Walking into a Boys and Girls Club facility, the average consumer doesn't stop and think about the many behaviors involved in purchasing a membership. Every consumer is unique in a way that defines how they shop in certain situations. Whether it is their first time, being accompanied by a child, or being a regular customer renewing a membership, a lot of factors influence the decision-making process before the final purchase.
Whether the consumer knows it or not, there are 5 key decision-making steps that are implemented every time he or she has a cash in their wallet, and a product in their sights. These 5 steps are: (1) need recognition, (2) information search, (3) evaluation of alternatives, (4) purchase, and (5) post-purchase behavior. Not all steps occur in order depending on the involvement or interest the consumer has into the product, that's why ever shopper is different.
For the most interested and involved consumer, all of the steps listed above will be covered in one way or another. I will use the Boys and Girls Club of Bristol, CT and a child's parents as examples of how these steps are explored in buying a membership.
One day, mother and a father decide it is getting too expensive to pay for a sitter and they recognize the need for the supervision of their child after school while at work. Contemplating whether or not to let the sitter go, the mother searches for information on the internet, and asks friends and family for advice on good alternatives. Now the mother feels confident in an evoked set of alternatives that she gathered from external information sources. These alternatives are: The Boys and Girls Club of Bristol CT, The YMCA of Plainville, CT, or an after school program held at their child's elementary school. After 2 days worth of evaluation and calling around, the mother decided that the best and most affordable alternative was the Boys and Girls Club of Bristol, CT with memberships of only $20 per year. The YMCA and after school program were cutoff due to prices too close to what they were paying before. The father agreed to the decision as well because he doesn't care where his wife puts their child, as long as it doesn't burn a hole in his pocket. Price often influences the decision making of consumers.
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| Kids having a great time at the annual Academic Decathlon hosted by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bristol, CT |
A week later, the parents let go of their sitter and purchase the membership. As the mother walks in to pick up her child the next day, she sees her child and all of the kids laughing and smiling in game room. This experience reinforces their confidence in making a good decision, because she knows it will be a good social experience for her child. Now, the parents are satisfied with their decision and have saved money as a result.
I am not saying every parent will have the same reaction, but her involvement in finding the right place for her child increased the positive behavior after the purchase. A less involved parent would have probably not put a lot of effort in the decision making process, possibly causing her not to purchase a membership at all. If the Boys and Girls Club's prices weren't so cheap, the decision making process would have been harder and more time consuming. That is yet again, another edge the Boys and Girls Clubs of America has on it's competitors. Who wants to make shopping hard?
* The figures and scenarios used in this blog are true to the Boys and Girls Club of Bristol, CT
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