All Exams Test series for 1 year @ ₹349 only
Question

According to Five-Stage Model of the Consumer Buying Process, which one of the following sequence is followed ?

This question was previously asked in
UGC NET 2016 Paper 2 Management Question Paper (22-Jan-2017)
The correct answer is

Problem Recognition → Information Search → Evaluation of Alternatives → Purchase Decision → Post Purchase Behaviour

 Option 4 — Problem Recognition → Information Search → Evaluation of Alternatives → Purchase Decision → Post Purchase Behaviour is correct.

Philip Kotler's Five-Stage Model of the Consumer Buying (Decision) Process traces how a buyer moves from recognising a want to reflecting on the purchase afterwards. The stages must occur in a fixed logical order:

StageWhat happens
1. Problem RecognitionBuyer senses a need or gap between actual and desired state
2. Information SearchBuyer gathers information about ways to satisfy the need
3. Evaluation of AlternativesOptions are compared on attributes and benefits
4. Purchase DecisionBuyer selects and buys the chosen brand
5. Post-Purchase BehaviourBuyer judges satisfaction, leading to loyalty or dissonance

A consumer cannot search before recognising a need, nor evaluate alternatives before gathering information, so only option 4 preserves this sequence.

Why the other options are wrong: Options 1, 2 and 3 all place later stages (purchase, evaluation or information search) ahead of problem recognition, breaking the model's logic.

Takeaway: buying always starts with problem recognition and ends with post-purchase behaviour.

Was this answer helpful?

Similar Questions

  1. Marketers have traditionally classified products on the basis of three characteristics : __________ , tangibility and use.

  2. Which one of the following can be legally protected ?

  3. Match the items of List-I with the items of List-II and indicate the code of correct matching:

    List-IList-II
    a. Latent demandi. More consumers would like to buy the product than can be satisfied.
    b. Full demandii. Consumers may be attracted to products that have undesirable social consequences.
    c. Overfull demandiii. Consumers may share a strong need that cannot be satisfied by an existing product.
    d. Unwholesome demand iv. Consumers are adequately buying all products put into the market place.

    Codes:

  4. Match the items of List-I with those of List-II and indicate the code of correct matching:

    List-IList-II
    a. Core benefiti. Bed, bathroom, towel, desk and closet
    b. Basic productii. Clean bed sheet
    c. Expected productiii. Rest and sleep

    Codes:

  5. Which one of the following is the demand state where “Consumers dislike the product and may even pay to avoid it” ?

  6. “The customer wants an inexpensive car”. This is an example of which one of the following type of needs ?

  7. Assertion (A) : Marketers are increasingly asked to justify their investments in financial and profitability terms and rarely in terms of building the brand and customer base.

    Reasoning (R) : Organizations recognize that little of their market value comes from intangible assets.

    Code :

  8. Which of the following category of goods and services is most likely to require an aggressive use of the selling concept ?

  9. What are the four main components of holistic marketing ?

  10. According to the __________ theory, marketers can enhance demand for a product by associating it with strong drives, using motivating cues and providing positive re-enforcement.


Important Questions from Marketing: Concept and approaches

  1. Arrange the following stages in the marketing process of an enterprise:

    A. Marketing Mix

    B. Marketing program implementation

    C. Marketing planning

    D. Market research

    E. Control and evaluation of marketing programs

    Choose thecorrectanswer from the options given below:

  2. Which of the following is the characteristic of a product?

  3. Which of the following is an example of durable goods?

  4. Traditionally, marketing has been viewed as:

  5. _______ is making it more a challenge today than ever before, to upgrade customer services to get an edge over the competitiors.

Need Expert Advice?
Upcoming Exams
MH SET
October 25, 2026
CTET
December 12, 2026
Test Series
UGC NET img
Teaching
UGC NET (Paper 1) 2026 Mock Test Series
516 Tests 1 Tests Free
131 Attempts
4.3(131)
English, Hindi

Start Your Preparation with Prepp Mobile App

Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Prepp Mobile App