While reviewing the implication of such a customer decision, it clearly implies that these days customers tend to make their decisions on their own through the individually made research rather than relying on the presented data. Given the fact that 57% of decisions is made much sooner before a customer would event intend to speak to a sales or customer service person, it evidently illustrates that their role diminishes rapidly in the world where digitalization prevails. Thus, one shall note the two implications with that respect: digitalization and increasing role of technology. Another implication that arises in that regard is the will to take decisions independently and research product with regards to the other aspects that might have a decisive role. Therefore, with the rapidly changing reality of marketing and respective influences in sales, one shall think of potential implications in correlation with the instant digitalization.
Given the fact that the current world is more and more interconnected, and different sources of coexistence illustrate interconnections within different parts of one’s life, it is clearly reflected on marketing, too. Now, instead of proceeding through several instances of decision-making, customers address the final instance and simplify the process of purchasing to one step. By doing so, they gain more time for personal research and respective individual reflection over the type of decision. In marketing, respectfully, a target audience would remain the same, but addressing it would require additional techniques. Thus, instead of focusing on sales and advertisement, featuring should be done in the course over the final decision-making.
However, one shall still remember that even though the majority of customers prefers to take such decisions directly and independently, there is still a segment of people who use customer service person for different types of advice. Even though they do not comprise a majority, but still over 40% of customers presents a significant number. Therefore, in marketing one may start thinking over the two potential options. One would be to present an independent service to the customers who constitute the majority and would like to take these decisions independently. However, given that a segment of the population that still refers to the customer support managers is relatively high, the implication indicates on the necessity to save this position, despite a rapid digitalization of the market as such. Thus, to avoid a duplication, one shall stay focus on having these two models to stay in place as they are. The prior choice that shall be delivered to the customer is freedom for options. However, from the marketing point of view, it does not mean that a current model shall be adandoned entirely. Thus, in the course of the ultimate decision-making, one shall stay focused on a respective target group, as it would contribute to complementing the understanding of both models even better.
From the perspective of customers who tend to simplify complex purchases to the simplified decision-making, it is clear that they seek the way for engaging in the respective activities in regards to time-saving. With the continuous focus on time-consumption and facilitating functions of the market to making it “smart” (here, I refer to the analogical perception over smart cities or smart applications), and then think of offering an extra convenience that may ultimately play a key role for attracting a decision of a customer.
With that in mind, one can clearly see the multitude of implications that exist with regards to the marketing and their options. Moreover, the behavior of customer changes and may pose significant challenges for rethinking the role of the customer service person.
- Weitz, Barton A and Robin Wensley. Handbook Of Marketing. London: SAGE, 2002. Print.
- Koku, Paul Sergius. Decision Making In Marketing And Finance. Print.
