4 replies to class due tonight -1/7-min 300 words EACH

1.  The buying process is not as simple as it appears from outside. There is  a whole decision making process that precedes the final act of buying a  product. The purchase is only the visible part of this whole process.  There are actually five stages of the buying process.
Problem  recognition: This is the first stage of the buying process. At this  stage a person identifies the need for a certain thing which is big  enough to trigger a decision (Ogden & Ogden, 2014). It can happen  with a person seeing an ad or even an empty bottle of milk or due to any  other perceived need. Once the problem or the need is identified, the  person moves on to the next stage.
Information search: This is the  second stage of the buying process. It happens internally as well as  externally where a man searches for the required information in his  memory or experiences as well as the other sources of information. The  external resources may include marketing resources and other sources  like friends and family.
Alternative evaluation: It is the third  stage in the process where alternatives which meet the criteria are  generated. A number of brand names are evaluated as alternatives at this  stage.
Purchase decision: This is the visible part of the buying  process. The final purchase decision is influenced by a number of  factors including previous purchase experience from the seller and other  environmental factors.
Post purchase behavior: This is the final  stage of the buying process where a person matches the product with his  expectations and feels either satisfied or dissatisfied. It is why firms  actively work to build positive post purchase communications that  influence the relationship between the buyer and the seller. Firms even  use post purchase calls or ads to influence the buyer and convince him  that he made the right decision. (SDSU, n.d.)
I recently bought an  iphone and analyzing the whole buying process I find that there are a  number of factors and stages behind the whole buying process. It starts  with the recognition of a need or problem. I first identified that I  needed a phone or rather got this cue from ads of the iPhone which  attracted me instantly. The next step was to search for information  which I found in ads and from the friends. The third stage was the  evaluation of alternatives and I had a number of alternatives available  to me including Samsung and Sony. However, I finally settled for the  iPhone. It was mainly because of my previous experience with the Apple  products which have mostly provided a highly satisfactory experience.  Apple products are known for their performance and the special user  experience they provide.
The next step was to go to a physical store  and buy the product. I used the product a few days and it matched my  expectations or rather exceeded it. Thus, I was finally satisfied with  the product that I had bought. Overall, the buying experience was highly  satisfactory. The high number of apps and other features led to a  positive and satisfactory user experience.
There are also a number  of other factors that affect our buying decisions. Sometimes it is the  attractiveness of a particular ad and sometimes the financial capability  of the buyer that affects the purchase decision. Sometimes a product  may be costlier than we expect and in such cases financial capacity is  an important factor that influences our decision since we would like to  go for cheaper products in such an instance. An attractive ad also  entices us to buy a product because we start to like the product  instantly and under its influence make a purchase. However, other  factors like prior experience are also important in this regard. If we  have had good experience with a particular brand or seller we like to  make repeat purchases from him. TT