Editing Consumer behaviour (section)

===Purchase decision===
Once the alternatives have been evaluated, the consumer firms up their resolve to proceed through to the actual purchase. For example, the consumer might say to themself, "Yes, I will buy Brand X one day." This self instruction to make a purchase is known as ''purchase intent.'' Purchase intentions are a strong yet imperfect predictor of sales. Sometimes purchase intentions simply do not translate into an actual purchase and this can signal a marketing problem.<ref>Morwitz, V.G., Steckel, J. and Gupta, A., "When Do Purchase Intentions Predict Sales?" ''International Journal of Forecasting,'' Vol. 23, No. 3, 2007, pp 347-64.</ref> For instance, a consumer may wish to buy a new product, but may be unaware of the retail outlets that stock it, so that purchase cannot proceed. The extent to which purchase intentions result in actual sales is known as the ''sales conversion'' rate.<ref>Armstrong, J. S., Morwitz, V. and Kumar, V., "Sales Forecasts for Existing Consumer Products and Services: Do Purchase Intentions Contribute to Accuracy?" ''International Journal of Forecasting,'' Vol. 16, No. 3, 2000, pp 383–397; Retrieved from http://repository.upenn.edu/marketing_papers/143</ref>

[[File:HK Central night Soho restaurant shop 2.JPG|thumb|Happy hour, where two drinks can be purchased for the price of one, is a strong call-to-action because it encourages consumers to buy now rather than defer purchasing to a later time.]]

Organisations use a variety of techniques to improve conversion rates. The provision of easy credit or payment terms may encourage purchase. Sales promotions such as the opportunity to receive a premium or enter a competition may provide an incentive to buy now rather than defer purchases for a later date. Advertising messages with a strong [[Call to action (marketing)|''call-to-action'']] are yet another device used to convert customers.<ref>Business Dictionary, http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/call-to-action.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025110404/http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/call-to-action.html |date=2016-10-25 }}</ref> A call-to-action is any device designed to encourage immediate sale.<ref>Eisenberg, B., ''CALL TO ACTION: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results,'' Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson, 2006, p. 20</ref> Typically, a call-to-action includes specific wording in an advertisement or selling pitch that employs imperative verbs such as "Buy now!" or "Don't wait!". Other types of calls-to-action might provide consumers with strong reasons for purchasing immediately such an offer that is only available for a limited time (e.g. 'Offer must expire soon'; 'Limited stocks available') or a special deal usually accompanied by a time constraint (e.g. 'Order before midnight to receive a free gift with your order'; 'Two for the price of one for the first 50 callers only'). Additionally, service convenience is a saving of effort, in the way that it minimises the activities that customers may bear to buy goods and services.<ref>Berry, L.L., Seiders, K., Grewal, D., 2002. Understanding service convenience. Journal of
Marketing 66 (3), 1-17</ref> The key to a powerful call-to-action is to provide consumers with compelling reasons to purchase promptly rather than defer purchase decisions.

As consumers approach the actual purchase decision, they are more likely to rely on personal sources of information.<ref>Srinivasan, N., "Pre-purchase External Search Information", in Valarie A. Zeithaml (ed), ''Review of Marketing 1990'', Marketing Classics Press (AMA), 2011, pp 153-189</ref> For this reason, personal sales representatives must be well versed in giving sales pitches and in tactics used to close the sale. Methods used might include 'social evidence', where the salesperson refers to previous success and satisfaction from other customers buying the product. 'Scarcity attraction' is another technique, where the salesperson mentions that the offer is limited, as it forces the consumer to make a quicker decision and therefore spend less time evaluating alternatives.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last1=Andrea |first1=Broden |title=Impulse buying, reasons why, consumer electronics - Oh My |last2=Soderberg |first2=Caroline |year=2011}}</ref>