Katona (1953, p.334) points out that 'the basic principle of the first form of behaviour is repetition' and the form of behaviour depends on the frequency of repetition as well as on the recency and success of past performance. Therefore, when applied in the retail industry, the repeat purchasing behaviour depends on the recency, frequency, and the satisfaction level of past experience. An emerging question is: should the marketers then advertise more about the recent successful experience of consumers, especailly those consumers who repeatedly make the purchase rather than solely promoting the features of the products/services?
My answer is YES (personal opinion), for consumer goods particularly, such as cosmetics, baby caring products, food, housing cleaning products, and etc.
(1) If the customer is a new customer to the product/ service, other people's satisfactory experience in using the product/service increase his/ her confidence in the prodcut/ servce, hence increasing the probability of him/ her making the purchase.
(2) If the customer is a returning customer, the satisfactory personal experience reconfirms his/ her excellent choice and taste, which increases his/ her preference to the product/ service.
(3) If the consumer is a potential customers, advertisement of brands/ products / services serves as only messages letting him/ her know the thing, whilst advertisement of successful repeated purchasing behaviour of others gives him/ her an idea that the product/ servie is worth buying.
Promptu thoughts by Ring
@ Soton Library 14.58pm 19th February 2012
