Consumer Decision-Making
Exercise Begin by asking the informant to
Introduction
As a simple but important marketing
research exercise, you are required to
conduct a single face-to-face interview
with a consumer. You are to make notes
on your consumer-respondent’s
decision-making process and outcome.
You should also note any experiences
and relationships that may have formed
after the purchase was made.
Your insights, along with those of your
classmates will then be used to build
models of consumer decision making in
class in Week 3.
Your task is to find and interview a
consumer who has purchased a product
that cost more than about $1,000 in the
last few months. The person you
interview should not be a fellow student
or a member of your family or a close
friend.
Interview Method
Introduce yourself and explain that you
are student doing a study for a class
project. The interview will usually last
between 10 and 20 minutes.
Your goal is to understand everything
about the person’s decision-making
process that led to the actual purchase
itself, and any subsequent actions and
thoughts.
It is important that this research project
be treated professionally. You need to
explore thoroughly the consumer’s
experience of their decision, but avoid
overstepping the mark and leading them
in directions that they would otherwise
not have gone, thereby providing
answers that are not attributable to their
actual decision-making.
describe the product or service and then
to recount, in their own words, the
“story” of their purchase from knowing
nothing about the purchase to the
experiences of using it after the
purchase has been made. Try to
continually keep the consumer
grounded in the actual experience of the
purchase. Try to avoid them slipping into
generalizations and ambiguity.
One way of doing this is to explore “How
did it feel?…” or “What was it like to..”
approaches. Ideally, you would like the
respondent to simply talk for a few
minutes in a detailed manner while you
take notes. Of course, in reality, the
consumer will stop talking or say
something you do not understand or that
you think needs more elaboration. You
need to elicit the information and
understanding without leading the
consumer.
General Checklist
• One of the worst things you can
do is read these questions out
during your interview - read them
before the interview begins and
then try and to keep them in
mind as the consumer tells you
their experiences.
• What was the root cause of the
consumer’s need? Not just the
superficial explanation of the
need but the specific reasons
why they made the purchase
there / then / in that manner.
• What influenced their decision
making? Did the consumer
experience influences from the
media? From others? From
organisations? In what ways did
these influences manifest
themselves? What impact did
they have on the consumer?
 • What alternatives products did • Was there anything that
the consumer consider initially? surprised you about the
How were they whittled down to research?
the eventual purchase?
• Did you find anything particularly
• What was the consumer looking difficult?
for from their product /service?
• What would you do differently
• Did the purchase live up to their next time?
expectations?
• If you were the manager who
• What was the actual purchase commissioned this research,
experience like? How did this what concerns would you have
experience contribute to the about the research?
decision?
• What alternative approaches
• After developing a preference, might have garnered more
did the consumer change that insight than the approach you
preference at any stage in the used in this instance?
decision? If so why?

• How was the consumption

experience? Is it still ongoing?
Have they purchased again?

• Is there any kind of relationship

between the consumer and the
brand that they eventually
purchased? If yes - how would
they describe this relationship?

• Were there any other interesting

insights or observations?

Note Taking
Capture as much as you can in rough
note format. After your interview read
through these notes and then try and
summarise your insights on a single
sheet of paper. Bring this piece of paper
to class and be ready to discuss it in
class.

Overall Impressions
Aside from your insights, take a few
moments to also write down your overall
impression of the research method.