| Course | GB534 Consumer Behavior |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 2 |
| Paper type | Consumer decision map |
| Length | About 700 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | MBA |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for GB534 Unit 2
Forty-One Days, Three Lanes and a Decision Made on Day 29: A Unit 2 Consumer Decision Map
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
GB534: Consumer Behavior
Unit 2 Consumer Decision Map
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The couple, their family, the stores and every date and price are composite and illustrative; the sources cited are real.
Page One: The Map
The map runs as a timeline from day 1 to day 41, with three lanes: the expectant parent who led the search, the partner, and everyone else who touched the decision. Stages sit above the timeline, events below it, each dated.
Need recognition, day 1. The expectant parent opens the registry checklist from a national baby store; "stroller" is the first item marked as essential.
Information search, days 2 to 20. Lead lane: reads three online reviews of full-size strollers on days 2 to 5 and watches folding videos on day 6. Partner lane: no activity until day 9. Others lane: on day 9, a store associate demonstrates four models at an Aurora store; on day 14, the expectant parent's sister recommends the model the sister had used, a full-size Front Range stroller.
Evaluation, days 15 to 29. Lead lane: narrows to three models on day 15 and compares price, weight and reviews. Partner lane: on day 26, tests whether each folded stroller fits the trunk of the family's sedan at the store, eliminating one model. Others lane: the sister answers questions by text on days 18 and 24.
Decision, day 29. Both: the $849 Front Range full-size stroller is chosen and added to the registry. A vertical line marks this day on the map.
Waiting, days 30 to 41. No one looks at another stroller. The couple waits for the registry's completion discount, which takes 15 percent off remaining items once the baby shower is over.
Purchase, day 41. The stroller is bought online for $721.65 after the discount and delivered three days later.
The decision was made on day 29; the purchase on day 41 was only a matter of waiting for a discount the couple already knew about.
Page Two: What the Map Shows
Two buyers, not one. The expectant parent led the search, but the partner's trunk test on day 26 removed a model the lead had favored. Hoyer et al. (2018) note that family purchases often involve different members at different stages, and a stroller brand that markets only to the expectant mother misses the partner's veto.
The sister mattered more than the reviews. Of all the information sources, the sister's recommendation on day 14 is the one that shaped the shortlist. Edelman (2010) describes the path to purchase as a loop in which recommendations from people the buyer trusts can add brands to consideration and remove others.
The store visit worked as a test, not a source. The day 9 demonstration gave the couple hands-on experience but no decision; the day 26 visit was a test of fit.
The quiet period is a risk and an opportunity. From day 29 the brand had won. But for twelve days a competitor with a better offer, or a disappointing review, could have reopened the decision. Bettman et al. (1998) show that preferences are built during the decision itself, which means a settled choice can still be unsettled by new information before the purchase is made.
Where the Brand Could Have Lost
Three moments on the map could have gone against Front Range. On day 6, a folding video showed a competitor's one-hand fold more clearly than Front Range's own video. On day 26, the trunk test could have eliminated Front Range instead of a rival, since its folded depth was only an inch from the limit. And during the twelve quiet days, a rival's holiday promotion reached the couple by email but was ignored because the choice was already made.
Implications for the Brand
Show the trunk fit, not only the fold, in store displays and online, since the partner's test was decisive. Give satisfied parents an easy way to share the stroller with expecting relatives. And reassure couples during the waiting period with registry reminders that confirm their choice.
References
Bettman, J. R., Luce, M. F., & Payne, J. W. (1998). Constructive consumer choice processes. Journal of Consumer Research, 25(3), 187-217. https://doi.org/10.1086/209535
Edelman, D. C. (2010). Branding in the digital age: You're spending your money in all the wrong places. Harvard Business Review, 88(12), 62-69.
Hoyer, W. D., MacInnis, D. J., & Pieters, R. (2018). Consumer behavior (7th ed.). Cengage.
The Purdue Global GB534 Unit 2 instructions
GB534 Unit 2 asks you to map one consumer decision from start to purchase. Lay the decision on a dated timeline with lanes for each person who took part, including anyone outside the household who shaped it, and mark the stages above the line and events below. Mark the point at which the decision was effectively made, if it came before the purchase. On a second page, explain what the map shows about who influenced the decision, which sources mattered, what role the store played and what risks or opportunities lie in any gap between decision and purchase. Close with implications for the brand. Keep it to about two pages, citing consumer behavior sources in APA 7.
