Ch.6 Consumer Decision Making

             A thorough understanding of consumer behavior and how they make decisions when making purchases, is vital to any company's success. In order to sell Fit Me products, and any other product they offer, Maybelline must find ways of persuading their target market to choose them, over all the other brands offering the same products. Consumers are faced with many options, since all products are made by more than one brand. Consumers go through a specific decision-making process when making a purchase, or when thinking of making one. The first stage to this decision-making process is "need recognition", or the "want-got-gap", which is an imbalance between what consumers have and what they want (Lamb/Hair/McDaniel,82). Sometimes customers don't actually "need" the product you are trying to sell, and that is where the external stimulus from advertising and sales promotions comes in. Frequent advertising such as commercials, billboards, magazine ads, etc, all help the customer get familiar with a product or the company who offers it. By understanding what it is that Maybelline's target market wants and needs, Maybelline's products and advertisements can be tailored to convince the consumer that they need or want the product. For example, I don't use much makeup because I don't feel that I need it. I wear what I consider to be the basics: concealer, mascara, a little bit of blush, some lip gloss, and I'm good to go. However, having seen the benefits of some of the other Fit Me product offerings, and having read several reviews, I have considered purchasing the Fit Me Pressed Powder and the New Stick Foundation, two products I have never used, and probably wouldn't have considered if not for the unique benefits they offer.

              The second stage of the consumer-decision making process, is information search. Once a consumer has become interested in a product, or recognizes that they either need or want such product, they begin their research. One of the most important places in which a consumer searches for information on a product is their memory! A consumer will recall their previous experience with the brand or the product, as well as things they might have heard or seen about the product. People always trust what they know, and have heard from other sources they trust such as friends and family. For example, a friend of mine uses the Fit Me Foundation and absolutely loves it. As we were talking about our makeup products, I mentioned that I use the Fit Me concealer. She told me she has never used concealer from any brand, but due to her positive experience with the Fit Me Foundation, and my positive comments on their concealer, she decided to purchase the concealer as well.

              Due to the major technological shift in the 21st century, the internet is one of the most important sources of information for today's consumer. Although most women prefer to buy makeup in the store, many check online first, mainly for product reviews. Reviews have become a very powerful tool in the decision-making process, and they can either "make or break" the purchase. Reviews for Maybelline Fit Me can be found on many blogs, on social networks such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and on the website of any online retailer that sells Maybelline Fit Me. This is very important for Maybelline to be aware of, since their target market is young women between the ages of 16-25. This age group is highly active on the internet, and more than likely, they like to do their research online before purchasing any product. Personally, I am part of this target market and I am also a loyal Maybelline customer. However, 9 times out of 10, I go online before making a purchase and read reviews. These reviews usually do have a big influence on whether or not I choose to purchase the product, or look for alternative options, which is the next stage in the consumer-decision making process.

          Consumers are bombarded with options for different product offerings from many brands, and they are all conveniently placed together in store aisles, all making it more difficult to make a decision. This is where previous experience, external stimuli such as advertising, reviews from other customers, and product differentiation come into play. The next stage is to actually make a purchase. The customer will either choose your brand and make a purchase, choose a different brand, or they won't make a purchase at all until they know more about the product, further delaying the purchase. Today, consumers have become more in control of the marketing mix, especially for market-oriented firms that place emphasis on the needs and wants of their consumers. Consumers have started asking for more, making smarter purchases, and according to unicyclecreative.com, consumers have also become "active co-creators of content, products, and experiences". From my perspective, the internet is one of the main reasons for this shift in power, since consumers have the means by which to access all the information they want, they can say what they want about a product/brand, and they can find out about their options not just locally, but worldwide as well. Having become more informed, consumers know what they want, and they are not afraid to ask for it.

Below is a chart posted by unicyclecreative.com, about differences in the "old" consumer and the "new" consumer: