Purchase Decision
The way in which a customer decides upon a specific product can be divided into individual phases in which the customer can be influenced to varying degrees by different factors such as price, range of functions, extra equipment, and statements made by the retailer.
Particularly in the case of complex products where the decision-making process drags on over weeks or even months, the company has to have a detailed understanding of the individual development phases if it wants to influence them effectively.
Understanding the Decision-Making Process
The analysis of decision-making processes always leads to interesting results if various decision-making criteria impact consecutively instead
of simultaneously. And since your customers aren't computers, this is the case with practically every consciously occurring purchase decision.
Vocatus ascertains in detail what information the customer obtains in which decision-making phase, and what influence it has upon the decision.
In order to achieve this, potential customers are repeatedly questioned in the various phases of the decision-making process, and their subsequent real-life behaviour is analysed. On the basis of this detailed understanding it is then possible to deduce appropriate measures to optimise the offer.
Thus, for example, Vocatus has established in numerous surveys that a customer who only realises very late on in the decision-making process that the chosen product exceeds their originally planned budget generally buys the product after all. These insights can be used to correspondingly optimise marketing and sales.
Including Sales Partners
In addition to analysing the customers' decision-making processes, the analysis of sales partners also has a major role to play. Sales
partners such as retailers, dealers, or agents exert a particular influence if it's a product requiring a lot of advice and the dealer
or agent is simultaneously offering various manufacturers' products or services.
This is because the sales partner possibly has their own agenda that doesn't necessarily have to coincide with the manufacturer's goals.