Consumer Decision Making Process

Consumer decision making process is a five-step process used by consumers when buying goods or services.

1.Need Recognition- is the result of an imbalance between actual and desired states that arouses and activates the consumer decision-making process. 

It is triggered when a consumer is exposed to an internal or external stimulus.

In case of horlicks:

• Internal stimuli-hunger,thirst.
• External stimuli-design of the package, recommendation of existing users, brand name, TV advertisement.

2.Information search- after recognizing a need or want, consumers search for information about the various alternatives available to satisfy it. The alternatives available for Horlicks are Bournvita, Milo, Complan etc.

3.Evaluation of alternatives- the environmental,internal info., and external info. help consumers evaluate & compare these alternatives.

4.Purchase- Ultimately the consumer has to decide whether to buy or not to buy. A consumer will prefer to purchase horlicks because of its low cost & best quality. Also,unlike other health food drinks, it offers a variety of flavors to choose from.

5. Post purchase behavior- when buying products, consumers expect certain outcomes from the purchase. A consumer purchasing Horlicks will expect it to maintain its taste & quality without compromising with the nutrition that it provides.