Perception It is believed that successful services deliver responsiveness, empathy, assurance and reliability.

In fact services are all about relationships. The study of consumers helps firms and organizations to improve their marketing strategies by understanding issues such as psychology of how consumers think, feel, etc.The psychology of how consumer is influenced by his or environment, how marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and marketing strategies to more effectively reach consumer etc. consumer is the most important visitor in our premises, he is not depended on us, we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption on our work; he is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider to our business he is a part of it. Consumer behaviour is the process by which individuals select, and interpret stimuli into a coherent picture of the world. Individuals act and react on their basis of perceptions, no on the basis of objective reality, for each individual reality is a totally personal phenomenon, based on that persons needs, wants values and personal experiences. Thus to the marketer, consumer perceptions are much important than their knowledge of objective reality. It is important that marketers understand the whole notion of perception and its related concepts to more reality to determine what factors influences to buy. Elements of Perception Perception is defined as the process by which an individual selects, organises and interprets stimuli into a meaningful and coherent picture of the world. It can be described as how we can see the world around us .Two individuals may be exposed to the same stimuli under the same apparent conditions, but how each person recognises, selects, organises and interprets these stimuli is a highly individual process based on each persons owns ,values and expectations. Sensation Sensation is the immediate and direct response of the sensory organs to stimuli. A stimulus is any unit of input to any of the senses. Example of stimuli (ie.sensory input) includes products, packages brand names, advertisements and commercials. Sensory

receptors are the human organs (the syes, ears, nose, mouth and skin) these receive sensory inputs. These sensory functions are to see, hear, smell, taste and feel. Human sensitivity refers to the experience of sensation. Sensitivity to stimuli varies with the quality of an individuals sensory receptors (eg: eye sight or hearing) and the amount (or intensity) of the stimuli to which he or she is exposed. As sensory input decreases, however our ability to detect changes in input or intensity increases, to the point we attain maximum sensitivity under the conditions of minimal situation. The Absolute Threshold The lowest level at which an individual can experience a sensation is called the absolute threshold. The point at which a person can detect a difference between something and nothing is that persons absolute threshold for stimulus. To illustrate, the distance at which a driver can note a specific billboard on a highway is that individuals absolute threshold. We often speak of getting used to a hot bath, a cold shower or the bright sun. As our exposure to the stimulus increases, we notice it less. The Differential Threshold The minimal difference that can be detected between two stimuli is called the differential threshold, or the just noticeable difference (j.n.d) .German scientist named Ernst Webber discovered that j.n.d between two stimuli was not an absolute amount ,but an amount relative to the intensity of the first stimulus. Webbers law as it came to be known, states that the stronger the initial stimulus, the greater the additional intensity needed for the second stimulus to be perceived as different. According to Webbers law, an additional level of stimulus equivalent to the j.n.d must be added for the majority of people to perceive a difference between the resulting stimulus and the initial stimulus. Marketing applications of the J.N.D Webbers law has important applications in marketing. Manufacturers and marketers endeavor to determine the relevant j.n.d for their products for two very different reasons (1) so that negative changes (eg: reductions in product size or quality or increases in product price) are not readily discernible to the public (they remain below the j.n.d) and (2) so that the product improvements (such as improved or adapted packaging, larger size or lower price) are very apparent to consumers with out being wastefully extravagant (ie:

they are at or just above the j.n.d.). When it comes to product improvements marketers very much want or exceed the consumers differential threshold that is they want consumers to readily perceive any improvements made in the original product. Marketers use the j.n.d to determine the amount of improvement they should make in their products. Less than the j.n.d is wasteful because it reduces the level of repeat sales. Marketers often wanted to update their existing package without losing the ready recognition of consumers who have been exposed to years of cumulative advertising impact. In such cases, they usually make a number of small changes each carefully designed to fall below the j.n.d, so that consumers will perceive minimal difference between succeeding versions. Subliminal Perception People are also stimulated below their level of conscious awareness that is they can perceive stimuli without being consciously aware that they too week or too brief to be perceived by one or more receptor cells. This process is called subliminal perception because the stimulus is beneath the threshold or limen of conscious awareness through obviously not beneath the absolute threshold of the receptor involved. Since the 1950s there have been sporadic reports of marketers using subliminal messages in their efforts to influence consumption behaviour .At times it has been difficult to separate truth from fiction regarding such alleged manipulations. When some of the subliminal methods were tested methodically using scientific research procedures, the research results did not support the notion that subliminal measures can persuade consumers to act in a given manner. Attitude Change Attitudes are not carved in stone, indeed, they are often rather sickle. Because of their dynamic, nature attitudes should not be taken for granted .Favourable product attitudes if neglected may gradually erode to a less favourable state, just like the nature of a long forgotten acquaintance indeed both positive & negative attitudes may become more neutral simply because of the passage of time .Attitude persistence represents an attitudes immunity to such corrosion .Often however attitudes changes because we encounter something that warrants their revision8 changing consumer attitudes is a frequent business

