Marketing Management, 16th Edition

Purchase Decision

In the evaluation stage, the consumer forms preferences among the brands in the choice set and may also form an intention to buy the most preferred brand. In executing a purchase intention, the consumer may make as many as five purchase decisions: brand (Brand A), distribution channel (Retailer X), quantity (one computer), timing (weekend), and payment method (credit card). This decision complexity often leads consumers to use mental shortcuts, or heuristics.

Decision Heuristics

The expectancy-value model is a compensatory model, in that perceived good things about a product can help to overcome perceived bad things. Thus, even though Brand A in the previous example lacked the graphics capability of Brand C, had the second ...