Shopping, Selecting and Settling for the SportUNE Gym Facilities - Case Study Example

Assignment 2 Student Name Tutor Institution Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 4 Finding the SportUNE GYM 5 Conclusion 11 Bibliography 12 Executive summary This paper discusses how various internal factors influenced my decision of shopping, selecting and settling for the SportUNE gym facilities. The paper begins by highlighting the five steps in the consumer decision-making process such as need recognition, information search, and evaluation of alternatives, purchase and post-purchase. The paper further delves into my decision to select the gym facility at this particular place and the extent of my engagement. The internal factors to be discussed in the subsequent sections include; learning and involvement, motivation, personality, attitudes, customer imagery, and perception. The discussion in the subsequent sections links to the sportUNE gym’s marketing mix elements such as their marketing strategy (segmentation, targeting and positioning), diffusion of innovations and the decision-making process. Introduction SportUNE is anon profit organization that is under the control of the University of England which offers services in sports and fitness. Over the years it has remained is one of the best university fitness centers in Australia which has contributed immensely to the enhancement of facilities for academic programs in sports, exercise science and education (SportUNE, n.d). It was started way back in 1938 and over the years it has blossomed into a state of the art health facility which attracts all kinds of clients from all over Australia. The center has been credited for offering fitness services that have in many ways contributed to the wellbeing of the university fraternity as well as the society at large (SportUNE, n.d). The center provides very well designed programs in sorting, fitness and health. Other services and facilities includes the pool, playing fields, climbing walls, courts as well as cafes Finding a gym that meets ones needs and expectations is not an easy job especially if you are a student with so much reading to do and no regular source of income as such. Again when you are in college fitness may not be a top priority as such. Most students would rather use their free time to have fun in various social places. However when I was in my first year I noted that I was gaining a lot of weight. Coming from a middle class family at least my family could afford regular medical checks. I remember the doctor telling me during one of the visits that I need to do something about it or else I may have to deal with lifestyle diseases in the future. This was an eye opener to me. Yes I know some of my family members who suffer from such diseases like hypertension and diabetes. I had witnessed some of them go to the gym but I always thought to myself that when I come of their age then I will join the fitness club Finding the SportUNE GYM According to Blackwell (2001) there are various internal factors specificities and characteristics that usually influence ones buying behaviors. After the doctor’s appointment I needed to shop for a gym facility that would meet my needs and expectations. Many scholars note that some buyers like myself will usually have some factors that will influence their choice of goods and services, These factors may be internal or external. In this paper I will mainly focus on the internal factors. According to Bagozzi (2002) some of the internal factors that influence consumer behavior include; ‘personality and self-concept; consumer perception; consumer learning and involvement; and consumer attitude development and change’’. Most importantly according to Arnold (1991) sometimes the factors that influence the buying decision may change over time. For instance the family cycle of an individual usually has an impact on his buying choices depending on what stage she or he is. Usually before one settles for a particular commodity like in this case I was looking for a gym; they go through a decision making process. The process according to Norman et al (1996) has six distinct stages; Stage 1: This is usually referred to as the need recognition stage. In my case the need to go for fitness services stated with the doctors recommendation. Going by our family history where people have a higher chance of suffering from lifestyle diseases, it was important that I take precautionary measures by putting my weight in check. Health is a vital need which according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs falls under the safety needs (Eysenck et al. (2000)). Poor health results in a deficiency that compels one to seek or enhance it, which explains my motivation to join a fitness center. Bad health is not a choice one would entertain. Stage 2: At this stage usually the consumer goes out to search for information on the kind of product they want. I am a student and I needed a gym facility that would meet my expectations and needs as a student. Since some of my friends and family members were members of different gym facilities I took the initiative to consult them on the available alternatives. Moreover, in this era of internet, it was much easier to check available alternatives on the web by searching different sites. Most importantly my search was driven by my desire to find a place that will fit my personality. According to Blackwell (2001) personality can be defined as the set of specific traits and characteristics of an individual. They result from the interaction of the physiological and psychological traits which then shapes ones behavior Eysenck et al. (2000) adds that this often results into traits such as charisma, shyness, adaptability among others. Self-concept on the other hand is what the image an individual actually has or desires to have and conveys it to a specific audience. The big 5 theory highlights key five personality traits that to a large extent may influence ones buying behavior they include; openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. For me the first three speak well of my outgoing personality. I am a student and I needed a vibrant facility that will enable me explore and interact freely as well as provide a unique fitness experience. I love to make friends and socialize and that is why I thought the sportUNE gym facility would be ideal for me since it commands a huge student’s populations and their activities are diverse which makes me feel at home. Secondly is my perception as a consumer. Jacoby (2002) defines perception as the process by which one selects, organizes and interprets the information received so as to make an informed decision. There are three types of perceptions that influence customer buying behavior. For me my need was a health fitness center. So for me I employed selective attention approach. I was only interested in a facility that would enable me attain my fitness goals. Therefore I was only concerned with those facilities that suited the attributes I was looking for. The other reason why I decided to settle for this gym facility is due to the fact that for a many years the facility has enjoyed good relations with the university fraternity as well the community in general. This is to say that the facility has become a brand which can be trusted. Stage 3: After a serious information search about available alternatives, it was time to make a choice against my preferences. As a student I wanted a gym facility that is cost effectives, has personal training facilities, clean