Inside the GB534 Unit 2 example
Page one lists the stages and events by day and lane, from the registry checklist on day 1 through reviews, the day 9 demonstration, the sister's day 14 recommendation and the partner's day 26 trunk test to the day 29 decision and day 41 purchase, and the highlighted sentence separates decision from transaction. Page two explains that two buyers shared the choice, citing Hoyer, MacInnis and Pieters on family decisions, that the sister outweighed reviews, citing Edelman on recommendations, and that the store served as a test. Bettman and colleagues explain why the quiet period still carried risk. A section marks three moments the brand nearly lost, and three implications close it.
Where the points sit in the GB534 Unit 2 rubric
A strong GB534 decision map is credited for dates, lanes and a clearly marked decision point. A dated timeline earns early credit. Separate lanes for each participant show that the decision was shared. Marking the moment the decision was made, rather than the purchase date, carries significant weight. Explaining which sources actually changed the outcome shows analysis rather than listing. Identifying risks in the gap between decision and purchase shows strategic insight. Marking where the brand nearly lost turns the map into a diagnostic tool. Implications that follow from the map complete it. Hoyer and colleagues, Edelman on the digital path to purchase and Bettman and colleagues are cited in APA 7.
GB534 Unit 2 help from the desk
Many GB534 Unit 2 maps list stages in order without dates, so the reader cannot see where time was spent or where the decision closed. Others show only the buyer, leaving out the partner or relative who changed the outcome. A frequent gap is the quiet period: when a decision is made before the purchase, the days in between are a risk the brand should manage. Some writers end without implications. Date every event, give each participant a lane, mark the decision, explain which sources mattered, examine the gap before purchase, note near losses and draw implications. Reconstructing dates from order confirmations and messages keeps the map accurate.
Get a GB534 Unit 2 example written to your instructions
Pick the purchase for your Unit 2 map, with dates if you have them, and include the assignment sheet and rubric. The map returns drawn on a dated timeline with the stop marked and a short commentary beneath, in 24-48h, and the first one is free. Receipts or order emails help pin down the days. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
More GB534 papers and MBA samples
- GB534 Unit 1: Discussion Board Post
- GB534 Unit 3: Motivation Analysis
- GB534 Unit 4: Perception Study
- GB534 Unit 5: Attitude Measurement Exercise
- GB534 Unit 6: Seminar Reflection
- GB534 Unit 7: Consumer Interview Summary
- GB534 Unit 8: Reference Group Analysis
- GB534 Unit 9: Post-purchase Analysis
- GB534 Unit 10: Consumer Behavior Report
- GB533 Unit 2: Sales Force Structure Analysis
- GB532 Unit 2: Problem Definition Memo
- GB531 Unit 2: Advertising Objectives Memo
- GB530 Unit 2: Situation Analysis
GB534 Unit 2 questions, answered
Does the map have to be drawn, or can it be a table?
Most GB534 sections accept either, but a visual timeline usually shows the point where search stopped more clearly than rows of text. If your instructions name a format, follow it. Whichever you choose, dates or at least day counts make the difference between a map of a real purchase and a diagram of the textbook model.
What if I cannot remember exact dates?
Reconstruct them from records: order confirmations, browser history, messages and calendar entries all carry dates. Where a date is an estimate, mark it as one. Graders generally accept approximate timing when it is labeled honestly; what they resist is a tidy sequence that looks as if it was invented after the fact to fit the model.
Should the map include people other than the buyer?
Usually, yes, when others shaped the purchase. A partner, a relative or a salesperson who changed the course of search belongs on the map, often in a lane of their own. The unit asks where search stopped, and another person's remark or test is frequently the reason it stopped at that point rather than later.
Where can I find a free GB534 Unit 2 sample paper?
This page carries a full GB534 Unit 2 consumer decision map of a forty-one-day stroller purchase, with three lanes, a marked decision day, an explanation page and APA 7 references.
Why mark day 29 rather than the purchase day?
The couple chose the stroller on day 29 and only waited for a registry discount until day 41. Marking the decision shows when the brand actually won and when it was most at risk.