In today’s consumer-oriented society the utmost concern of the marketers is to know the consumers’ decision-making process. Consumer decision making is a process describing how a consumer makes choices. There is a shortage of marketing scales in India and the scales developed in other countries are not necessarily appropriate for use in India. The purpose of this research is to construct a scale to assess the efficacy of consumer decision making. Based on the previous literature, a 19-item scale is constructed, and after checking the various psychometrics of the scale, the scale is reduced to nine items. This scale is constructed on five parameters: problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post-purchase behavior. Psychometrics of the scale is tested with the help of data collected over two rounds. Using analytical tools like Cronbach’s alpha, item to total correlation, t-test and exploratory factor analysis, the author concludes that the scale has desirable, reliable and valid properties and thus could be used by the aspiring researchers.

It is very important for marketers to analyze and observe the consumer decision-making process. It is important for them to analyze how consumers make decisions. Durvasula et al. (1993) state that profiling consumers’ decision-making styles helps advertisers and marketers to understand their shopping behavior. Marketers can use them to segment the consumers into various niches for product positioning.

According to Loudon and Bitta (2009), “Consumer behavior is the decision process and physical activity individuals engage in when evaluating, acquiring, using or disposing of goods and services.” Many authors (Karunakaran, 2009; Loudon and Bitta, 2009; Meenakshi and Kumar, 2009; Schiffman and Kanuk, 2009; and Solomon, 2009) have discussed the process, various levels, models, types, and importance of consumer decision making.

According to Solomon (2009), the major steps in the decision-making process are problem recognition (which includes need recognition and opportunity), information search (by which consumers survey the environment for appropriate data to make a reasonable decision), and evaluation of alternatives (searching rationally the consumers carefully identify every alternative before choosing the one they prefer). According to Loudon and Bitta (2009), the consumer decision process involves problem recognition, search and evaluation of purchasing processes and post-purchase behavior. Karunakaran (2009) and Meenakshi and Kumar (2009) state that consumer passes through five stages for their buying decision process: need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase decision.

Consumer Behavior, A Scale to Assess the Efficacy, Consumer Decision Making