Business

In the past, decisions pertaining to going on a holiday were taking an approach that was more systematic. The case study presented argues that planning for a holiday entails more than just taking several steps. Originally, there has been a belief that making a decision to go for a holiday or the commencement of a holiday whereby purchases are made starts with a decision or choice to buy, for this situation or case, embarking on holiday. However, this perception has changed marking a major difference between traditional thoughts and modern thoughts pertaining to making of decisions and choices of going for a holiday. Today, the process of making decisions on going for a holiday is affected by various external factors. In the traditional view, the external factors for example customers emotions are not considered as being vital during decision making process. The process of decision making is both rational driven and emotional driven. Individuals usually make decisions depending on their impulse as well as the level of emotional attachment towards the ideas in question. For example, the destination of a holiday may hold great sentimental value to an individual planning for the holiday and a lot of awareness would thus be given to the designated destination (Decrop  Snelders, 2005). This entails more than an information processes series and it contradicts the arguments of traditional view. Despite the fact that choices may be emotive or impulse based, this process has some elements of processes of information. Actualising the notion of a holiday or making such an idea a reality takes a sequential rationalism form based on organisation and planning. Also, a number of back up plans are formulated while going for a holiday. The most fundamental form of back up plans is the contingency plans which are made or formulated to cover for unforeseeable circumstances (Solomon, 2006).

The variety of options available to a consumer is another aspect or characteristic of holiday decision making. According to the traditional views, the decision making process is termed as a course of action that aims at satisfying the desires and needs of an individual. However, it is impossible for an individual to plan for or even make decisions relating to something that one knows nothing about. Prior to choosing a holiday, an individual undergoes a process subconsciously. Around the world, there are a number of holiday offers and not all people could be aware of them while the awareness set tends to be great. After gaining holiday awareness, a person considers several sets of holidays, a process known as the consideration set. Consideration set refers to the set through which different companies market their products to create awareness and their marketing mix is aimed as such a direction. After considering the general holiday type one wants to engage in, a choice set is created. This entails the weighing of last few holidays while considering the pros and cons of each of them. A chosen set refers to the decisions made to embark on a specific holiday. The above process are undertaken prior to making any decisions pertaining to a holiday, an aspect not considered in the traditional view of decision making process (Decrop  Snelders, 2005).
Comparison of the process of information search described with consumers search process that may be followed for a particular category of product for example a perfume or a household appliance

Information search process (IPS) is an ongoing process since collection of information takes place from the minute a person decides to go for a holiday, through the process of booking for that holiday and even after the holiday is already over. Unlike in other items, the information search process for going on a holiday is not as sequential or straight forward as compared to that of other services and products. This discrepancy exists due to the various external factors that influence information being looked for. For example, holiday prices fluctuate throughout the year. Due to such factors, search process tends to be less intensive as many people assume. Mostly, holiday makers rarely make in-depth plans for their holidays thus leaving a discovery and mystery sense (Pizam  Mansfeld, 1999).

While making a decision of purchasing a piece of clothing, IPS would differ from that of a holiday decisions due to a number of reasons. Holidays assume a temporary service that may last for one day or a number of weeks but clothing takes a permanent stance with its lifespan ranging from one year to several years. As such, while purchasing cloths, a consumer must engage some thoughts and also he must have some information concerning some specific type of information (Decrop  Snelders, 2005). This may include the clothes size, price, brand, colour, and preferences of washing. While purchasing clothes, ISP also may be influenced by fashion trends meaning that those on fashion at any particular moment have higher marketability and the likelihood of customers purchasing them is higher if they are in line with their preference. One of the most powerful ways of increasing information search for items such as clothes is word of mouth. However, this usually have little effects while making decisions on holidays. Despite the differences, some similarities exist between buying clothes ISP and holiday ISP. Just like in holiday, the notion of purchasing clothes is at times driven by impulses or emotions. It can also be a mode of satisfying the needs of a person. For some instances preference is unexpected. This occurs when one makes cognitive decisions for on spot purchases (Perner, n. d).

Implications of findings of the above case to managers engaged in promoting and marketing holidays

One implication of the presented case study is that it illustrates the complex and vast nature of decision making process relating to holidays. From the case, we can conclude that holiday decision making entails a mix between cognitive or rational process and impulse or emotional decisions. I think managers while marketing holidays should employ a holistic approach so as to impress a large number of possible customers. I also think that manages should offer unique selling point for holidays to ensure that they differentiate them from other offered holidays and also to create awareness to potential consumers. A reward system or some kind of discount should be given to return holiday makers mostly because holiday decisions commences following the ending of a previous holiday. Giving rewards and incentives would entice consumers to visit that particular place for another time. Emotional marketing should be employed in advertising or creating awareness on holidays as arousing emotions have a tremendous effect on holiday decision making process.