Chapter 6 Consumer Decision Making

The Consumer Decision making process is what everyone uses when they purchase any product or service. It is important to know how this process works in order to stay in business.  Hershey chocolates rely on brand loyalty for its consumers to consume its products. This is how a costumer may go about purchasing a Hershey chocolate product.

Need Recognition

For  Hershey they try to ensure they are the first ones to cross a customer’s mind when they want a chocolate bar. They have external stimuli by being placed by the registers at most stores and their brightly colored packaging attracting the attention. Also through advertising they have tried to convince that by choosing Hershey chocolate they will have a wonderful experience.

Information search

They long display of impulse buys are filled with many sweet treats and they can easily see all their options in front of them. Hershey packaging states what type of chocolate they are offered whether its milk chocolate or special dark. The customer waiting inline can easily ask others on the line about the chocolate or simply ask their cashier what their experience has been if they are in doubt.

Evaluation of alternatives and purchase

Although there will be other options available to the customer such as Mars chocolate, the Hershey chocolate will stand out in its simple good quality chocolate. Their biggest threat will be the chocolate health bars which target the health conscious individual.  Therefore since it is reasonably priced the consumers will more than likely buy the product also it is widely available. Usually if a person picks up the chocolate bar they have already decided to buy it.

Post purchase behavior

Most of the time a person will buy the product again since they have been enjoyed the quality chocolate and has cost them very little. This is what has created the brand loyalty and is what the company relies on.

Hershey chocolates are inexpensive products that fulfill the craving for something sweet. There isn’t much though into the buying process considering it is not a product that will continue to offer benefits in the long run instead it is instant gratification.