and located in a secure environment near my home and college. Just as Nicholls et al. (2006) argues at this stage consumers like myself need to establish criteria for evaluation inters of what they want or what they don’t want. In my case I employed the attributes based approach. I wanted a gym that had certain pre-determined features. At this point I did not want a gym facility that has long term membership. I wanted a place which will allow me use their facilities for a while before I make that kind of commitment. He further argues that if the alternatives you have do not meet your personal preferences then as a buyer you may as well resume the search. For me after a careful consideration I settled for the SportUNE gym facility. My choice for this facility was based on its state of the art equipment and exemplary but affordable service. For instance, the gym has members whose level of fitness varies and each of them has facilities that suit them. Additional the weight machines are in good condition and well maintained for the safety of the users (SportUNE, n.d). The gym also boasts of a spacious cardio studio which is well equipped for people with different level of fitness. These include rowing machines and ascent trainers fitted with touch screen displays together with personal entertainment. The facility has other supportive services like a café, shop, wifi services which members may require (SportUNE, n.d). A good gym must have adequate stretching space especially if the members are many like in the case of sportUNE, and most importantly trained and qualified staff who offers personal training services. Stage 4: This stage is what Engel (1995) calls the purchase decision stage. At this stage the consumer makes the decision to settle for a certain commodity by thinking of available payment methods. The SportUNE gym facility offers different payment plans which serve different categories of clients; form beginners to professionals, students and the working class etc. For me it wasn’t a onetime purchase but rather I have come to adopt a repeated form of purchasing behavior. I keep making my monthly payments and will continue to do so as long as a member at this particular gym. For me the repeated purchase style suits me as a student because from the beginning I was opposed to the long term membership purchase which some subscribe to. And again one internal factor that affects consumer buying behavior is what schiffman et al. (2007) terms as learning. Learning may come through acquisition of knowledge or experience. After I joined the gym and interacted with the staff at sportUNE I was able to learn more about their services, how to achieve fitness goals in a stead manner plus a number of many other benefits about health and fitness that I wasn’t aware about. My training experience which at the beginning felt hard but with the encouragement from the staff and testimonies of those who came before me, made me to keep paying for my monthly fees. When designing products and services and the prerequisite marketing strategy, companies carry out market research so as to determine which factors influence the buying behaviours of the target customers. The sportUNE gym facility serves Australians from all walks of life. People who come here are of different ages, social class and thus their preferences differ. It is against this background that the facility has opted to have different payment plans for different packages of fitness packages. The segmentation of these services works well for many consumers. As a student and a dependent on my parents I won’t match the economic prowess of a university professor who would even prefer to have personalised fitness training. The gyms management realised that these factors that influence customer behaviour change over time. For instance there is a tendency of people to adopt different purchasing behaviour as they grow older or as they transcend from one social class to the other. The working class individuals would most likely prefer long term membership plan which say runs for three years. But as a student who is still depended on your parents you would most likely go for the monthly plans. Again as a fitness centre it is important to tailor the services to the customers’ reason for seeking the services. We have some people who join the gym because of medical reasons; some for fun and some are career people like the athletes. Stage 5: This is called the buying stage. For me since I was convinced about the choice I had made it just took me a week before making the actual payment. In any case the product was already available. I immediately joined the SportUNE gym thereafter. Since the sportUNE facility met most of the attributes I was looking for in a fitness facility I decided to have my sessions there. The fact that the gym has segmented its products to fit different types of clients even encouraged me to join it. I was sure there were products specifically designed for students. Stage six: This is what is referred to as the post purchase stage. As I aforementioned, I did not want a gym that had compulsory long term membership. This is because I wanted to maintain some autonomy on whether to stay or not depending on how I like their service. The SportUNE gym facility has monthly plans payment for students. After the first two weeks I was convinced that I would be taking my fitness classes their as long as am a student in that university. Some scholars like Neman (1972) argue that clients may be satisfied or dissatisfied with a particular product even after purchasing it. For me this particular facility exceeded my expectations. Conclusion In conclusion my journey of finding a perfect fitness facility was shaped by various internal factors such as perception, personality and learning. The decision to settle for the sportUNE gym was in many ways affected by both my personal preferences as well as the marketing strategies employed by the facility. As aforementioned finding a perfect gym that meets an individual needs and expectations is not a walk in the park. However through a rigorous information search and evaluation of alternatives I was able to find a health facility that has given a service beyond my expectation. Bibliography Arnold, J., et al., 1991. Work Psychology: Understanding human behaviour in the workplace. 2nd ed. ed. London: Pitman. Bagozzi, R., et al., 2002. The Social Psychology of Consumer Behaviour. Buckingham: Open University Press. Blackwell, R., et al., 2001. Consumer Behavior. 9th ed. Orlando: Harcourt. Engel, J., et al., 1995. Consumer Behavior. International ed. ed. Florida: Dryden. Eysenck, M., et al., 2000. Cognitive psychology: a student's handbook. 4th Ed. ed. London: Lawrence Erlbaum. Jacoby, J., 2002. Stimulus-Organism-Response Reconsidered: An Evolutionary Step in Modeling (Consumer) Behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 12, (1) 51-57. Neman, T., 1972. Book reveiw: The Theory of Buyer Behaviour. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36, (3) 488-489. Nicholls, A., et al., 2006. Purchase decision-making in fair trade and the ethcial purchase 'gap': 'Is there a fair trade twix?' Journal of Strategic Marketing, 14, (4) 369-386. Norman, P., et al., 1996. Predicting health-check attendance among prior attenders and non-attenders: the role of prior behavior in the theory of planned behavior. Journal of applied social psychology, 26, 1010-1026. Schiffman, L. G., et al., 2007. Consumer Behavior. 9th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Read More