In past decades consumer satisfaction has not been an intense focus of consumer behaviour research. Once products were purchased, producers adopted an 'out of sight, out of mind' approach to marketing. In the recent post-decision period, a whole new field of consumer behaviour science has opened up investigating such things as consumer decision-making dissonance and product disposal. A keen understanding of consumer satisfaction has become increasingly important as businesses take into consideration such factors as client loyalty and word-of-mouth exposure. Customer satisfaction itself is affected by two important factors. The first is the topic of what the consumer expects from the product or service. The second is the characteristics of the attribution, which the consumer attaches to the performance of the product or service. These two factors shape and establish whether or not a consumer is satisfied with a purchase decision. A close study of consumer satisfaction can allow companies to better shape expectations and exploit the attribution theory to their advantage, or to better create their products to increase customer satisfaction.
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
English: Customer satisfaction rating scale
English: A business ideally is continually seeking...It is important for producers to pay close attention to consumer satisfaction because it can be closely linked to such factors as the return of the product, boycotting of the retailer, the taking of legal action, or negative word-of-mouth. If post-decision satisfaction is clearly examined, streamlined and coordinated with the actual product or service offered, the outcome can be beneficial to both the consumer and the producer. The Ministry of Tourism in New Zealand has clearly demonstrated how, by careful examination of expectations of travelers to New Zealand, and the realities of travel to New Zealand, one can potentially reduce consumer dissatisfaction and benefit all parties involved.
Ultimately the satisfaction consumers enjoy is influenced by two factors: expectations and attribution. Expectations themselves exist on many levels and it...