| Course | MKT 435 Consumer Behavior (MKT/435) |
|---|---|
| Week | 1 |
| Paper type | Consumer decision process analysis |
| Length | about 1,015 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | BS in Business |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MKT 435 Week 1
Six Weeks From Curiosity to Checkout: The Consumer Decision Process for a $1,499 Home Rowing Machine
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
MKT/435: Consumer Behavior
Week 1 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Lumen Row and all research figures are composites written for a model paper.
Lumen Row, a composite company founded in Denver in 2018, sells a connected rowing machine for $1,499 plus a $39 monthly membership for live and recorded classes. It sells mainly through its website, with showroom space in two fitness retailers. Sales totaled about $28 million in the most recent year, though growth has cooled as home fitness demand settled after the pandemic surge. Website data show that many visitors show strong interest but never buy. A rowing machine is not an impulse purchase; it is a decision about money, space in the home and the kind of person the buyer hopes to become. This paper analyzes how consumers decide to buy one.
Involvement
Zaichkowsky (1985) developed a measure of involvement as a person's perceived relevance of an object based on needs, values and interests. High-involvement purchases lead to more extensive search and evaluation. A $1,499 rowing machine with a monthly fee is high involvement: it costs a lot, it is visible in the home and it relates to health and self-image.
Constructed Preferences
Bettman et al. (1998) argued that consumers often do not have stable, well-defined preferences but construct them during the decision, using different strategies depending on the task and context. Many Lumen Row buyers start without clear criteria and develop them as they learn, deciding along the way that quiet operation or class variety matters most.
Stage One: Need Recognition
Need recognition occurs when a person sees a gap between their current and desired state. A survey of 700 recent buyers found common triggers: a doctor's advice or health concern, a gym closing or becoming inconvenient, a friend's enthusiasm and a desire for low-impact exercise after injury. Marketing can prompt recognition but cannot create a need that does not exist.
Who the Buyers Are
The buyer survey shows a different customer from the young gym enthusiast many people picture. The median buyer is 46 years old, and about 55% are women. Most own homes with a spare room or garage, and many cite joint pain or past injuries as a reason to prefer rowing over running. About a third bought after a spouse or partner tried the machine at a showroom. These traits shape every stage: older, careful buyers research more, value quiet operation and ask more questions about returns.
Stage Two: Information Search
Buyers searched for an average of six weeks. Sources included online reviews, video reviews, friends, social media groups and the brand's website. Most compared rowing machines with exercise bikes and treadmills before narrowing to rowers. Many visited a showroom to try the machine.
Stage Three: Evaluating Alternatives
Buyers compared Lumen Row with two connected rowers and several lower-cost, non-connected machines. Criteria included price, total monthly cost, class quality, noise, footprint and build quality. Many created spreadsheets.
Emotions in Evaluation
Evaluation is not purely rational. Interviews with 20 buyers revealed worries about wasting money on equipment that becomes a clothes rack, a common joke among friends. Buyers also pictured themselves using the machine, and those who could imagine a routine, such as rowing before work, were more confident. Marketing that helps people picture realistic use, rather than showing elite athletes, may reduce this anxiety.
Too Much Choice
Iyengar and Lepper (2000) found in field and lab experiments that people offered a large set of options were less likely to choose and less satisfied with their choice than those offered a small set. Lumen Row's website offers three machine bundles, four membership levels and many accessories. Website data show that 38% of visitors who reached the comparison page left without adding anything to the cart.
Stage Four: Purchase
At purchase, buyers weigh financing, delivery time and return policies. Cart abandonment is high when shipping costs appear late. Financing at zero interest over 12 months raises conversion, according to the company's data.
Stage Five: Post-Purchase Behavior
After delivery, some buyers feel doubt about the cost or worry they will not use the machine. Returns within 30 days run about 6%, often from buyers who never completed onboarding. Satisfied buyers post reviews and recommend the product.
Where Buyers Drop Out
The biggest losses occur at evaluation, from comparison overload, and at purchase, from surprise costs. A smaller loss occurs after purchase, from returns.
Recommendations: Need Recognition
Content on low-impact exercise and stories from buyers who started after injuries can help people recognize needs that rowing fits.
Recommendations: Search
Partnering with trusted reviewers and providing detailed videos on noise and setup answers common questions. Showroom staff will be trained to explain differences honestly.
Recommendations: Evaluation
A simple quiz will recommend one bundle and one membership based on goals and space, reducing choice overload. A comparison chart will show total cost over two years against competitors.
Recommendations: Purchase
Shipping costs will appear on the product page. Financing will be shown clearly, and a 30-day home trial with free return pickup will lower risk.
