INVESTIGATING THE CHOOSING PROCESS: AN ANALYSIS OF DECISION STRATEGIES USED TO BUY LCD TELEVISIONS

Abstract

Considering the importance of understanding how individuals make their choices and use different strategies to make decisions with a variety of alternatives, this study has aimed to determine which variables explain the use of compensatory and non-compensatory strategies in purchasing decisions made by the consumers. The compensatory strategies allow the use of trade-offs between a high value on an attribute and a low value in another (KIM, CHUNG; PARADICE, 1997; KAHN, 2005). Meanwhile, the non-compensatory strategies, low values cannot be compensated (WESTENBERG; KOELE, 1994). This study may be described as a multiple case study,  also qualitative and exploratory, and the object of analysis used is Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) televisions. The data collection consisted of 10 deep interviews, the questions were developed based on technical manuals, and they were open questions, which allowed the respondent to contribute with what they judge relevant. The data analysis showed that previous knowledge of the product is what determines the use of different decision strategies. In this study, consumers who, before the final purchase decision, had sought information about the product were characterized as consumers with knowledge. Regarding the point where individuals have changed their strategies of decision, the results of the survey revealed that the consumers, when facing two or three LCD TVs, in the final decision moment, begin the trade-offs, characterizing the change of decision strategies from non-compensatory to compensatory. It is worth noting that consumers with little knowledge tend to use non-compensatory strategies more than those with more knowledge, who tend to use more compensatory strategies. Decision makers did not use the same attributes in the compensatory stage, since individuals with greater knowledge about the product made trade-offs focusing on the performance of the alternatives.