Yesterday, I headed down to the States with my family for a much needed shopping break after my midterms.
What caught my attention after a while was the behaviour of the sales associates that approached me. Every time I went to try on some clothes, the person helping me would ask if I wanted to try on something else that he or she recommended. That reminded me a bit of the consumer decision process and how it is affected. Take me, for example.
I wanted a new pair of jeans. My old pairs were getting a bit worn out, and since things were cheaper down in the States, I decided that I would try to find a nice pair or two on my trip.
I knew that many of the stores at Seattle Premium Outlets sold jeans, but I only wanted to look at jeans from a brand I knew. That narrowed my choice down to Levis, True Religion, and Guess. I don’t particularly like Levis jeans, so that left me with True Religion and Guess.
With that in mind, I headed to True Religion first. I wasn’t a fan of back pocket flaps, so that ruled out most of the jeans in the store. While I lined up to try on the few pairs that I picked, the sales associate with me noted that most of them were bootcut jeans. He asked if I wanted to try some other jeans in similar styles. I have to admit, if I hadn’t looked at all the jeans in the store and if I weren’t conscious about the time, I probably would’ve agreed. But in this situation, I politely refused, and ended up leaving without buying anything. None of the jeans fitted the way I wanted them to.
Next, I tried my luck at Guess. I quickly found a few pairs of jeans that I liked, and made a beeline towards the fitting rooms. Once again, a sales associate asked if I wanted to try on some cute new tops that just came in the other day. And, once again, I refused.
Unlike what happened at True Religion, though, I did find a pair of jeans that I wanted to buy. But my mom noted that there was a promotion going on where I would get a second pair of jeans 50% off. I didn’t like any of the other jeans that fell under this promotion, but she insisted I buy something else. In the end, I chose a pair that was in the same style as the ones I liked, but a shade darker and with yellow thread instead of white. My verdict? I probably wouldn’t wear that pair very often since I don’t like yellow threading.
And my thoughts on the shopping situations that affect the consumer decision process? I think that if a person were really set on what he or she wants to buy, the shopping situation wouldn’t have too much of an impact on the purchases made. I knew exactly what type of jeans I wanted, and I wasn’t derailed by the suggestions of the sales associates or the promotions offered. This would’ve been different if I were shopping for something that I wasn’t set on.
However, since I wasn’t the one paying, my mom decided to add a second pair of jeans. Since it was me, and not my mom, with a specific goal in mind, she was more swayed by the shopping situation.