Any topic (writer’s choice)

Analyze a recent purchase you made of a durable good (durable goods are goods that don’t wear out quickly or those that have a lifespan of more than three years – computers, cars, mobile phones, kitchen appliances, etc.)

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you review the steps that you took in making this purchasing decision.

Base your review on the following six steps in the consumer decision process:

    Problem recognition
    Information search
    Alternative evaluation
    Purchase
    Use
    Evaluation

Answer the following questions in your paper:

    How many of these stages did you go through?
    Which stage(s) in the purchasing process was/were most important to you?
    If you skipped certain stages, what marketing or previous experience influenced you to skip this stage?
    What could the selling organization have done more effectively from a marketing standpoint to help you move through these stages?

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Submit your assignment.

Instructor Tips and Suggestions:

I think you will find the week 4 individual assignment straightforward as we review the six steps in the consumer decision process. Some of the areas that have presented challenges in the past:

1.  Identification of the manufacturer and the local reseller/dealer. Looking for specific marketing recommendations for both in terms of what each could have done better. I need to know the name/brand of the reseller. You, if you choose a durable good such as a car or truck, I need evaluation of the manufacturer and the local dealer.

2.  If you skipped any of the six steps, what prior experience or tactics by the marketer facilitated this.

3.  Clear identification of the most important step (s) and why.

4.  The alternative evaluation step must identify specific competitive options/sellers.

5.  Include a conclusion.

I need to see a critique of the marketing tactics used by the reseller and manufacturer and relate this to any impact on shortening the decisions step process (i.e. eliminating a step).
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