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Consumer Buying Behaviour and the Promotion Mix
Updated: 6 November 2026 · UPSC DRDO Senior Administrative Officer Grade-II · Beginner-friendly lesson + 10 MCQs with explanations
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Five-stage buying process, Assael types, advertising vs publicity, push vs pull and AIDA — lesson, 10 MCQs and score analysis for DRDO SAO marketing.
Assael grid in one line: High involvement + big brand differences = complex; high + few = dissonance-reducing; low + few = habitual; low + big = variety-seeking.
1. The buying decision process
The conventional model describes five stages: problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post-purchase behaviour. Consumers do not always pass through every stage; in routine purchases search and evaluation are largely skipped.
Post-purchase behaviour includes satisfaction and cognitive dissonance, the discomfort felt after a purchase when the rejected alternatives appear attractive. The concept comes from Festinger and is most likely after expensive, infrequent purchases.
Within a household or organisation, five roles are usually distinguished: initiator, influencer, decider, buyer and user. One person may play several roles.
2. Types of buying behaviour
These types (associated with Assael) are classified by the level of consumer involvement and the degree of difference between brands.
| Type | Involvement | Brand differences |
|---|---|---|
| Complex buying | High | Significant |
| Dissonance-reducing | High | Few |
| Habitual buying | Low | Few |
| Variety-seeking | Low | Significant |
3. Influences on behaviour
Cultural factors (culture, subculture, social class), social factors (reference groups, family, roles and status), personal factors (age, occupation, lifestyle, economic situation) and psychological factors (motivation, perception, learning, beliefs and attitudes). An opinion leader is a member of a reference group whose views influence others within it.
4. The promotion mix
The five tools are advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, public relations and direct marketing.
- Advertising is a paid, non-personal presentation of ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor.
- Publicity is non-paid, non-personal media coverage. It belongs to public relations, not advertising.
- Personal selling involves two-way personal interaction; it is the most effective tool in the later stages of buyer readiness.
- Sales promotion offers short-term incentives. Consumer promotions include samples, coupons, rebates and premiums; trade promotions include allowances and dealer contests.
5. Push and pull strategies
A push strategy directs promotion at channel members (wholesalers and retailers) to move the product through the channel, relying on personal selling and trade promotion. A pull strategy directs promotion at final consumers, mainly through advertising and consumer promotion, so that consumer demand pulls the product through the channel.
AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) is the classical model of the stages a message should move a buyer through. Advertising is relatively stronger in the awareness stage; personal selling is stronger at conviction and purchase.
Key points to remember
Push targets channel members (dealers, retailers); pull targets final consumers through advertising and consumer promotion.
Publicity is unpaid and belongs to public relations; advertising is paid by an identified sponsor. Do not mix them up.
Practice: 10 MCQs
Attempt all ten questions, then press Submit. The correct answer and a short explanation appear under every question, followed by your score analysis.
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