prepurchase behaviour

prepurchase behaviour

the stage in buyer decision-making where potential buyers get information about a product through advertisements, sales brochures and personal contacts. The degree of search behaviour undertaken by prospective buyers will vary according to the cost and technical complexity of the product and buyers' previous experience of the product. Purchasing decisions may be carefully pre-planned or may be a spontaneous impulse buy. As part of their MARKETING RESEARCH firms use MOTIVATIONAL RESEARCH to identify buyer needs in order to influence prepurchase behaviour through ADVERTISING and SALES PROMOTION. See BUYER BEHAVIOUR, POST-PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR.