E-Marketing Professionals

The adoption process is the mental and behavioral procedure an individual consumer goes through when learning about and purchasing a new product. The process consists of these stages:
1. Knowledge: A person learns of a product's existence and gains some understanding of how it functions.
2. Persuasion: A person forms a favorable or unfavorable attitude about a product.
3. Decision: A person engages in actions that lead to a choice to adopt or reject a product.
4. Implementation: A person uses a product.
5. Confirmation: A person seeks reinforcement and may reverse a decision if exposed to conflicting messages.
The rate (speed) of adoption depends on consumer traits, the product, and the firm's marketing effort. Adoption will be faster if consumers have high discretionary income and are willing to try new offerings; the product presents little physical, social, or financial risk; the product has an advantage over other items already on the market; the product is a modification of an existing idea and not a major innovation; the product is compatible with current consumer life-styles; the attributes of the product can be easily communicated; the importance of the product is low; the product can be tried in small quantities; mass advertising and distribution are used; the product is consumed quickly; or the product is easy to use.