Consumer Perception and Positioning

Perception is how an individual select, organize, and interpret stimuli into a meaningful and
coherent interpretation of the world. It is important for the marketer to recognize that
consumers are behaving and responding based on their expectations rather than the empirical
truth. Perception is the product of two factors – external sensory stimulation & personal
perceptions and understanding. The different sensory feedback styles include Vision, Scent,
Touch, Sound, and Taste. Examples of stimuli sensory input include products, packages,
brand names The analysis demonstrates that sensory experience is culturally unique and that
advertisers need to be mindful of this dimension to attract consumers in that context.

Absolute Threshold- The lowest level at which an individual can experience sensation of
any kind.

Differential Threshold (Just Noticeable Difference-JND)- The minimal difference that a

person can be detect between two similar stimuli.

Marketers use the JND of the products to determine how changes in pricing can improve the
results for them.

Subliminal Perception- A condition that happens when the sensory receptors receive
sensations that are under the conscious consciousness of the individual.

People are very selective in stimuli-driven vision. Physical factors influencing clients include
personality, characteristics, brand identity, etc. Users tend to see things the way we imagine
them to be.

There is an increased knowledge of factors related to the need and vice versa and known as
Selective Treatment. Term figure and ground refers to the interrelationship between stimuli
and the environment and context within which it occurs.

Consumers assemble their senses into coherent wholesale according to Gestalt

psychology: figure and ground, grouping and closure. These help in understanding consumer
behavior. Marketers use these techniques so that they can place the product without
disturbing the integrity of the place or the scene in any tv show or advertisement.

Consumers use internal and external factors to evaluate the product they want. Some
prominent physical features are shape, size, color and feel. This help them to justify their
decision to choose that product and give rational. In absence of these intrinsic features they
just simply switch to price brand image and knowledge about the product which they have.
And these things can be altered, and customer can be biased about a product and here
marketers try to target their customers. When an ad is shown on tv or anything of that sort it
creates a picture through visual stimulus in the mind of the consumer about the product. And
creates a sort of Halo effect in the mind of the consumers.

Consumers perceived value plays an important role while deciding the final purchase
decision about the product. These values can be brand image and other social factors.
Generally, people perceive higher value as better quality. The product which have higher
perceived value is more likely to be ended up in the shopping cart. These cues of the product
can be intrinsic or extrinsic which will have the effect on the buying decision of the product.

Consumers perceived risk also plays the major part in the buying decision of the
product. One need to reduce the risk and the product which have better offering(benefit-risk)
associated with it is a better product. These risks can be related to time, psychology, financial
and physical.

Positioning is a concept by which a company try to differentiate its product at the last
stage of the marketing process before customer buys it. It is the unique identity which the
product has in the mind of the consumers. Although only positioning or brand image will not
help the product to succeed, it should be at least at par with the products in its competition
because it may give it an initial edge but on the later stage the product will fail. Brand needs
to reposition their products with time so that it does not become absolute and fall back in the
market.