Cultural and Social Influences when Purchasing a Product

Cultural and Social Influences when Purchasing a Product

The consumer decision-making process is important when purchasing a product or service because it enables the customer to make the best purchase decision and evaluate their decision after purchase. The process includes problem recognition, seeking information, evaluating alternatives, making the purchase decision, and evaluating the purchase. This report will review my recent experience progressing through each step of the consumer decision-making process, the influence of the values and norms within my culture on my purchase, the influence of advocating for environmental issues or other socially responsible behavior on my purchase decision and the point at which price would have superseded either my cultural values or environmental advocacy.

The Steps of the Consumer Decision-Making Process and How My Decision Progressed Through Each Step

I recently went through the consumer decision-making process when purchasing a Nordic Track treadmill on Amazon to support my fitness journey. In the problem recognition step, I recognized the need for a treadmill by evaluating the cost I incur on gym expenses and my health and fitness plans. I also reviewed my schedule and how often I use the treadmill when I visit the gym to understand how purchasing the treadmill would benefit me. I then looked for information about treadmills, their prices, and where to buy them. I relied on social media to get reviews and recommendations of different treadmills in the market. According to Kumar (2020), online customer reviews are essential for finding new information about a product to comprehensively evaluate alternatives before purchasing the product. I looked at treadmill reviews on Amazon, Facebook, and company websites and created a list of the treadmills I would consider purchasing. The next step was evaluating the alternatives I had selected. I focused on price, warranty, delivery options, and treadmill specifications when evaluating the alternatives. I then moved to the purchase decision step, where I selected the Nordic Track treadmill because it was within my budget and its specifications were favorable to me. I also chose the Nordic Track treadmill because the company has a reputation for offering high-quality treadmills. The product was delivered within the period specified on Amazon. I began the post-purchase evaluation by confirming that the product specifications outlined by the company on Amazon were accurate and that the treadmill functioned as advertised. I was happy and satisfied with the product and provided a positive review on the company’s website.

The Influence of the Values and Norms within My Culture on My Purchase

Values are the personal beliefs that motivate people to behave in a specific way. On the other hand, norms are the expected way of doing things or the acceptable standard of conduct. The main values within my culture are dependability, creativity, and honesty, while the main norms are complimenting others on their achievement and appearance, participating in group activities, refraining from sharing false information, respecting authority figures, and being understanding and tolerant of different viewpoints. These values and norms played a vital role in the information search process and evaluating alternatives before making the purchase decision. For example, I applied honesty and participation in group activities to engage in online discussions about treadmills on social media platforms to get information about the benefits and disadvantages of the different treadmills in the market. I also applied the understanding and tolerance of different viewpoints when reviewing customer reviews on different treadmills on social media platforms, thus acquiring vital social knowledge that helped me make a sound purchase decision. According to Chatterjee & Samanta (2021), social knowledge is generated from people’s interactions on social media platforms. I used different social media platforms to get different viewpoints and avoid making a purchase decision based on biased information. I applied dependability by focusing on customer reviews and ratings with replies from other customers.

The Influence of Advocating For Environmental Issues or Other Socially Responsible Behavior on My Purchase Decision

Purchase decisions are influenced by various factors, such as the support for issues that customers care about and prioritizing values. A customer may purchase a product from a company when its values align with theirs because it creates a sense of solidarity and community. Some customers are also willing to pay more for a product that prioritizes addressing social issues such as inequality and environmental harm. My decision would not have been different if Nordic Track had advocated for environmental issues or other socially responsible behavior because I mainly focused on product usability and price. However, I would have felt more satisfied knowing that my purchase positively contributed to the community. For example, I would be more satisfied if I purchased a product from a company that donates part of its revenue to charity programs and actively engages in environmental protection initiatives.

The Point at Which Price Would Have Superseded Either My Cultural Values or Environmental Advocacy

Price is an essential factor in making a purchase decision. According to Chatterjee & Samanta (2021), consumer decision-making relies on various factors, of which utility, price, or value are some of the most vital determinants of purchase behavior. The price of the Nordic Track treadmill would have superseded my cultural values if it had been extremely high compared to the price of treadmills with similar specifications. When comparing the price of the treadmills, I focused on the sellers’ honesty based on the process they set and the product specifications. I expected a slight difference in the price of treadmills with similar specifications even though different brands were offering them. Therefore, a huge price difference would indicate that the company is interested in profit maximization and may be dishonest about the product performance and specifications. On the other hand, an extremely low price compared to competitors would also have surpassed my cultural values by suggesting that the product may not be as dependable as advertised. I would assume that a cheap treadmill would have some defects that affect its reliability, thus discouraging me from purchasing it.

Conclusion

My consumer decision-making process when purchasing the Nordic Track treadmill enlightened me on the significance of every step in the consumer decision-making process. The main activities in my consumer decision-making process included recognizing the need to purchase a treadmill, looking for information about treadmills, their prices, and where to buy them, evaluating alternatives, purchasing, and post-purchase evaluation. My purchase decision was influenced by honesty, dependability, understanding, and tolerance of different viewpoints. Advocating for environmental issues or other socially responsible behavior did not influence my purchase decision because I prioritized price. However, the price would have superseded either my cultural values or environmental advocacy if it was too high or too low compared to the price of treadmills with similar specifications.

References

Chatterjee, S., & Samanta, M. (2021). The Influence of Social Knowledge on Consumer Decision-Making Process. The IUP Journal of Knowledge Management, 19(4), 41–50.

Kumar, R. (2020). Online customer reviews & ratings: Influence in consumer decision-making process. Pranjana: The Journal of Management Awareness, 23(1), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-0945.2020.00002.3

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Think about a big-ticket item (expensive product or service) that you recently purchased. After explaining the purchase, relate the consumer decision-making process to your purchase; refer to the lesson. Think about how your culture influenced this purchase and whether the company’s advocacy of environmental issues influenced your decision. Include responses to the questions below.

Cultural and Social Influences when Purchasing a Product

What are the steps of the consumer decision-making process, and how did your decision progress through each step?
How did the values and norms within your culture influence your purchase?
If the company that you were considering purchasing from advocated for environmental issues or other socially responsible behavior, would that have influenced your decision?
At what point would the price have superseded either your cultural values or environmental advocacy discussed in questions two and three?

Your completed assignment should be a minimum of three double-spaced pages. Please use a minimum of two credible sources from the CSU Online Library to support your reasoning. Referenced sources must have accompanying citations complying with APA guidelines. Format your case study in accordance with APA style.