CHAPTER 6

Post-Purchase Processes:
Consumption and Post-
Consumption Evaluations
Consumption Behavior
Consumption
Consumers’ usage of the acquired
product
Consumption Behavior
Knowing how many and which
consumers fall into the user and
nonuser categories
Consumption Behavior
Knowing how many and which
consumers fall into the user and
nonuser categories
Size of user market is one indicator
of market attractiveness
Size of nonuser group speaks to
future growth opportunities
Characterized along many
dimensions
Consumption Behavior
Consumption Behavior
When Does Consumption Occur?
Consumption Behavior
When Does Consumption Occur?
How much time passes between
purchase and consumption?
Consumption Behavior
When Does Consumption Occur?
How much time passes between
purchase and consumption?
What time of day is product
used?
Consumption Behavior
When does Consumption Occur?
How much time passes between
purchase and consumption?
What time of day is product
used?
When in the year or during which
season is product consumed?
An Attempt to Expand Consumption
Consumption Behavior
Where Does Consumption Occur?
Consumption Behavior
Where Does Consumption Occur?

The situation in which consumption

occurs can affect product choice—
e.g., beers sales for in-home versus
on-premise consumption
Consumption Behavior
How Is the Product Consumed?
Consumption Behavior
How Is the Product Consumed?
How is the product prepared?
Is it consumed alone or with other
products?
Is it used as intended or have
consumers invented a new use?
Consumption Behavior
How Much Is Consumed?
Would Consumers Pour the Same
Amount into Each Glass?
Consumption Behavior
How Much Is Consumed?
Consumers may be similar in what
they consume, but different in how
much they consume
Usage volume segmentation:
dividing consumers into segments
based on amount of consumption
(heavy, moderate, and light users)
Firms can encourage consumption
or change amount consumed
Consumption Behavior
Basic Strategies for Increasing the
Amount of Consumption

Enhance the frequency of

consumption

Enhance the amount consumed

per consumption occasion
Consumption Behavior
Encouraging more frequent
consumption
Consumption Behavior
The Influence of Package Size
Consumption Experiences
Consumption Experiences
How Does It Feel?
Consumption Experiences
How Does It Feel?
Positive or negative things you
feel when using a product
Consumption Experiences
How Does It Feel?
Positive or negative things you
feel when using a product
Firms can position products
based on:
- Positive feelings resulting from

consumption
- Elimination of negative feelings
resulting from consumption
Consumption Experiences
How Rewarding or Punishing Was
the Experience?
Consumption Experiences
How Rewarding or Punishing Was
the Experience?
Positive reinforcement: when
consumer receives positive
outcome from product usage
Purchase Product Product Receiving
Need Purchase Consumption Positive
Outcomes

Positive Reinforcement
Consumption Experiences
How Rewarding or Punishing Was
the Experience?
Positive reinforcement: when
consumer receives positive
outcome from product usage
Negative reinforcement: when
consumption helps person avoid
negative outcome
Purchase Product Product Receiving
Need Purchase Consumption Positive
Outcomes

Positive Reinforcement

Purchase Product Product Avoiding

Need Purchase Consumption Negative
Outcomes

Negative Reinforcement
Consumption Experiences
How Rewarding or Punishing Was
the Experience?
Positive reinforcement: when
consumer receives positive
outcome from product usage
Negative reinforcement: when
consumption helps person avoid
negative outcome
Punishment: when consumption
leads to negative outcome
Purchase Product Product Receiving
Need Purchase Consumption Positive
Outcomes

Positive Reinforcement

Purchase Product Product Avoiding

Need Purchase Consumption Negative
Outcomes

Negative Reinforcement

Purchase Product Product Receiving

Need Purchase Consumption Negative
Outcomes

Punishment
Consumption Experiences
Did It Confirm or Disconfirm
Expectations?
Consumption Experiences
Did It Confirm or Disconfirm
Expectations?
Consumption can meet, exceed,
or fall short of expectations
How Well Different Brands Are
Meeting Consumers’ Expectations
Shaping Interpretation of the
Consumption Experience
Beyond the consumption
experience, consumers’
interpretation can be affected by
their expectations of the experience
and their mood at the time of
consumption
Consumption Norms and Rituals
Consumption norms: informal
rules that govern our consumption
behavior
Consumption rituals: a type of
expressive, symbolic activity
constructed of multiple behaviors
that occur in a fixed, episodic
sequence, and that tend to be
repeated over time
Holiday rituals (gift giving, parties)
Consumption Norms and Rituals
Compulsive Consumption
A response to an uncontrollable drive or
desire to obtain, use, or experience a
feeling, substance, or activity that leads
an individual to repetitively engage in a
behavior that will ultimately cause harm
to the individual and possibly others

Gambling
Addiction (shopping, alcohol, food)
Internet (web dependency)
Understanding Consumption
Ethnography involves describing and
understanding consumer behavior by
interviewing and observing consumers in
real-world situations
Post-Consumption Evaluations
Post-Consumption Evaluations
Evaluations also occur following
consumption
Post-Consumption Evaluations
Evaluations also occur following
consumption
Consumers experience satisfaction
or dissatisfaction
Satisfaction Scores by Company
Importance of Satisfaction
It Influences Repeat Buying
Positive post-consumption
evaluations are essential for
retaining customers
The likelihood that customers
will remain loyal depends on
their level of satisfaction
However, customer satisfaction
does not guarantee loyalty
Importance of Satisfaction
It Shapes Word-of-Mouth and
Word-of-Mouse Communication

Consumers often communicate

with others about their
consumption experiences
Negative Word-of-Mouth
Word-of-Mouse
Importance of Satisfaction
Dissatisfaction Can Lead to
Complaints and Lawsuits
Consumer Complaints
Importance of Satisfaction
Satisfaction Affects Consumers’
Price Sensitivity
Customer Satisfaction-Price
Sensitivity Relationship
Importance of Satisfaction
Implications for Customer
Recruitment

Monitor satisfaction levels of

competitors’ customers

Formulate strategies to attract

dissatisfied customers of
competitors
Importance of Satisfaction
It Ultimately Affects Shareholder
Value
What Determines Satisfaction?
Product performance

Consumption feelings

Expectations
Expectancy Disconfirmation Model
Satisfaction depends on a
comparison of pre-purchase
expectations to actual outcomes
Expectancy Disconfirmation Model

Negative disconfirmation: when

product delivers less than expected
Positive disconfirmation: when
product delivers more than expected
Confirmation: product matches
expectations
Negative Disconfirmation Can
Cause:
Regret: when consumers believe that an
alternative course of action other than
the once chosen would have produced
a better outcome

Rage: when consumers are extremely

upset
Biggest Threats to Consumers’
Satisfaction
What Increases Consumers’
Satisfaction