E-Marketing and Food Selection

Online marketing has grown over the past years.  The availability of information is 24/7, and it has created a society of information – unless you don’t have internet.  Nowadays, information can be at the palm of your hands with mobile devices.  Social media has changed our buying behaviors throughout the years.

But how does the buying process occur?

According to Miyazaki, the process is done in 3 steps:

• Need/Desire Recognition:  the consumer has to recognize the need
• Need/Desire Development: once the “need” is recognized, we have to develop it so we know what to buy – gathering information in order to evaluate the options available
• Need/Desire Fulfillment: when information has been evaluated, we decide as a consumer we make our purchase, and sometimes provide a post usage evaluation – which will eventually influence on future buyers

Let’s see for example the Yelp website, I am a user and a member of the site.  When I look for a new restaurant this is the first website I go to – the desire is there.  Why do I go to Yelp? Because there is information available about other customers experiences, as we would say there are tons of exchanges between the business and the customers.  And off I go in the search for a good restaurant, by location, cuisine, service, etc.  – this is the information gathering.  And after all that information gathering now comes the part of the fulfillment in which I have decided which establishment I chose as a nice restaurant and it is up to me to go and make an exchange with the restaurant.  I will pay for the food and they will provide service, food, all in essence they would provide an experience for me.  After my experience with the restaurant I will write about it on Yelp.  How is this not being an influence on future customers?  As customers we have become more informed and aware of information.  Customers are more to trust a friend than straight from the company’s website – it’s just the nature of it.  Customers tend to believe that products sell better when it’s coming from a trustworthy source – in this case coming from the members of the Yelp website.

We are bombarded with lots of information everywhere.  By reading and getting informed through social media, the buying decision could convert into revenue to the establishments.  According to a study made by The Boston Consulting Group they state, digital content and online-advertising are still struggling to find ways to effectively service the advertising needs of small businesses.  If small business owners are not fully aware of the digital marketing, then the articles suggests that only the big companies are managing their e-marketing resources.  It’s the amount of information that is available and if the source is a reliable one.

Another finding of the same study stated that small business owners learn that the economic impact Yelp has on small businesses is on average $8,000 on revenue yearly.  Yelp uses “word of mouth” marketing tactic to spread the word about a product/service being good or bad.  And probably this is what exactly social media marketers want consumers to do, express their opinions on a certain product.  It is up to you to decide whether you will buy it or not.  

But to what extent would the government would regulate the e-marketing?  I don’t think the government on limiting the role of e-marketing.  It would go against the freedom of speech, and so forth.  More people have turned into online shoppers.  If the government were to regulate, it would mean a manipulation of information to the society – which is something that would not be seen well.  As Bernadette Tracy, a research expert says: The internet has become the mall of the America.  If the government were to regulate it, I think it would have economic implications in the long run.

Other Sources:

Miyazaki, Anthony. 2013. Where is E-Marketing in the Buying Decision Process?

Tracy, Bernadette. 2000. People shop online for convenience not price.