IMPLICATOINS
It is likely that consumers who score highly on certain decision-making characteristics will have clear needs associated with those characteristics that marketers could use to target them.For example,high scorers on the Recreational/Hedonism trait like shopping just for the fun of it and are likely to respond positively to upmarket shopping malls that accommodate different stoes,in-store demonstrations and gimmicks,restaurants,and leisure facilities.
The degeree of quality consciousness that exists in Germany has implications for international marketers targeting German consumers.Companies may find it more difficult to sell low-quality goods to German consumers,at least when such companies intend to compete with existing German brands.In addition,German consumers are likely to become wary when high-quality products are offered to them at low prices.As Germans say,”Was nichts kostet,taugt nichts”(“What costs nothing,is no good”),which reflects German’s opinion that they are prepared to pay premium prices for certain products as long as the quality is right.Haagen-Dazs recently advertised in Germany with the following slogan:”Wir sind so teuer,weil wir alles weglassen”(We are so expensive because of all we have left out”).
The Confused by Overchoice factor substantiates the idea that confusion is playing an increasingly significant rote in today’s cluttered market place and could suggest the development of spacial packages/products to aid consumers to make faster and more effective buying decisions(e.g.,by offering products with larger fonts carrying less irrelevant information)and less complicated products and product manuals.This finding also has implications for future research in terms of identifying other groups of consumers that are particularly suscepetible to confusion(e.g.,the elderly and foreigners)s
The absence of a brand –loyal trait seems to be of greater concern from a marketer’s point of view because brand-loyal consumers are desirable for a number of reasons.First,they provide a solid base of customers into the future from which brand profitability can be built.Second ,loyal customers are more difficult for competitors to attract.In this context,Wells notes that it is four to six times less costly to retain old customers than to obtain new ones.Therefore,a major goal of markerters operating in Germany should be to develop brand loyalty.This is more difficult in Germany because of the regulations prohibiting comparative advertising.The goal is probably best achieved by communicating the benefits of brand loyalty,for example lowered risk of buying an unsatisfactory product,time savings,and savings in decision-making efforts.
Thus far,little empirical research has been devoted to variety-seeking behavior in Germany.High scorers on the Variety Seekding factor tend to buy new products even though they continue to express satisfaction with their old brand,possibly because they want to maintain a certain level of stimulation.Variety-seeking consumers will be attracted to appeals that convey novelty,change,and stimulation.Previous studies have shown that variety-seeking behavior can be particularly prevalent in certain produce categorise,for example,instant soups or cereals.