Categorizing consumer behavior by type of activity is useful because consumers’ responses
to stimuli may differ depending on whether they are purchasing, using, or
disposing of a single product or service. For example, when leading up to purchase,
a long line outside a night club is a positive factor in evaluating that club. Long lines
imply that everyone wants to go there, and that the club is probably very good. But,
after you have purchased your ticket, that long line is no longer a desirable factor, as
you impatiently wait to get in. Furthermore, once you make it to the door, that long
line ahead of you now means that the club is overly crowded, and therefore, a lot less
appealing. So, from this example, categorizing activities by whether they occur prior
to purchase versus during use shows how consumer responses can change significantly
within a situation. Before we closely examine consumers’ responses, let’s first consider
consumer purchase, use, and disposal activities in more detail.