In the consumer decision-making process, consumers typically develop a set of criteria during the evaluation of alternatives stage.

Where criteria are developed

  • After recognizing a need and searching for information, consumers move into evaluating different options that could satisfy that need.
  • In this evaluation of alternatives stage, they define and refine the criteria they will use to compare brands or products, such as price, quality, features, style, or reviews.

How this fits into the 5 stages

Most marketing and consumer-behavior models describe five main stages:

  1. Need/problem recognition
  2. Information search
  3. Evaluation of alternatives (criteria development happens here)
  4. Purchase decision
  5. Post-purchase evaluation

During stage 3, consumers apply their chosen criteria to shortlist and rank the options before moving on to the actual purchase decision.

Answer for your post title:
In the consumer decision-making process, the stage at which the consumer develops a set of criteria is the evaluation of alternatives stage.

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