Brand Selection in Planned Purchasing: An Analysis of Asian User Behavior

Users in planned purchasing undergo significantly different decision-making process compared to impulsive purchasing. Although several researchers have investigated user behavior of buying products from planned categories such as, organic products and halal products, research in the domain of selecting a specific brand within a category are limited. A qualitative study was conducted among users across several Asian markets such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand to understand factors influencing the brand selection process in a planned purchase context. The qualitative study used a content analysis-based approach, with a code sheet incorporating elements associated to purchase behavior, among over 100 users across the countries. The qualitative study revealed that factors such as recommendations from friends, family members, and sales consultants, TV programs like advertisements and product informative programs, and other parameters like in-store presence of the brand, product information on the package, and aesthetic appeal of the package have a positive influence on the users’ brand selection process. Findings from the qualitative study were used to formulate multiple hypotheses about the relative importance of these different factors. These hypotheses were evaluated using an online survey among users from several Asian markets (predominantly India, Philippines, and Singapore), with a base size of 63. Statistical investigations were done using the t-test with p-value of 0.05. Results from the current study provide data that strengthens knowledge in the domain of consumer psychology and are relevant for product designers and marketers, who are designing and commercializing products in planned purchase categories.