A High Involvement Purchase

Introduction

In December of 2002, Nick decided to purchase his girlfriend, of two and a half, years an engagement ring that would symbolize his commitment and dedication to her. Nick and his girlfriend, Karen, met through work where they both were tellers at Wells Fargo Bank in Glendale, Arizona. Karen graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Economics and is currently working for DeWalt/Black and Decker in Florida. Nick plans on graduating from ASU in December with a degree in Finance. He will then pursue his career in Florida along with going to school for his MBA. Nick feels that "everyone should go to college, but the ultimate is obtaining an even higher degree".

When Nick went to purchase his engagement ring, he did not know what Karen liked, except for the fact that she wore silver. Nick knew that even though he did not know what kind of cut Karen liked, she would be happy with whichever he chose. He mentioned that it is not the diamond that matters, but the uniting of two people and the beginning of a new life together. Nick wanted to buy a ring that Karen would be proud to wear and that he would enjoy looking at on her finger. He purchased a beautiful one-carat princess cut diamond that is of good clarity and color. It has a platinum band with the diamond sitting in 14K white gold prongs. Nick flew to Florida to surprise Karen on Valentine's Day 2003 and proposed. As Nick had expected, Karen loved her engagement ring.

Demographic Profile

Nick grew up in Chicago for 17 years and then joined the Marines, which moved him to California and then to Yuma, Arizona. After Nick got an honorable discharge from the Marines, he attended community college and then chose ASU for his undergraduate studies. He goes to school full time and works an average of 35 hours per week. His salary is $32,000 a year, which supports his tuition, his living expenses, and his parents, as Nick grew up in a low-income family. Since Nick was 15 years old, he has always had to contribute to the family income.

Nick enjoys playing basketball, hiking, and working out, along with watching CNN, MSNBC, and Headline News. Nick enjoys traveling to new places and going on vacations. Nick and Karen have been to Peru, Scotland, and Chicago together. In Nick's free time, he enjoys watching movies, dancing, and going out with his close group of friends. When dining out, he enjoys Greek, Mexican, and Italian food. Nick's Greek culture strongly emphasizes a close family unit. He is extremely close with his parents and spends most of his weekends visiting them.

VALS II

To access the VALS survey, we went to http://www.sric-bi.com. Nick's primary VALS type is Maker, while his secondary type is Achiever. According to SRI Consulting Business Intelligence, "Makers are motivated by self-expression. They express themselves and experience the world by working on it and have enough skill and energy to carry out their projects successfully. Makers are practical people who have constructive skills and value self-sufficiency. They live within a traditional context of family, practical work, and physical recreation and have little interest in what lies outside that context. Makers are suspicious of new ideas and large institutions such as big business. They are respectful of government authority and organized labor, but resentful of government intrusion on individual rights. They are unimpressed by material possessions other than those with a practical or functional purpose. Because they prefer value to luxury, they buy basic products." According to SRI Consulting Business Intelligence, Achievers are "motivated by the desire for achievement. Achievers have goal-oriented lifestyles and a deep commitment to career and family. Their social lives reflect this focus and are structured around family, their place of worship, and work. Achievers live conventional lives, are politically conservative, and respect authority and the status quo. They value consensus, predictability, and stability over risk, intimacy, and self-discovery. With many wants and needs, Achievers are active in the consumer marketplace. Image is important to Achievers; they favor established, prestige products and services that demonstrate success to their peers. Because of their busy lives, they are often interested in a variety of time-saving devices." Examples that describe Nick as a Maker and an Achiever are described throughout our discussion.

Decision-Making and Purchase Process

There were a combination of many things that led to Nick's proposal to Karen. The two have been dating for two years, have successfully overcome obstacles within the relationship, and have come together on a spiritual level. When Karen planned and facilitated Nick's first surprise birthday party and flew out to Phoenix to surprise him, Nick realized then that she was the woman he wanted to marry.

Going into the purchase, Nick was excited and had a very positive attitude towards making the purchase. He had very little knowledge about jewelry, specifically diamonds. He took a friend with him who was more knowledgeable on the subject. Nick did a little investigating on the Internet for pricing guidelines, and also looked at other jewelers for price comparisons. Karen did not have much of an influence on the purchase itself. She knew that Nick wanted to marry her and he knew that she was serious about their relationship. He had no idea what kind of ring she expected, but knew that there was more to their relationship than just an engagement ring.

When considering the place to make the purchase, Nick did not look at any advertisements. He does not trust ads or commercials, but would rather see the store and its products in person. He recalls noticing a few ads before the purchase, but did not pay close attention to them because, as stated earlier, he would rather see the ring in person. In searching for the right product, Nick looked at the jewelry stores in a few select malls. Nick had shopped around in a non-aggressive manner for about two weeks before making his final purchase. In his search for a place to make the purchase, Nick recalled buying diamond earrings for Karen for Christmas and remembered the salesperson telling him that he could get a ring for zero-percent financing before the end of the year (2002). This factor alone brought him back to that same store. Helzberg Diamonds, where Nick bought the diamond earrings, had ads within the store notifying customers about the financing special. Nick took a few brochures and pamphlets home to read. Before purchasing the earrings, he had no idea about the special.

Nick earnestly considered three