This is the first of a series of three articles that illustrate the process consumers go through prior to making a purchase, what happens during the purchase, and the post purchase behavior. Service providers have achieved great success at competing for customers if they conduct extensive research to understand consumers’ pre-purchase behavior (e.g., wants, needs, desires, and barriers to purchase) and post-purchase sentiments (e.g., satisfaction, willingness to buy the service again, and likelihood of spreading word of mouth [WOM]).
Figure 1 below illustrates the key components of the consumer purchase/buyer model. This model was developed in 1968 by economists and, over time, other academic fields including sociology, psychology, and consumer behavior have created similar models for their disciplines. Our model reflects those designed by economists.
Part One of this series will address sections 1-3 of the pre-purchase behavior, Part Two will address sections 4 and 5 of the pre-purchase behavior, and Part Three will address the Moment of Truth and post-purchase behavior.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY DR. STOWE SHOEMAKER IN THE SUMMER 2025 EDITION OF GAMING & LEISURE MAGAZINE.