What Is Involvement? Explain Low and High Involvement Learning/purchase Decisions

question 93

Essay

What is involvement? Explain low and high involvement learning/purchase decisions.Discuss marketing strategies for both low and high involvement purchase decisions.Involvement mediates the product choice decision.Involvement is activated by three elements: The individual's background and psychological profile,the aspirational focus,and the environment at the time of the purchase decision.
When a consumer is concerned with the outcome of the process,they will spend more time learning about product options and become more emotionally connected to the process and the decision.Someone stimulated to acquire new information is engaged in high-involvement learning.For example,someone interested in purchasing a new car will seek out product reviews in Consumer Reports and online sources to discover information that will assist in the choice decision.
A high level of involvement usually means the entire process takes longer.High-involvement consumers report high levels of satisfaction in their purchase decision.This is not surprising since these consumers spend more time engaged in the decision process and,therefore,are more comfortable in their decision.While high involvement purchases are more significant to the consumer,the vast majority of purchases involve limited or low involvement.From the purchase of gasoline to the choice of restaurants,decisions are often made almost automatically,often out of habit,with little involvement in the purchase decision.The reality is that consumers tend to focus their time and energy on high-involvement purchases while making many purchases with little or no thought at all.Marketers can provide consumers with rich sources of data and make information easily accessible for high involvement purchasers.
Low-involvement learning happens when people are not prompted to value new information.This is more prevalent than high-involvement learning because the vast majority of marketing stimuli occur when there is little or no interest in the information.While people are not actively seeking the information,they are exposed to advertising and this,in turn,affects their attitudes about a brand.Research suggests that people shown ads in a low-involvement setting are more likely to include those brands in the choice decision process.Low-involvement consumers spend little time comparing product attributes and frequently identify very few differences across brands.Because the decision is relatively unimportant,they will often purchase the product with the best shelf position or lowest price with no evaluation of salient product characteristics.
Marketers consider several strategies in targeting low-involvement consumers.The objective of these strategies is to raise consumer involvement with the product.Generally,time is the defining characteristic for these strategies.Short-term strategies involve using sales promotions such as coupons,rebates,or discounts to encourage trying the product and then hoping the consumers will raise their product involvement.Long-term strategies are more difficult to implement.

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Definitions:

Arrector Pili Muscle

Small muscles attached to hair follicles in mammals, contraction of these muscles causes the hairs to stand on end, known as "goosebumps."

Sebaceous Gland

A tiny organ located in the skin that produces a lubricating oily substance known as sebum, which is released into the hair follicles to keep both the skin and hair moisturized.

Hair Follicles

Tubular invaginations of the epidermis from which hairs grow and are nourished.

Apocrine Gland

A type of gland found in the skin, breast, eyelid, and ear that secretes sweat, fatty compounds, and proteins, often associated with body odor.