Why People Buy Products, Services and Brands

Why do people purchase the products, services and brands that they do? At a minimum, marketers should think about this periodically. Ideally, marketers should always be thinking about this. So, why do people purchase specific things?

• They solve problems.  They make my life easier or safer or more pleasant.
• They are whimsical. They make me smile or laugh. They make me feel playful. They entertain me.
• They are beautiful. They are a source of awe or wonder. They calm me. They make me feel good about my life. I love to be surrounded by beauty.
• They surprise me. I love their unexpected nature. They fulfill my need for mental stimulation and variety.
• They make me feel important. They give me status. They feed my ego.
• They are addictive. They fulfill a deep craving. They are pleasurable. They are satisfying.
• They provide me with information or knowledge or access.
• They give me more time. They increase my freedom. They reduce my workload. They release me from mundane tasks.
• They reduce my anxiety. They increase my peace of mind. They give me one less thing to worry about.
• They stimulate my senses. They look, smell, taste, sound or feel good.

Think about this. What are some other reasons people buy things? Why do you buy what you buy? What was the most recent product, service or brand that you purchased? Why did you purchase it? Why did you choose it over the competitive alternatives? What was your most memorable purchase? What made it memorable? What product, service or brand do you value the most? Why do you value it?

This sort of thinking should be second nature to marketers. After all, isn’t marketing the art and science of motivating people to buy specific products, services and brands?