HND in Business Management
Consumer Behaviour Insight
Lecturier : Alex Alexandrov
Student Name: Jasmin Zmijewski
Student ID: 01007713
Submission Date: 14/12/22
,Table of Contents
Section 1 –.........................................................................................................................................3
Company background:.......................................................................................................................3
Evaluation of the Five stage consumer decision making process.......................................................3
1.2 Evaluation of the Black Box model on consumer behaviour........................................................5
DMU – Decision making unit.............................................................................................................7
Consumer’s decision-making process for Coca-Cola – Coke zero.....................................................7
Section 2:.........................................................................................................................................10
Comparison of business to business and business to consumer decision-making process.............10
Evaluation of research methods which could be applied to B2B and B2C context..........................13
Continuation- Evaluation of different market research methods found within Coca-Cola using the
B2B and B2C context........................................................................................................................15
Justification on how market research is influential to the buying process of a consumer in
reference to Coca-Cola....................................................................................................................16
Section 3..........................................................................................................................................18
Influences on decision-making process...........................................................................................18
Learning and perception..................................................................................................................18
Incidental learning...........................................................................................................................18
Cognitive learning theories..............................................................................................................19
Culture.............................................................................................................................................19
Personality – Sigmand Floyd’s Components of the mind theory.....................................................19
Coca-Cola’s use of conscious and unconscious needs towards influencing decision-making
processes of consumers...................................................................................................................20
Self-Image- Carl Rogers Five forms of self-theory............................................................................21
Coca-Cola’s use of five forms of self- and five senses theory towards influencing decision-making
processes of consumers...................................................................................................................22
Trait theory – Raymond Cattel’s trait theory...................................................................................23
Coca-Cola’s use of big five traits and Cattle’s personality theory towards influencing decision-
making processes of consumers:.....................................................................................................24
Motivation.......................................................................................................................................25
Advantages and importance of projective research:.......................................................................26
How to use knowledge from projective research results- Coca-Cola example:...............................27
Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation – Hierarchy of needs.......................................................28
Understanding consumer’s needs, link to personality theory.........................................................28
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................29
References:......................................................................................................................................30
,Section 1 –
Company background:
The company which will be discussed throughout the report is Coca-Cola Co. This is one of the
largest beverage companies in the world with operations across Europe, Africa, North America, and
Asia Pacific, with reported revenues of $38.65 million during December 2021 (GlobalData,2022).
Coca-Cola Co offers a range of products being distributed throughout 200 countries, Coca-Cola acts
as a: producer, distributer, and marketer for soft drink beverages. The company’s portfolio includes a
variety of beverages which comprising of; water, fizzy drinks, teas, coffees, and energy drinks, also
marketing drink products such as - Fanta, Coca-Cola Zero, Diet Coke, Powerade, Dasani and Sprite.
The company sells towards independent partners, wholesalers, retailers, and distributers – acing
therefore as a business to business and business to customer retailer (GlobalData,2022).
Evaluation of the Five stage consumer decision making process
Businesses and marketers have one goal, being to reach their consumer in the moment of time that
means most influential towards their decisions. Through evaluating the five stages of consumer
decision making process model, an understanding can be met to how marketers can track and
recognize the decision making process of their potential customer from point A to point B. Allowing
for a greater chance to have reached the target consumer at the right time and place offering the
ideal message desired by the company (Court et al, 2009). Below figure 1 an analysis of each of the
stages is done in relation to how it relates to my chosen business – Coca-Cola.
Figure 1: The 5 stage decision making process
Source: Marek Sotak, 2016
Need recognition
The first stage entails the initial motivator towards a potential customer making a purchase. Here
the customer must recognise that there is a need for a certain product/service, here the customer
feels that there is a need which must be met- having a feeling that something is missing and believes
that this ‘something’ must be resolved and addressed to feel at ease (Professional Academy, 2022).
This is one of the most important stages within the process and to convince customers that this need
will be addressed, there are various influential factors which affect how persuasive the product is
towards the consumer. When referring to a beverage company such as Coca-Cola in a business to
customer context, meeting a customers need to quench their thirst is the main goal. Marketers
within Coca-Cola market the product through linking its consumption to a pleasurable and positive
, experience as seen through figure 2 below. The infamous advertisements caters to the psychological
factor of consumers towards being perceived as an inclusive and friendly brand.
Figure 2: Coca-Cola ‘Taste the feeling’ campaign
Source: Will Heilpern, 2016
Information search
Within this stage the consumer aims to search for information which may aid them towards their
decision, as the need is already identified the consumer must seek for the different ways which their
needs can be met (Dudovskiy,2022). Within this stage a business such as Coca-Cola must present
their product with transparency and easily understandable information such as the products; price,
features and service information (Sotak,2016). As economic and functional factors, would be
considered within this stage. Another example of this can be seen through figure 3 below, as Coca-
Cola presents various information already which saves the consumer time within this stage within
the decision making process – having all the information available at front.
Figure 3: Coca-Cola Advertisment
Source: SugroUk
