ABSTRACT
The great illusion of the marketplace is a simple one: that it is supply-based; that those who produce and those who create sustain the market; that if you build it, they come. The great reality of the marketplace is simpler still: nobody who produces is in control. Nobody who sells is in control. If you build it, they will come only if they want to, and if they decide to leave, there is nothing – not cutting your prices, not increasing your supply, not getting on your knees and begging for sales (or offering loyalty cards) – that can stop them. When the world gets tired of cappuccino machines, they are
When you have read this chapter you should be able to understand:
(a) the factors that infl uence consumer behaviour;
(b) the structure of the consumer buying decision process;
(c) the nature of organizational buying;
(d) how an understanding of buying processes can be used in the development of marketing strategy;
(e) why relationship marketing is becoming an increasingly important strategic marketing tool and how a relationship marketing programme can be developed.
