Stages of the consumer decision process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Stages of the consumer decision process - Essay Example Every business wants to build new consumers and retain the old ones (Chen, 2009). However, these consumers are of negligible value if they do not bring in the desired results in terms of sales for the business. It is important that the consumer decision process is looked upon at from all sides before reaching a consensus as to how marketing and sales domains shall be managed within the business. If the consumer decision process is easy to undertake and the sales are coming in, perhaps there is reason why this consumer decision process has been a successful one over a period of time. On the flip side, there could be a number of survival issues for the business. This paper discusses how the consumer decision process is managed within the tourism industry from a supply perspective. The 5 stages of the consumer decision process involve the recognition of the need, the information search, the evaluation, the eventual decision to purchase and lastly the post-purchase evaluation. These 5 st ages essentially dictate how well the consumer decision process has been reached upon and the kind of success that a consumer has within his ranks to make sure that he buys the intended product or service (Hudson, 2010). Within the domains of the tourism industry which is a combination of both products and services, the need is to understand how well the consumer decision process has been applied. It will then enact ways to reach out to consumers who are more prone to make that much needed purchase which will benefit the business under the ranks of the tourism industry. This is an important aspect and one that requires significance from the people who undertake these businesses in the first place. It gives them an idea as to where they are going wrong and what corrective measures they need to take in order to bring sanity within the realms of the tourism industry (Betsch, 2004). The consumer decision process does not come about without hard work and thought. The consideration that g oes into its making is something that leaves many astounded since sometimes consumers take a life time to make that vital purchase while at others the whole process is often completed way too quickly. These 5 stages are fundamentally hierarchical because these highlight how strongly the consumer decision process takes place and that too within a sequential feel. The hierarchy comes about in the form of following each one of these stages. One cannot skip any stage and move on to the next one. It has to follow a set line in order to successfully complete the consumer decision process. The sale process of the business will only culminate when all these stages are amicably given the significance that these richly require. Focusing specifically on the tourism industry, it is important to comprehend the amount of energy a business dedicates towards attracting that vital consumer. This means that these consumers form the core basis of the business and without them the tourism industry woul d suffer on a number of different counts (Ekstrom, 2006). The understanding must be derived from the fact that the entire tourism regime shapes up due to the undertakings of the consumers and if the latter do not show any interest, it would be difficult to sustain this industry in essence. The