Snowboarding and Consumer Behaviour
One thing I have realized about marketing is how easy it is to relate to the concepts taught in class. This is especially true with consumer behaviour and the consumer decision process. Every thought on the purchase of a good now has a marketing tinge to it, including my ongoing search for a snowboard.
I started snowboarding recently and even though I still wipe out on a regular basis, I feel the need for my own snowboard gear.
Burton - A brand so well known, that even I recognize it. (Image from Onboard Global Snowboarding)
As I was, and still am, extremely new to the sport, my internal search for information was rather lacking. The only snowboard that I could recall off the top of my head was Burton, which would place Burton as the sole brand in my retrieval set. Why do I know of Burton? Perhaps it is due to how often I come across the Burton logo emblazoned across gear and clothes (both on and off the mountain). Burton has definitely succeeded with their marketing strategy when it comes to brand recognition.
However, since a snowboard was a large financial undertaking for a student and falls into the specialty goods category, as a consumer, I felt the need to gather more information.
And this was where my external search for information comes in.
Wait, you expect me to choose from all this?! (Image from NotB)
The internet is both a blessing and a curse for consumers. Immediately after starting my research I was bombarded with a plethora of different snowboard companies.
However, the internet is also an excellent source of reviews. Armed with my evaluation criteria (quality, reputation, ease of use and price) and compensatory decision rule (quality over price), I managed to narrow down my evoked set to 5 brands: Burton, K2, Ride, Gnu and Saloman.
Now all I need is more research to find the lowest price so I can move onto the purchase and consumption stage and start snowboarding on my own gear.
Hopefully I won’t experience any buyers’ remorse at the end of it all.
That good feeling you get when you are snowboarding on the slopes, on your own gear, looking all cool, will wipe out any buyers’ remorse you might have (pun intended).
Oh Julie, you and your puns.
This is why we’re the only ones who laugh at everything that Berkowitz says.
Hopefully there will be no real wipe outs to accompany my non-buyers’ remorse.
Love how you tied the purchasing decision to buying a snowboard. I agree- buying large expenditure items for a student can be such a hassle. But rather than conducting such a thorough Internet search, why didn’t you just consult family/ friends? I feel like these days, each product advertises some new “facet,” which is really just technical jargon to entice you to buy their product! Plus, family and friends usually have the same consumer preferences as you!
It’s the cynical/skeptical side of consumers to not believe anything that corporations say. When did we lose our trust with ads and companies anyways?
That’s why I feel that user reviews and word of mouth are much more effective ways of promoting a product.
The only problem is, most of my friends and family are skiers. And those who snowboard are in the same boat as me: has a passion for the sport, but is not quite knowledgeable about the product.
Do you snowboard Kaitlin? Can you give me any suggestions or recommendations? Hahah.