Need recognition

The first stage of the buyer decision process in which the consumer recognizes a problem or need. Consumers recognize a need when there is a disparity between their current state and some desired end state. This disparity creates tension and arouses a motivation to act i.e., to go for purchase. Among consumers, there may be two different need recognition styles. Some consumers are actual state types, who perceive that they have a problem when a present product fails to perform satisfactorily. In contrast, other consumers are desired state types, for whom the desire for something new may trigger the decision process.