Many factors influence a consumer’s decision-making process. However, the main one that businesses base their promotional choices on is perception. Learn more about the different ways on how consumer perception affects purhcasing decisions when you read the article below.

Perception can be defined as living things’ way of processing and interpreting their sensory impressions to give meaning to their environment. Basically, it’s how a person or an animal recognizes and comprehends stimuli.

As consumers, perception significantly affects how we react when we see any product. That’s why businesses study it to enhance their promotional strategies to convince more consumers to become paying customers.

Governments understand the influence of perception, so they enact laws to protect consumers from fraudulent practices. It is also helpful for consumers like us to learn how perception affects our purchase decisions and to be aware of how businesses use it to sway us to buy their products.

Pricing Perception

Before we decide to purchase anything, we have to determine if it has value, and the most visible determinant of that value is the price. That’s why you’ll see advertisements that include price comparisons of one brand’s product to their competitors.

Naturally, consumer perception will favor the brand with the more affordable product. However, pricing is also a double-edged sword.

On the other hand, some people prefer expensive products because they associate high prices with high quality. There are products with that reputation like appliances and jewelry.

How businesses price their products has a sizeable impact on their appeal to consumers. So consumers should look past it and look at other things about a product to determine if it’s worth their money.

Packaging Perception

Packaging also affects consumers’ perception; that’s why businesses continue to develop new packaging to attract consumers. Its influence on perception is quite significant that it can become a selling point itself.

All elements that make up the packaging are stimuli designed to catch consumers’ attention. Factors like color, text, size, shape, and sturdiness affect perception.

For instance, packaging for expensive gadgets will usually be sturdy and secure to protect them from physical damages. In that case, the packaging also represents the quality of the product.

Quality Perception

It’s a consumer’s right to purchase products of excellent quality. A product that qualifies as one with excellent quality exactly does what it’s marketed to do.

The product quality should match pricing and promotional messaging. Not only does it affect perception, but also loyalty.

For example, you’re more likely to buy a brand’s product again when it satisfies you. When you’ve determined that it’s consistent, then you’re more likely to stick with it.

A brand’s product that does the opposite will obviously gain a negative perception from you.

Brand history and reputation

A brand’s stint in the public eye also influences purchasing decisions. It’s unlikely that you’ll buy from a brand with a bad reputation because the public is against them.

That’s why you should stay updated with the latest consumer news to know the current events in business. The news will help you gain an understanding of issues faced by different brands.

If you think that the issue affects you and those you care about, you should monitor how the brand handles it. How they deal with their mistakes will determine their reputation, that’s why it’s common to learn that the big brands always spend big on lawyers and public relations.

Online presence

Almost everyone is using social media nowadays, including businesses. This is because social media platforms provide them with tools and a place to promote their brands, and with the number of users social media cater to, their influence can grow by utilizing those platforms.

Another factor that gives social media power is your network. Your friends’ recommendations hold some value, so when they suggest a product to you, chances are you’ll try it. That’s basic modern consumer perception today!

Editor’s Note on Consumer Perception:

Businesses use various tactics to enhance consumers’ perception to influence purchase decisions that are favorable to them. Learn more about those practices so that you won’t be deceived by any entity or individual.

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