sources of information to help guide her decision. Upon finding a series of alternatives that meet her budgetary and personal requirements, she decides to purchase a flight with Jet Green. While she enjoyed her flight, the airline did lose Justin$$s luggage, which left her with a somewhat negative opinion of an overall satisfying experience. While this negative opinion may impact Gabby$$s immediate evaluation of the experience, her future purchasing needs, along with motivation, personality, and perception, will also influence potential travel purchases with Jet Green.

The purchase decision process is a five$-$stage process that buyers pass through in making decisions about which products or services to buy, including: $(1)$ problem recognition, $(2)$ information search, $(3)$ alternative evaluation, $(4)$ purchase decision, and $(5)$ postpurchase behavior. These five stages are significantly impacted by psychological influences, such as motivation and personality, along with societal influences, such as influence from opinion leaders and an individual$$s culture or subculture.

Click the $$Play button to watch the video. Then, answer the questions that follow.

Given that Gabby is looking for a budget$-$priced flight home for holidays, she will need to determine which flight features are most important to her. She will do this during the $\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_$Blank phase.

Multiple Choice

purchase decision

information search

alternative evaluation

problem recognition

postpurchase behavior