You will use the 5-stage consumer buying process in table 6.2 as well as information from section 2.2 Consumer Behavior to complete the prompt below.

Table 6.2 Five Stages of the Consumer Buying Process

Stage		Description	Example
1.	Problem recognition	Buyer recognizes a problem or need.	Joannes laptop just crashed, but she thinks it can be fixed. She needs it quickly.
2.	Information search	Buyer searches for extensive or limited information depending on the requirements of the situation. The sources may be personal (e.g., family or friends), commercial (e.g., advertising or websites), public (e.g., mass media or consumer rating organizations), or experiential (e.g., handling or examining the product).	Joanne is very knowledgeable about computers, but she cannot fix them. She needs to find out about the computer repair options in her area. She asks friends for recommendations, checks out the yellow pages, does a Google search, draws on her own experience, and asks her husband.
3.	Evaluation of alternatives	Buyer compares different brands, services, and retailers. There is no universal process that everyone uses.	Joanne knows that computer repair services are available at the nearby Circuit Place and Computer City stores. Unfortunately, she has had bad experiences at both. Her husband, David, recently took his laptop to a small computer repair shop in town that has been in business for less than a year. He was very pleased. Joanne checks out their website and is impressed by the very positive reviews. None of her friends could recommend anyone.
4.	Purchase decision	Buyer makes a choice.	Joanne decides to take her computer to the small repair shop in town.
5.	Postpurchase behavior	How the buyer feels about the purchase and what he or she does or does not do after the purchase.	Joannes laptop was fixed quickly, and the cost was very reasonable. She feels very good about the experience, so she posts a glowing review on the companys website, recommends the shop to everyone she knows, and plans to go back should the need arise. Had she been unhappy with her experience, she would have posted a negative review on the companys website, told everyone she knows not to go there, and refuse to go there again. It is this latter scenario that should be every small businesss nightmare.

Choose a costly item/service that you have purchased (car, home, boat, vacation, etc). Then in a comprehensive paragraph provide a detailed explanation of each step in the decision process and what behaviors influenced you in each step.

Part II

Choose one of the following local small businesses provided below and review their website. Then complete the following prompts based on the website.

Paragraph 1: Describe the market segment (or segments) they are focused on and support your opinion. Then, describe their target market(s) and support your opinion.

Paragraph 2: Describe in detail what their marketing mix appears to be based on the website. How are they reaching out to customers and convincing them to use their product. Comment on the quality of the website too since that is a marketing tool. (NOTE: your responses are your opinion based on what you see in the website. You must support your answer with information you read on the website or that you can infer from what is on the website).