advertising, personal selling, and public relations is an obvious starting point. Produc ' sam-
pling, coupons, and rebates may also provide an extra incentive to buy.
Actually determining how a consumer goes through the deci sion-making process
a difficult research task. As indicated in the Newsline box, there are new research methods
to better assess this behavior.
NEWSLINE: FOLWW THE CONSUMER AND SEE
HAPPENS
It seems that traditional market research no longer works with an
increasingly diverse and fickle customer ba se . The m ethods marketers
h ave relied on for decades-perfunctory written and phone surveys-
merely skim the surface of the shifting customer profile . Says Larry
president of t he Doblin Group. a Chicago-based design and
consulting firm: "Th e surveys are n othing more tha n tracking studies
designed to measure if customers are a little more or a little less
pleased with you than they were last year."
Surely there must be a better way. Wise heads in the arcane world
of customer research are onto s ometh ing called storytelling. These
folks advocate far more probing research than ever before, advising
companies to elicit real-life stories from c ustomers abou t how they
behave and what th ey truly feel. The notion may seem like a leap into
the unknown . but s ome com panies have discovered that these s tory-
telling methods work. Great service and. u ltimately. breakthrough
products have resulted. Kimberly-Clark built a n ew $500-million dia-
per market using in-dept h customer research. At Intuit. s torytelling
customers helped its software writers revolutionize the way people all
over the U.S . handle their money. Clothing maker Patagonia . solicit-
ing true tales about how customers live and u se their gear. manages
to keep its
ahead of the curve .
At the h eart of this new b rand of customer r esearch is a s earch for
subtle insight into human beh avior-not only emotion-laden anec-
dotes. but also unspoken impu lses. Just think, for example, of the
last time you made eye contact with an attractive s tranger. A whole
range of feelings washed over you. and at that moment it would be
h ard to argue with the notion that at least 80% of all human commu-
nication is nonverbal.
At Patagonia, an outdoor-sports apparel company in Ventura. Cali-
fornia. customer s torytellers surf at the "Point" right outside the front
door of headquarters . Founder Yoon Chouinard . who spends at least
six months a year at the ends of the earth testing his company's gear
himself. has made a point of h iring several of these customers so they
could share their war stories in-house . He refers to them affection-
ately as his "dirtbags ." people who spend so much time outside that
shows under their fingernails.
Patagonians collect s uch war stories from far-flung customers as
well and use them as a marketing tool. Many of their wares are sold
through a biennial catalogue that is unique among its peers. Instead
of spending millions to s hoot glossy spreads of unthinkably beautiful
models , t he company relies on its cu stomers to pose while wearing
Patagonia du ds in exotic locales. This pictorial road map of customer
adventl'res makes for great rea ding. but it has another role as well.
8
The placement of
stories front and center proves that
opinions
experience are
and
respond in droves.
have trained
to
that we are
about responding to
their feedback and improving our products," notes Randy howard.
the company's director of quality.
Sources: Joanne Gordon, "Shrink Rap, " Fortune, February 7. 2000, pp.
110-111: Ronald B. Liebier, "Storytelling: A New Way to Get Close to the Cus-
tomer," Fortune, February 3, 1997, pp. 102-1 05; Kendra Darko, "Zooming In
On What's
American Demographics, August 1999, pp. 46-47.
Postpurchase Behavior
All the behavior determinants and the steps of the buying process up to this point are oper-
ative before or during the time a purchase is made. However, a consumer' s feelings and
evaluations after the sale are also significant to a marketer.
they can influence repeat
sales and also influence what the customer tells others about
prodl'ct or
Keeping the customer happy is what marketing is all about. Neveri:hele"s,
typically experience some postpurchase anxiety after all but the most routine and
purchases. This anxiety reflects a
called cognitive dissonance. According
theory, people strive for consistency among their cognitions (knowledge, attitudes, beliefs,
values). When there are inconsistencies, dissonance exists, which people will try to elimi-
nate.
some cases, the consumer makes the decision to buy a particular brand already aware
of dissonant elements. In othe"
dissonance is aroused by disturbing information
that is received after the purchase.4
marketer may take specific steps to reduce post-
purchase dissonance. Advertising that stresses the many positive
or confirms the
populari i.y of the product can be helpful. Providing
reinforcement has proven
effective with big-ticket items such as automobiles and major appliances. Salespeople
these areas may send cards or may even make personal calls in order to reassure customers
about their purchase.
MARKETING CAPSULE
1. Buyer behavior takes place in an exchange setting and
b. Information search and processing is a five-step
addresses
questions:
sequence:
a. How do potential
go about making purchase
1. Exposure
decisions?
2. Attention
b. What factors influence their
process and in
3. Reception
what way ?
4. Retention
Buyer behavior is a problem-solving process and entaiL
5. Retrieval and application
the following decisio ns:
Identification and evaluation of alLernatives
a. Need identification
d. Product/service/outlet selection
1. Determined by the discrepancy between what
e. The purchase decision
have and what we want
f. Postpurchase behavior
2. Determined by the relative importance of the
problem
82