OBJECTIVE

To understand consumer buying behaviour of two products (Computers and

Bedsheets/ Pillow Covers/ Bathing Towel) through observation.
To compare and contrast the customers buying process of the two products.

PRODUCT A - Computers
DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPUTER STORE
The store visited was CROMA (subsidiary of TATA group). It is a leading
electronic chain, selling laptops, desktops, digital cameras, phones and other
electronic gadgets. The computer section was located at the entrance in the left
side. There were few desktops and more laptops. The computers were arranged
in rows according to brand. Adjacent to the set of rows, various computer
accessories were placed.
OBSERVATIONS
Customer

Problem
Recognitio
n

Information

Evaluation
of
Alternative
s

Purchase
Decision

Day of
the week

Two Guys
35-40 yrs.
Casually
dressed,
well
versed in
English.
Had come
in car.

Not
Observed

The friend
had already
a laptop
and he was
assisting.
Looked for
specificatio
ns in the
display
card.

Rejected
Acer on
looks.

Didnot
translate
into sale.
Moved
onto
mobile
section.

Saturday

Girl
around 20
years,
with
father
and
brother.
Returned
in auto.

Not
Observed

They were
crossing
the price
they had
got from
another
store.
Looked for
specificatio
ns in the
display

Found 17
inch laptop
heavy.

Didnot
translate
into sale.
Left the
store

Saturday

Search

Enquired
for a
specific
configurati
on across
brands

Father
enquired
about
price.

card
A college
student in
his
twenties,
along
with his
friend

Enquired
about the
student
discount
announce
d in Radio
Mirchi

The
advertisem
ent on
radio
mirchi.
Looked for
specificatio
ns in the
display
card

Looked at
the
brochure
for RAM,
Hard drive
size and
Processor
specificatio
ns. Asked
the sales
person to
display it
on the
laptop. He
didnot look
at other
brands
apart from
the brand
that had a
discount

Bought it
using
Credit
Card

Monday

Buying Process
On the basis of the observations, the salient features of the buying process of the
customers are listed below.
1. PROBLEM RECOGNITION
The advertisement about the student discount on Radio Mirchi acted as an
external stimuli and created a need in the student for a computer.
2.

INFORMATION SEARCH The information sources for the customers observed could be classified
as:Personal:
Commercial:

- Friend.
-Display cards
-Advertisement on Radio Mirchi
-Other stores and dealers.

The primary source of information to the customers were the display cards
of each computer model
3. EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES
-The various factors employed by the customer for evaluation were:
Technical specifications(RAM, HDD capacity, processor, weight) , looks,
brand, price
-Sales persons did not influence the evaluation process. Family or friends
were involved with the alternatives evaluation.
-Looks was observed to be a dissatisfier. Technical specifications and
price were motivators.
4. Purchase Decision
a. The rejection of Acer on the basis of looks was a case of eliminationby-aspects heuristic
b. The customer availing student discount used the lexicographic
heuristic of price for selection

PRODUCT A Bedsheets/Pillow Covers/ Bathing Towels

Description of store:
Well Home (exclusive showroom of Wellspun Ltd.)
o

Located on HG Highway

Store size: 15 m X 7 m

Placement of goods: bed sheets were placed parallel to the pillow covers.
Towels were placed on the other side of pillow covers. Other bathroom
accessories placed next to the towels.

Sales personnel

Custom
er

Well dressed (formal)

Polite, persuasive and proactive

Problem
Recogniti
on

Informatio
n search

Evaluatio
n criteria
and
alternativ
es

Purchase
decisions

Post
purchas
e
decisio
ns

Miscellaneo
us
observation
s

Lady
(Housemaker,
late 30
yrs)
With
her
daughte
r

Male
(around
30 yrs)

Househol
d needs
(influence
d by the
monsoon
sales
offer)

Sales
offer
informatio
n
obtained
from
advertisin
g banners
outside
the shop

Was
looking at
only one
brand.
Looking
at the
texture of
the cloth,
price and
designs

Evaluation
translated
into sale
(mode of
payment:
cash),
bought 3
bed sheets
(2 new and
one
replaceme
nt)

Was
returnin
g her
earlier
purchas
e and
buying
a new
one

Day of the
week:
Saturday

Househol
d needs

Checked
with his
wife (over
phone) ,
salesman

Enquired
about
discounts,
but
evaluated
nondiscounte
d
products
too.
Considere
d
different
products
of the
same
brand

Bought
laundry
bag, bed
sheets,
pillow
covers and
mats.
(mode of
payment:
credit card)

Not
observe
d

Day of the
week:
Saturday

Salesman
routed the
order to
company
representat
ive to
negotiate
the
discount

Not
observe
d

Bought 2
towels
(mode of
payment:
cash)

Not
observe
d

Dressed
in
busines
s
cay7sua
ls

Male
(around
40 yrs)
Came
from
hospital

Couple
(Male,
Female)
(late 20
yrs old)

Commerci
al needs
(bulk
order for
the
hospital)

Salesman
,
personally
checking
the
material
texture

Price
sensitive,
requested
for a bulk
discount

Purchase
of towels
for
domestic
purpose

Salesman
,
experienti
al sources

Did not
consider
other
products.
Consideri
ng

Time spent
at the shop:
45 minutes

Time spent
at the shop:
15 minutes

Day of the
week:
Saturday

Time spent
at the shop:
10 minutes

Day of the
week:
Saturday

Time spent

different
product
lines
(thick and
thin
towels),
colour,
patterns
2 Ladies
(around
30 yrs
old)

Checked
out every
product
available
in the
store.
Didnt
have any
specific
product in
mind

Experienti
al
evaluatio
n and
observati
on of
products,
no
interactio
n with
salesman

Checking
the
designs

at the shop:
25 minutes
Lady was
the main
decision
maker

Did not
translate
into
purchase

Not
observe
d

Day of the
week:
Saturday

Time spent
at the shop:
20 minutes

Customer behaviour in buying decision process

PROBLEM RECOGNITION
Most of the observed customer needs were driven by domestic requirements and
the size of these purchases/orders was small. The monsoon discount offer also
acted as a stimulus for these purchase decisions. The
INFORMATION SEARCH
Sales personnel (Commercial), family (Personal sources) and handling/examining
(Experiential) were the main sources of information. The salesperson proactively
provided the majority of the product information. It was observed that the
women and played an important role in legitimizing and evaluating the
information.
EVALUATION CRITERIA AND ALTERNATIVES
Majority of the customers wanted the products to cater to their domestic needs.
The attributes considered while evaluating the products are texture of the cloth,
design and product price. The discount offered influenced the pricing attribute.
In some cases the salesperson called attention to certain neglected attributes of
the product such as quality and tried to shift the buyers ideals.
PURCHASE DECISION
Majority of the observed buyer-seller interactions translated into sales,

Inference
The comparison between the buying processes of the two products: Computers
and Bedsheets/Towels/Pillow Covers are tabulated below.

Computers

Bedsheets/Towels/Pillow Covers

The primary information source was

the display card. The customers had
acquired information by visiting other
stores as well.

The main sources of information were

salespersons, family and experiential
source.

Sales person did not influence the

customer attitude towards the product.

Sales person played an important role

in influencing the customer decision.

Brand of a product was a significant

evaluation factor.

Brand had very little influence.

Looks was a dissatisfier(as per

Herzbergs motivation theory)

Looks was a motivator.

Family and friends influenced the

buying process.

Family and friends influenced the

buying process.

Since the amount involved is big, mode

of payment is generally credit card.

Depending on the billing amount, the

mode of payment was either
cash(small amount) or credit card(big
amount).