Any time an individual makes a purchase, many factors are often taken into consideration implying people are influenced to go for certain products and not others. In fact, these factors play a critical role in determining what is bought and the usage of the product. While some people are pushed by internal forces to choose certain products, external forces, such as availability of funds, influence others to go for alternatives.
It is therefore argued that consumption process, which entails the human needs, wants, costs associated with obtaining a product, the benefits that come with the product, and reactions, will have a greater influence as far as product value is concerned on the side of the customer. A personal mind map on the purchase of a Smartphone would help in explaining the interplay of internal and external factors in acquiring products in the marketplace.
The product cost over one-hundred and fifty US dollars, and it is believed to be the best in the market so far. Many young people are interested in acquiring the product because of the services it offers, but its price puts off some individuals. I always dreamed of buying the product for many years and I had to accumulate funds over a long time to obtain it.
Internally, two factors, including psychology and personality, influenced my decision to acquire the product irrespective of its high price and maintenance costs associated with it. The external factors that played a role in purchasing the product are social milieu and personal factors.
Regarding psychological factors, the focus is on the reasons that force an individual to go for a product, as well as the way in which people acquire certain products over others. In this case, the factors to be analyzed are individual thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and attitudes.
In the purchase of the Smartphone, the major psychological factors that influenced the purchase are perception and attitude in the sense that my view towards the phone is positive given the fact the product is considered to represent a certain class apart from being durable. The current adverts on the product prove that only elites have the potential of using the phone and any person having it is respected.
Additionally, the phone is simple to use but has sophisticated features that offer something extra than an ordinary phone. Based on this, my attitude towards the phone is positive to the extent of making me confident whenever I use it in the public. Through experience, the phone brings excitement because of the special features, something that plays a role in generating value to any individual in the consumption process.
Individual personality, as well as personal factors, such as lifestyles, motivation, and individuality, helps in forecasting customer motivation. One of the leading personal factors in obtaining any product in my life is the lifestyle and I tend to value being connected to the outside world because it increases my productivity. The phone motivates me to accomplish my dream of being linked to other significant people in the global society.
Again, my personality is casual meaning that I am always interested in a simple life that can perhaps allow me to multitask. The phone allows people to conduct various activities at the same time such as being connected to the world, staying productive and communicating with friends as well as relatives.
The phone is designed in such a way that its applications help in connecting with other people in the social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, playing modern games, and conducting some academic research without having to install new programs.
One of the external factors that helped in making the decision to acquire the phone comprises of the many social factors given the fact they help in meeting the daily roles. My family is just one of the social factors that influenced me in going for the phone irrespective of its price. My parents instructed me to get a better phone that would enhance my connectivity to the world and the Smartphone was the only option at the same.
Furthermore, a number of my friends, workmates, and classmates have a Smartphone and they all pushed me to acquire one in order to belong to the group. Apart from my mother, father, and my two brothers, all my friends operate with smartphones and it was a shame for me linking up with them using other simpler communication gadgets.
My co-workers made fun out of my phone and I never took this as a joke, something that forced me to go for a sophisticated, but a simpler phone.
In the classroom setting, a student with a Smartphone is seen as more professional and modern because he or she has the potential of conducting research more easily, apart from chatting with friends and relatives in the social media. Therefore, I had to acquire the phone to be seen as more academic and modern.
Situational factors have a role to play as well in making a decision to purchase a product and they are divided into three major factors including emotional situational factors, life cycle situational forces, and environmental forces. Regarding the environment, both physical and digital are considered.
My emotional state played a major role in influencing the decision because I was determined to acquire the product. Since I was in the awareness stage of the life cycle, I had to obtain the phone to feel accepted in society.
Finally, cultural factors influence the purchase process in a number of ways and the major aspects include gender, beliefs, and religion. Before I bought the phone, I had to consider various beliefs, especially the region in which I come from and the era because almost every person has a sophisticated phone in the region.
Additionally, the current technological developments whereby the internet determines the interactive nature of an individual calls on people to acquire the best communication gadgets that give them the freedom to do as they wish.
Close family members and friends advised me to go for the best products in the market because they would make me unique. My father suggested that buying the best product in the market proves a sense of responsibility because the product would definitely bring something extra.
It is concluded that cultural, social, psychological, and personal factors have a great role to play in ensuring that an individual makes the best decision in purchasing the product.
People will always go for products that bring something extra in their life and this was exactly what I did when I acquired a Smartphone. The consumer must develop an interest in the product before going for the product and many factors will be considered before making the final move.