Consumer Motivation

Represents the drive to satisfy

both physiological and
psychological needs through
product purchase and
consumption

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Consumer Motivation
Represents the drive to satisfy
both physiological and
psychological needs through
product purchase and
consumption
Gives insights into why people
buy certain products

COPYRIGHT © 2006 Thomson South-Western, a part of The Thomson Corporation. Thomson, the Star logo, and South-Western are
trademarks used herein under license.
 Consumer Motivation
Represents the drive to satisfy
both physiological and
psychological needs through
product purchase and
consumption
Gives insights into why people
buy certain products
Stems from consumer needs:
industries have been built around
basic human needs
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trademarks used herein under license.
 Motivational Conflict and
Need Priorities
Satisfying a need often comes at the
expense of another need—these
trade-offs cause motivational conflict

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 Motivational Conflict and
Need Priorities
Resolving motivational conflicts
requires prioritizing needs
Maslow’s hierarchy
Some needs take precedence over
other needs—physiological needs take
top priority
Differences in the importance attached
to various needs affects how
consumers evaluate products

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Motivational Conflict and
Need Priorities
Because of consumers’ different
motivational priorities, companies
use benefit segmentation: dividing
consumers into different market
segments based on benefits they
seek from purchase and
consumption

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Motivational Intensity
Motivational intensity: how strongly
consumers are motivated to satisfy
a particular need
Depends on need’s importance

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Motivational Intensity
Motivational intensity: how strongly
consumers are motivated to satisfy
a particular need
Depends on need’s importance
Involvement: degree to which an
object or behavior is personally
relevant
Motivational intensity and involve-
ment determine amount of effort
consumers exert in satisfying needs
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trademarks used herein under license.
 The Challenge of Understanding
Consumer Motivation

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trademarks used herein under license.
 The Challenge of Understanding
Consumer Motivation
Reasons underlying consumer
motivation are not always “obvious”
Research is necessary to discover real
motivations behind behaviors
People don’t always want to disclose
real reasons for their actions
People don’t always know why they do
what they do—unconscious motivation
Motivations change over time
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trademarks used herein under license.
 Unconscious Motivation

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 Motivating Consumers

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Motivating Consumers
Motivating with Money

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Motivating Consumers
Motivating with Money
Price cuts, specials, rebates, and
coupons motivate purchase
Resulting sales may increase, but
profits may not
Attracts consumers less likely to
repeat
Price reductions may increase price
sensitivity

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Motivating with Money

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 Motivating Consumers
Provide Other Incentives

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 Motivating Consumers
Provide Other Incentives
Premiums, free products,
contests, and sweepstakes are
designed to motivate consumers
to purchase

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Motivating with Other Incentives

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Motivating Consumers
Provide Other Incentives
Premiums, free products,
contests, and sweepstakes are
designed to motivate consumers
to purchase
There are limitations and
shortcomings for this strategy in
addition to the products offered as
a premium being valued less
(value-discounting hypothesis)
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 Motivating Consumers
Implement a Loyalty Program
Motivate repeat buying by providing
rewards to customers based on how
much business they do with the
company
Tracks consumer purchases and
provides estimates of Customer
Lifetime Value

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Motivating Consumers
Enhance Perceived Risk

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 Motivating Consumers
Enhance Perceived Risk
Perceived risk: consumers’
apprehensions about the
consequences of their behavior
(buying and consuming the product)
Greater perceived risk increases
search
Educating consumers about risks may
motivate them to make more informed
choices that reduce exposure to risk

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Informing Consumers of Their Risks

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 Motivating Consumers
Arouse Consumers’ Curiosity

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Motivating Consumers
Arouse Consumers’ Curiosity
For new products, educating
potential customers is crucial
Curiosity often leads to an enhanced
need for information
May advertise a benefit that is not
normally associated with the product

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trademarks used herein under license.
 Arousing Curiosity

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trademarks used herein under license.