Ch. 6 - Consumer Decision Making 

When customers buy anything, a decision is made before they carry on to buy that particular product. Anything done by a customer leading up to a purchase is called consumer behavior. In the MKTG-Principles of Marketing textbook by Lamb/Hair/Daniel, Student Edition 8 Consumer Behavior is described as a process consumers use to make purchase decisions, as well as to use and dispose of purchased goods or services; also includes factors that influence purchase decisions and product use. The textbook also mentions that understanding how consumers make purchase decisions can help marketing managers in many ways. I find this to be true because not only would it aid and guide marketing officers to make better decisions in enticing customers both old and new, It will also cause them to improve their marketing strategy to create a need, strengthen relationships with the customers and increase sales figures.

The consumer decision-making process has five steps which guides shoppers in their decision making.  This process doesn't just help with the actual purchasing of a product by a customer but also helps them deal the complex process of what happens before and after a purchase. The five steps are; need/problem recognition, information search, alternative evaluation,purchase and post-purchase evaluation.

                                

An important factor when going through the purchasing process is the evaluation of need/want. The difference between need and want is that need is something you have to have and a want is something you would like to have. Most people use these words interchangeably but they don't mean the same thing. Making this evaluation between the two helps consumers make sound and reasonable purchasing decisions. I'm sure Proactiv customers go through the same process when making purchases. Some people would consider acne treatment products a need because of how acne is viewed in some societies. In some other places it could be considered a want because not much emphasis is placed on acne and its treatment. Whatever the case may be it, the decision to buy is entirely dependent on the customer, what they are willing to buy and its accessibility.

Acne is a global issue and with its market estimated to reach  $3.02 billion by 2016 according to research, it is quite obvious that consumers have a wide range of products to choose from for acne treatment. There are many acne treatment solutions in the market and most of them are affordable and sold at drug stores, however there has to be something great that pulls customers more towards the Proactiv brand. A research showed that Proactiv works just as well as other drug store acne treatment solutions, but what I believe draws consumers towards the brand is their smart marketing. Proactiv uses well-known celebrities to endorse their brand. This alone will have consumers thinking that if it works for celebrities, then it certainly is good enough for them. Another plus is how they divided the treatment into three easy-to-use steps. Consumers wouldn't have to figure out on their own what other steps they should take or what other products they could use on top of other regularly sold acne treatment solutions. Finding an effective regimen is sometimes hard so the three step acne system is a plus when it comes to customers making a choice. With this out of the way, customers can focus more on other important issues like affordability, whether they really need or want Proactiv and how they can get it.