Entrepreneurial Selling
10 Reasons People Buy
Written by Jay Shapiro for Gaebler Ventures
There are many reasons people buy the things they do. If you're selling something, you need to know what those reasons are.
Herewith, 10 reasons people buy. There are, of course, many more, but these are ten of the main ones.
If you sell anything at all, you need to understand the mindset of your customer. These 10 tips will help:
1. Basics
We shop for food because we need to eat. We'd starve if didn't. We pay for water services because without water we'd die. Buying that is driven by basic needs might include things like heating and somewhere to live. Clothing also fits into this bracket but it also evolves into more than just need, but we'll cover that later.
2. It's Convenient
When we want something now we want something now. Ease purchasing often means the buyer will pay over the top because they can have the item now. E.g.: If your car is getting low on gas you'll buy at the nearest station, even if it is more expensive than the one down the highway. Maybe we need a next day delivery item for a birthday we nearly overlooked. Paying extra doesn't worry us, we want the item pronto to save our skin so we don't mind paying over the top.
3. The Need to Replace
Your old TV set has finally died. You need to replace. Shoes wear out. Clothes slip out of fashion. Your house is too small for your growing family.
4. Rarity and Limited Time
People respond to the idea that something might not always be available with a form of panic. Offers that last a limited amount of time play on this. Limited editions of items work on the same premise. With antiques there's the feeling (or even the dread) that one of these might not ever come your way again.
5. Status and/or ambition-based purchasing
A top of the range car is a status purchase. It can also be an ambition based purchase if the purchaser aspires to the luxury lifestyle.
6. Vacuous purchasing
Occasionally people simply buy to try to fill holes in their lives. The purchase won't usually succeed but the purchaser feels momentarily as if they are gaining succour.
7. Bargains
Knocked down prices also inspire a little panic in the consumer? "Oh these are bound to go like hot cakes at that price. I'd better get one quick."
8. Fantastic Value
This is when the assumed value of an item seems well in excess of the price. Again, even you don't need the item, you feel compelled to get it while you can. It's too good to miss.
9. Famous Names
If you suddenly need to buy things you've never bought before you are more likely to choose a well-known name. Maybe your mother used a particular brand of baby bottle when you were a child. You'll be comfortable with the same brand because you feel you can trust it.
10. Latest Trends
Dedicated followers of fashion or tech-trends will have wanted an iPod the moment they became available. If everyone's raving about the latest movie with the greatest stars in it, they'll want tickets as soon as.
Jay Shapiro is a freelance writer based in the UK. Jay has a particular interest in the emotive aspects of the entrepreneur's character. "Alongside the nuts and bolts of business, the character of the person is often the ingredient responsible for success."
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs
Conversation Board
We greatly appreciate any advice you can provide on this topic. Please contribute your insights on this topic so others can benefit.