"Consumer buying behaviour in situations characterized by high consumer involvement in a purchase and significant perceived differences among brands" is termed as:

Correct option is A

Complex buying behaviour occurs when:

• Consumers face high involvement in the purchasing decision, typically because the product is expensive, infrequent, or highly significant (e.g., a car or a house).
• There are significant perceived differences between brands, requiring extensive research and evaluation by the buyer.
• Consumers gather detailed information about products, compare attributes, and evaluate alternatives before making a decision.

2. Dissonance-reducing buying behaviour: Occurs in high-involvement purchases but with few perceived differences between brands. Buyers may experience post-purchase dissonance (regret).
3. Habitual buying behaviour: Characterized by low involvement and little brand differentiation; buying decisions are routine (e.g., purchasing milk or bread).
4. Variety-seeking buying behaviour: Happens when involvement is low, but there are significant brand differences, leading consumers to switch brands for variety or experimentation.

Thus, the behavior described matches Complex Buying Behaviour.

Information Booster:

Key Factors in Complex Buying Behaviour:

1. High Involvement: Consumers invest time and effort due to the importance of the purchase.
2. Significant Brand Differences: Clear distinctions between product features, quality, or price make comparisons necessary.
3. Consumer Process: Includes extensive problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, and post-purchase evaluation.

Additional Knowledge:

1. Option B (Dissonance-reducing buying behaviour): Incorrect because it applies to situations with few brand differences, unlike the given scenario.
2. Option C (Habitual buying behaviour): Incorrect because habitual buying involves low involvement and minimal decision-making effort.
3. Option D (Variety-seeking buying behaviour): Incorrect because variety-seeking occurs in low-involvement purchases with frequent brand-switching.

Complex buying behaviour is crucial for industries dealing with expensive, high-stakes, or differentiated products.