Information Search and pre-purchase evaluation

Information Search and pre-purchase evaluation

The rural consumer primary seeks and gets his information from opinion leaders and influencers, rather than the media. However, this information search is fuelled by  exhibitions and road shows, because of the opportunity of personal interaction and leisurely pace of absorbing and understanding the information and its relevance.

In the case of high involvement products, this information search needs to be supplemented by an out of village visit to a company outlet with an opportunity for personal interaction. The need to demonstrate individual accessories of the product and their performance also becomes critical.

The ultimate clincher is always the touc lead to a purchase.

Stages in consumer buying process

Need recognition

It is the difference between the desired state and the actual state. A rural consumer first recognizes his needs and accordingly thinks of purchasing the product. This is the first step in the simple decision making model. For instance a farmer in a rural area wants to purchase a colour television

Pre purchase search

After the need has been identified, the next step is to do a pre purchase search. Pre purchase search is of two types namely internal search using ones memory and external search which involves getting more information from friends or relatives (word of mouth). Marketer dominated sources, comparison shopping, public malls etc. A successful information search leaves a buyer with possible alternatives, the evoked set. Here the farmer may go to a nearby city and visit a showroom that has multiple products.