objective .converting non users into product users may require an attitude adjustment. Perception playa an important role here. Marketing Stimuli and Consumer Perceptions The two most important types of stimuli influencing consumer behaviour are marketing and environmental (social and cultural influences) .Marketing stimuli are any communicatory or physical stimuli designed to influence consumers. The product and its components (Packages, contents, physical (or intrinsic) stimuli communications designed to influence consumer behaviour are secondary (or extrinsic) stimuli that represent the product either through words, pictures & symbolism or through other stimuli associated with the product (price, store in which it was purchased, effect of the sales person) To survive in a competitive market manufactures must constantly expose consumers to secondary marketing stimuli. The key requirement in communicating secondary stimuli to consumers is the development of a product concept .A product concept is a bundle of product benefits that can be directed to the needs of a defined group of consumers through messages symbolism stimuli into a coordinated product position that can be communicated to consumers .Two key factors determine which stimuli consumer perceive and how they interpret them.1) The characteristics of the stimulus and 2) the consumers ability to perceive the stimulus. These two influences interact in a determining consumer Perception. Perceptual Selection Having described the nature of stimuli and the factors that affect stimulus perception, we can now turn to describing the process of perception. The steps in perceptional process Selection, Organisation, and Interpretation are shown in the figure 1:1. Selection Exposure Attention Figure 1:1. Organisation Categorization Interpretation Inference

The first component of perception is selection .For perceptual selection to occur the consumer must first see or hear the stimulus and then respond to it .Three process define such selection ,exposure ,attention and selective perception. Exposure Occurs when consumers sense (sight, sound, touch, smell) are activated by a stimulus. Consumers pick and choose the stimuli they are exposed to Eg: A consumer in the market for a new car is more likely to look for car ads. Attention Is the momentary focusing of a consumers cognitive capacity on a specific stimulus when consumers notice a TV ad a new product on a shelf or a car in a show room attention has taken place .Sensory factors can also increase consumers attention. for example sound such as the use of a jingle voice-overs of famous people in a commercial or smells such as scratch and sniff print ads for perfume. Selective Perception Means that two consumers may perceive the identical advertisement package or product very differently .Selective and attention occur because peoples beliefs influence what they choose to listen or read .Selective organization occurs because people organize information to be consistent with their beliefs. Perceptual organisation People do not experience the numerous stimuli they select from the environment as separate and discrete sensations rather they tend to organize then into groups and perceive them as unified wholes. Three of the most important principles of perceptual organizations are Figure and Ground, Grouping and Closure. Figure and Ground Stimuli that contrast with their environment are more likely to be noticed .A sound must be louder or softer , a color , brighter or platter .The simplest visual illustration consists of a figure on a ground (background) .The figure is perceived more clearly because in contrast to its ground ,it appears to be well defined solid and in the forefront. The ground is usually perceived as indefinite, lazy and continuous .The common live that separates the figure and the ground is generally attributed to the figure rather than to the ground which helps give the figure greater definition. .People has a tendency to organize their perceptions into figure and ground relationships. Advertisers have to plan their

advertisements carefully to make sure that the stimulus they want noted is seen as figure not as ground. Grouping Individuals tend to group stimuli so that they form a unified picture or impression .The perception of stimuli as groups or chunks of information rather than as discrete bits of information , facilitates them memory and recall. Grouping can be used advantageously by marketers to imply certain desired meanings in connection with their products .For example an advertisement for tea may show a young man and woman sipping tea in a beautifully appointed room before a blazing hearth. The overall mood implied by the grouping of stimuli leads the consumer to associate the drinking of tea with romance for living and winter warmth. Closure Individuals have a need for closure; they express this need by organizing their perceptions so that they form a complete picture. If the pattern of stimuli to which they are expressed is incomplete they tend to perceive that is they consciously or sub consciously fill in the missing pieces. Thus a circle with a section of its periphery missing is invariably perceived as a circle not an arc. Incomplete messages or tasks are better remembered than completed ones. One explanation for this phenomenon is that a person who hears the beginning of a message or who buying a task develops a need to complete it. If he or she is prevented from doing so, a state of tension is created that manifests itself in improved memory for the incomplete task. For example hearing the beginning of a message leads to the need to hear the rest of it, like waiting for the second shoe to drop Consumer perception is dynamic because the thinking feelings and actions of individual consumers and actions targeted consumer, groups and society at large are constantly changing
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.the fact that consumers and their environment s are constantly changing

highlights the importance of ongoing consumer research and analysis by marketers to keep abreast of important trends. The dynamic nature of consumer of marketing strategies an exciting yet difficult task. Thus marketers mean to understand what products and brands means to consumers what consumers must do to purchase and consumption. The more marketers know how about these interactions influence individual consumers,

target markets and society at large, the better they can satisfy consumer needs and wants and create value for them.