Complex Buying Behaviour

Consumers undertake complicated buying behaviour when they are greatly involved in a buying and perceive significant differences among brands. Consumers can be highly involved when the product is costly, risky, purchased infrequently, and greatly self-expressive. Normally, the consumer has much to learn regarding the product category. For instance, a personal computer buyer cannot know what attributes to consider.  Various product features carry no real meaning:  a "super VGA resolution," "Pentium Pro chip,"  or "megs of RAM."

This buyer will pass through a learning procedure, first developing beliefs regarding the product, then attitudes, and then making a thoughtful purchase option. Marketers of high-involvement products have to understand information-gathering and evaluation behaviour of high-involvement consumers. They require helping buyers learn regarding product-class attributes and their relative significance, and regarding what the company's brand offers on the significant attributes. Marketers have to differentiate their brand's features, possibly by describing the brand's benefits by using print media with long copy. They have to motivate store salespeople and buyer's acquaintances to affect the final brand choice.