The Hidden Reasons Why People Buy Things And What It Means For Your Brand

The decision to buy from your brand is a complex mixture of so many factors such as social, culture, education, personality, environment, resource availability and more.

The reasons why people buy starts with a stimulus in the minds of the consumer, which leads to the research (the zero moment of truth), then follows the decision to purchase, using the goods and finally to providing feedback. The entire cocktail of event looks something like this:

However, for each of these points along the consumer journey, there are many factors that contribute to whether the consumer takes a decision favourable to you or to your competitor.

Below are some of the hidden reasons why people would choose your product or get in bed with a competing brand.

Emotional connection

People buy things for many reasons but emotional satisfaction is right at the top of the reasons people buy. IPSOS’s “Eight Basic Motivator Model” is one of the clearer maps for querying the emotional satisfaction your brand provides for your customer.

Do you help your consumer feel better than other people (power), or make them feel like a part of a community (belonging)? Do you give your consumer the opportunity to be spontaneous and not care what others think of them (enjoyment) or you allow them to be groomed and in charge (control). Learn more about IPSOS’s Eight Basic Motivators here.

Credibility

When customers trust you, they’ll do anything to buy from you. The trust battery of your brand should be beyond satisfactory. You must guard your brand perception and customer engagement process intensely. If you have credibility, your consumers will be the ones defending you if there is ever an instance of negative brand mention. The best way to create that credibility is to build a strong brand.

Their experiences with you

Holding your customers in high regards gives you a major advantage over the competition. Your worth as a brand is dependent on the kind of treatment and service rendered to your customers; communication style, the depth of your content, website’s quality etc.

Always keep your bond strong with consumers by remembering personal details about them. One of our favourite brands in this respect is Innocent Drinks. They’ve nailed the art of constant memorable experiences with their consumers. Aside from their mischievous social handles, they send out weekly personalized emails that truly delight their consumers. (Want to send personalized emails to your consumers? We can help! Talk to us.)

How well you address their concerns

Carefully listen to the concerns and grievances of your customers and address it in a wholesome manner. Every customer wants to feel a sense of belonging and wants to get the sense that their feelings are valid. If you make them feel this way, they’ll constantly come back to patronize you.

Secured transactions and payment process

A significant percentage of payment now happens online and customers are becoming more aware of the importance of only operating on websites that have visible security later such as an SSL certificate.

Aside from increasing the safety for all your subdomains, and establishing credibility with your customers, it’s also a big SEO advantage. Google has been known to give websites with encrypted connections a slight rankings boost. We can help you build out secure websites or secure your existing website with SSL certificates. Contact us here.

Final Thoughts

A lot of factors influence consumer buying behaviour, such as building trust factor, confidence, appealing website, proper and full information about goods and services however the above list is a good starting point.

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