Consumers buying decision
processing in agricultural marketing is a human wants, need and desires for
specific satisfaction of deeper needs. Human needs may be few but their wants
are numerous. It is the deriving forces of marketing action consumers needs and
wants are often not backed up with resources to acquire or satisfy them. It is
the ability and willingness to buy a specific product and services for the
satisfaction of customers need and wants.
However,
for consumers to buy a specific product they have to make decision and this
would be through recognition of the products, information search, evaluation of
choice, purchasing decision, post purchasing behavior or decision to have an
adequate knowledge on a specific products.
Therefore,
agricultural products have to be process in a good method to reinforce
customers buying decision. This processing could be done through cleaning,
washing, sorting, drying, grading, separating, packaging, labeling, brand mark
and brand name to meet up the customer buying decision in agricultural
marketing.
PROCESSING
ACTIVITIES
1. Cleaning:
Cleaning of agricultural products can be accomplished by soaking or water
spraying or by using rotary drums, brush washers, shaker washer or any
combination thereof. This is done to attract consumer buying decision in
marketing.
2.
Washing: Washing
is done to detract the dirty part and soil surface from the produce before it
can be further processed.
3. Sorting:
Fruits
and vegetables are sorted by colour, size and quality using screens, diverging
belts, roller sorters and weight sorters. Grains, nuts and seed are cleaned and
sorted by size, shape, specific gravity and surface characteristic using
screens, blowers, specific gravity separations, centrifuge, cyclones and other
similar equipment.
4. Separating:
The most common types of equipment used for separating a variety of
agricultural products include cream separators, and cyclones.
5. Drying:
Crain is dried using butch, bin and continuous gravity flow dryers. They can be
dried using natural air for convection for smaller qualities or heated air if
drying must be completed before spoilage occurs. Fruits, vegetables and
associated wastes may be dried using vacuum ovens, rotary dryers, tray or
tunnel fryers, and freeze dryers.
6.
Grinding:
Farm products may be grinded by colour, quality, shape and size.
7.
Packaging:
Farm products may be packaged individually in groupings or in bulk. This is to
attract and encourage consumer buying decision in agricultural marketing.
According to Niklas (2012).
CONCEPT
OF AGRICULTURAL MARKETING
These refer to cover the
services involved in moving an agricultural product from the farm to the
consumer. It is also the planning, organizing, directing and handling of
agricultural produce in such a way as to satisfy the farmer, producer and the
consumer.
Numerous interconnected
activities are involved in doing this, such as planning production, growing and
harvesting, grading, packing and packaging, transport, storage, agro and food
processing, distribution, adverting and sale.
Effectively, the term encompasses
the entire range of supply chain operations. However, its key function is to
help direct these services, by providing competent and able market information
thereby linking the other operations into an integrated service with targeted
outcomes. Rossiter (2005).
CONCEPT
OF CONSUMERS BUYING DECISION PROCESSES
Buying
process is the series of steps that a consumer will take to make a purchasing
decision making through recognition of need and wants, information search,
evaluation of choice, purchase and post purchase evaluation.
STAGES
OF CONSUMER BUYING DECISION PROCESSES
The
farmer is responsible for selling the goods in the market so he/she must have
the knowledge on how the consumers actually make their buying decisions. For
this, he must study the consumer buying decision process or model. It involves
five stages:
i.
Need
Recognition: Consumer buying decision process starts with
need recognition. The farmer or marketer must recognize t he needs of the
consumers as well as how these needs can be satisfied. However, buyers can’t
make a purchase decision unless they actually know what they want or need. A
need is an essential product or characteristic that one must obtained. For
example, we need water to survive. According to Bunn (2007). A want, on the other hand, is some product or
product characteristic that consumer desire but is not essential. For example,
consumer may need a new cell phone, but after watching countless colleagues use
their smart phone, consumer really wants to upgrade to a smart phone.
ii.
Information
Search: This refers to the situation where the consumer has
determined their needs and wants, and they start to search and gather
information about potential products choices that may meet them. Sources of
information may come from print, radio, television and internet advertising. They
may also do independent research on the internet, looking at product review
sites and consumer review on retail sites.
However, they also seek the opinions of friends, family, neighborhood
and colleagues for the better function and the quality of the production.
iii.
Evaluation
of Choices: After the consumer getting the required
knowledge about the product, the consumer evaluate the various alternatives on
the basis of it’s want satisfying power, quality and its features. However,
after the consumer performed the research correctly/effectively, thereafter the
consumer then have some option from which to choose through the use of need and
wants as criteria in evaluating and comparing each product against each other.
According to Foxall (2007).
iv.
Purchase
Decision: After evaluating the alternatives, the buyer buys the
suitable product. But there are also the chances to postpone the purchase
decision due to some criteria. In this case, the marketer or producer must try
to find out the reasons and strive to detract them either by providing
sufficient information to the consumers or by giving them guarantee regarding
the product or reducing price if it was high to the consumer.
v.
Post
Purchase Behaviour/Decision: After buying the product,
consumer will either be satisfied or dissatisfied. If the consumer is not
satisfied he/she will be disappointed otherwise if he is satisfied then he will
be delighted. It is usually said that a satisfy consumer tells about the
product to three people and a dissatisfying consumer tells about the product to
11 people. Therefore, it is the duty of the producer or marketer to satisfy the
consumer to a quality product according to Blythe (2008).
Processing in agricultural marketing is
defined as any activity that maintains or raises the quality alters the
physical or chemical characteristics or objects or adds value to it any way.
Processing can be as simple and quick as washing vegetables or it can be
involved and complicated as marketing cheese or wine. Cooking, canning, smoking
and drying are among the various methods uses in the processing industry.
Many
farm products must be process before they can be used by the general public or
by farmers. For example, most fruits and vegetables are cleaners, grinded and
stored or processed before they enter the retail market. Similarly, many rations
are cleaned, dried, ground and mixed before they are fed to livestock.
However,
many agricultural products are perishable and are only suitable for consumption
over a short period of time. Processing extends the season during which they
are available. For example, the conversion of barriers and fruit into jam, jelly
and juice, consumers can enjoy these products year-round.
CONCLUSION
Agricultural marketing
refers to cover the services involved in moving an agricultural product from
the farm to the consumer. A buying process is the services steps that a
consumer will take to a purchasing decision. Stages of consumers buying
decision include, need of recognition, information search, evaluation choice,
purchase decision and post purchase behaviour.
Finally,
processing in agricultural marketing defined as any activity that maintain or
raises the quality or alters the physical or chemical characteristic or objects
or adds value to it any way. It activities include; cleaning, washing, sorting,
drying, separating, grinding and many others.
REFERENCES
Blythe,
K. (2008). Consumer Behaviour. UK Thompson
Learning Publisher.
Bunn,
M. D. (2007). Taxonomy of Buying Decision
Approaches. American Marketing Association: Justin Publisher.
Foxall,
U. R. (2005). Understanding Consumer Choice. USA Padgrave: Macmillan Publisher.
Niklas,
R. O. (2012). Predicting Purchase
Decision. Stiman Publisher.
Rossiter,
J. (2005). Marketing Communication:
Theory and Application.