Level of Involvement
This article covers meaning, types, factors & example of Level of Involvement from marketing perspective.
What is Level of Involvement?
Level of involvement is the degree of information processing and the amount of importance a consumer attaches to a product while purchasing it. In other words, it shows how involved the customer is towards a product personally, socially and economically. Usually, affordable products have a low level of involvement, whereas for a premium purchase a customer gets more involved in the purchase process.
Types of Level of Involvement
There are two types of involvement, which are described as below.
High Involvement
Usually these products involve a high level of risk and are most probably expensive. Examples of high involvement products are car, diamonds, house, etc. For example, when a consumer is buying a car, he will research about the various models, different specifications, etc. of all the cars that fall in his budget before making a decision. This is because there is a high risk involved as he is spending a lot of money on the good.
Low Involvement
Usually, these products involve a low level of risk or no risk and are inexpensive most of the times. Most of the times, consumers buy these products automatically. Examples of low involvement products are matchbox, toothpaste, snacks, etc. For example, when a consumer buys a matchbox, he just picks up any matchbox that he sees in the store. Here, the purchase is automatic. When a consumer buys toothpaste, every brand has the same utility except for the preference of the consumer. Here, there is no risk involved even if he buys toothpaste which is not his preferred brand.
Level of Involvement Factors
Some of the factors influencing the level of customer involvement are mentioned below.
1. Personal factors: Needs, importance, interest, values
2. Object factors: Differentiation of alternatives, source of communication, content of communication
3. Situational factors: Purchase, use, occasion
Similarly, factors affecting level of involvement are as follows.
1. Moderating factors: Opportunity to process, ability to process. If both are high, it is a high involvement purchase, else low involvement
2. Involvement variables: Person, stimulus, situation.
3. Involvement properties: Intensity, direction, persistence
4. Response factors: Search, information processing, decision or persuasion
Sometimes depending on various factors, the same product can be high involvement or low involvement.
Example of Level of Involvement
A few examples of different types of products or services where are customer is involved are as below.
1. Consider purified water as a product. When a person is thirsty, he goes to the nearest store and buys a bottle of water, which is low involvement. The same person wants to buy a water purifier for his house. He would do a proper online research, take reviews from his friends and family, and weigh various pros and cons before making a decision, and hence it is high involvement.
2. A customer buying a toothpaste is lesser involved with the product buying decision as compared to a person looking to buy a new smartphone.
Hence, this concludes the definition of Level of Involvement along with its overview.
Browse the definition and meaning of more similar terms. The Management Dictionary covers over 1800 business concepts from 5 categories.
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