Recommendations: Post-Purchase
New owners will receive onboarding emails, a call from a coach and a beginner program. Early engagement should reduce returns.
Role of Others
Others shape decisions at several stages. Friends and coworkers trigger needs, online communities supply information and partners often share in the final choice because the machine will occupy shared space and the monthly fee comes from a household budget. Lumen Row's showroom data show that couples who try the machine together buy at nearly twice the rate of individuals.
Loops and Exceptions
Not every buyer moves in order. Some recognize the need and buy within days after trying a friend's machine. Others search for months and loop back to evaluation when a new competitor appears.
Measuring Progress
The company will track visitors who reach the cart, abandoned carts, returns and onboarding completion.
Conclusion
Buying a Lumen Row is a high-involvement decision that unfolds over weeks. Research on involvement, constructed preferences and choice overload explains why buyers struggle at evaluation. Simplifying choice, showing costs early, offering a trial and supporting new owners can help more buyers complete the process and stay satisfied.
References
Bettman, J. R., Luce, M. F., & Payne, J. W. (1998). Constructive consumer choice processes. Journal of Consumer Research, 25(3), 187-217. https://doi.org/10.1086/209535
Iyengar, S. S., & Lepper, M. R. (2000). When choice is demotivating: Can one desire too much of a good thing? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(6), 995-1006. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.79.6.995
Zaichkowsky, J. L. (1985). Measuring the involvement construct. Journal of Consumer Research, 12(3), 341-352. https://doi.org/10.1086/208520
What the MKT 435 Week 1 instructions ask
The first MKT 435 assignment usually asks students to explain the consumer decision process and apply it to a product or brand. Common requirements include describing the stages of need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase and post-purchase behavior, explaining how involvement affects the process, identifying influences at each stage and recommending marketing actions. Some prompts ask students to compare a routine purchase with a complex one. Use consumer research to explain behavior, apply each stage to a specific product and cite sources in APA format. Add a table pairing each stage with a marketing action. Use data or examples that show real buyer behavior, because generic descriptions of the stages earn little credit.
How this MKT 435 Week 1 example is built
Buying a $1,499 rowing machine is a high-involvement decision that can take weeks, and the paper follows buyers of a Denver brand through it. Needs begin with a health scare, a gym closing or a friend's recommendation. Search spans reviews, videos and comparisons with bikes and treadmills. Research on involvement and on how preferences form during choice explains why buyers build criteria as they go. Data show many shoppers stall at evaluation, overwhelmed by options. The paper recommends a comparison tool, a 30-day home trial, financing and onboarding to reduce post-purchase doubt, with measures for each stage and a note that some buyers skip or repeat steps.
MKT 435 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go
Strong decision process papers apply each stage to a specific product with evidence and turn the analysis into marketing actions. Instructors credit accurate descriptions of the stages, attention to involvement, use of consumer research, identification of where buyers struggle or drop out and stage-specific recommendations. Papers that recognize that real decisions are not always linear show sophistication. Reviewers look for data or realistic examples, scholarly sources and clear links between behavior and marketing. Thoughtful use of company data, such as abandonment or return rates, strengthens the argument. A table that pairs each stage with buyer behavior and a marketing action helps readers, along with organized headings and correct citations in APA style.
MKT 435 Week 1 help: mistakes to avoid
Students often describe the five stages without applying them. Use a specific product and real buyer behavior. Another frequent gap is ignoring involvement; a pack of gum and a rowing machine follow very different paths. Students also stop at purchase. Post-purchase feelings drive returns, reviews and repeat business. Identify where buyers drop out and why. Use research rather than assumptions. Recommend actions for each stage. Note that buyers may loop back to earlier stages when something new appears. Keep recommendations realistic for the company's size and budget. Finally, explain how the company will measure whether changes improve the decision process, such as fewer abandoned carts or returns.
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MKT 435 Week 1 questions, answered
What does MKT 435 Week 1 usually cover?
It usually covers the consumer decision process: need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase and post-purchase behavior, along with involvement and influences at each stage.
Where can I find a free MKT 435 Week 1 sample paper?
The decision process analysis for a home rowing machine appears above with margin notes, and writers can prepare one for the product you are studying.
What are the stages of the consumer decision process?
Need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post-purchase evaluation.
What is consumer involvement?
The personal relevance or importance a purchase has for a consumer, which affects how much effort they put into searching and evaluating options.
What is post-purchase dissonance?
Doubt or discomfort after a purchase about whether the right choice was made, common with expensive or important purchases.
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