Consumer Buying
The decision model reveals a process generally followed by consumers and commercial/in-dustrial buyers for most products that require search and deliberating. It suggests that until an individual has reached the second step in the process, where there is an actual acknowl¬edgment of need, there is little or no buying behaviour. On one hand it presumes that pro¬motion will have little effect on the customer since there is simply no receptivity at that point. On the other hand it signals the need for a maintenance form of promotion so that when the customer begins the process she or he will have an image of at least one product or service in mind.
The model also indicates that when individuals do enter a retail facility or place a call to a seller there is the opportunity to encourage them to make a purchase by "working them" or selling through step five to the purchase decision. See Figure 13.7.