Q. How clear are indications of quality?

The amount of effort a consumer puts into searching depends on a number of factors such as the market (how numerous competitors are there and how great are differences between brands expected to be?) product characteristics (how significant is this product? How difficult is the product? How clear are indications of quality?) Consumer characteristics (how interested is a consumer in general in analyzing product characteristics and making the best possible deal?) as well as situational characteristics (as earlier discussed).

Two interesting concerns in decisions are:

• Variety seeking (where consumers seek to attempt new brands not because these brands are expected to be 'better' in any way nevertheless rather because the consumer wants a 'change of pace,' and
• 'Impulse' purchases-accidental buys. This represents a to some extent 'fuzzy' group. For illustration a shopper may plan to buy vegetables but only decide in the store to in reality buy broccoli and corn.

On the other hand a person may buy an item which is currently on sale or one that he or she remembers that is necessary only once inside the store. A number of factors engage consumer choices. In different cases consumers will be more motivated. For illustration one may be more careful choosing a gift for an in-law than when buying the same thing for one self. Some consumers are as well more motivated to comparison shop for the best prices while others are more convenience oriented.

Personality impacts decisions. Several like variety more than others also some are more receptive to stimulation and excitement in trying new stores. Perception influence decisions. A few people for instance can taste the dissimilarity between generic and name brand foods while many can't. Selective perception takes places when a person is paying attention only to information of interest. For instance when looking for a new car the consumer may pay more attention to car ads than when this isn't in the horizon. Several consumers are put off by perceived risk. Therefore many marketers offer a money back guarantee. Consumers will likely to change their behaviour through learning-example they will avoid restaurants they have found to be crowded and will settle on brands that best meet their tastes. Consumers are different in the values they hold (example some people are more committed to recycling than others who will not want to go through the hassle). We will believe the issue of lifestyle under segmentation.