One of the most important concepts in marketing is that of buying behavior. It has a lot to do with the way people act, so we could think that this term is psychological (and it is), but because it moves in an economic field we can also indicate that it has to do with economía. Buying behavior refers to attitudes, preferences, intentions, tastes and any other concept that conditions a consumer to make one decision or another when purchasing a good or service. When we talk about purchasing, we are not only referring to the act of "buying", but also to the use and disposal of the product.
Factors that influence buying behavior
The study of consumer behavior is highly variable and depends on multiple factors. The educational environment in which they move, age, gender, their beliefs, tastes and preferences on certain subjects are some of the factors that influence when making a decision regarding the purchase.
This behavior not only studies the fact of buying a product or not, but also how it is bought, where, in what way, why, what needs it covers, how it consumes it, how it uses it, how it discards it among countless questions to those that are intended to answer.
Steps in consumer behavior
The phases of the behavior of the consumer are summarized in the following:
1. Need
The user realizes that he has an unmet need that he has to cover with a good or service.
2. Information search
The user tries to find information to meet his need. This he tries to do in different ways and means.
3. Evaluation
In this phase, the user tries to evaluate the different alternatives that he has found so that, depending on his preferences, he stays with one.
4. Buy
Finally, decided on a product or service, the user decides to buy it and start using it.
5. Post-purchase evaluation
The user will make a mental assessment of what it has meant to use this good, and evaluate whether it is convenient for him to use it again in the future or not (even recommend it).