Perception

The process of developing an interpretation of a stimulus, or, in other 

words, deciding what a stimulus means.It is perhaps the most crucial process in 

customer behavior for two reasons: 

What customers perceive is what affects their actions

What is perceived is not necessarily what is "true"

! Perception is constructive; people construct interpretations on the fly. 

The meanings are constructed as needed and are based upon two major factors: 

• The "actual" stimulus or event : Exposure and Attention (what is salient)
• Our prior expectations and what we know (perceptual interpretation)