Pinning down customers’ wants and needs is hard. While you speak as if they’re one person, in reality, it’s 100s, even 1,000s, of unique people. How are you supposed to cater to each and every need? How can you make sure that your products sell? Start by thinking about why customers buy products in the first place.
So what do we mean by why customers buy products? Think about it, there has to be a reason, right? Why would someone spend their money for no good reason?
Well, there is a handful of motivating factors that lead people to make purchases. While it’s hard to pin down specifics, there are general motivations to follow.
If you want to learn more about why people buy products, check out our article The Ins and Outs of Buyer Motivation You Need to Know.
This is probably the simplest reason. People will buy a product because they want it. Depending on what they buy, they may even want to show it off. Brand recognition will come in handy in this case.
This may seem like two very different things, but in reality, they have the same base motivation. The motivation is to protect themselves from something bad happening.
Fear of danger can be a powerful motivator to purchase certain products. People will buy locks to protect themselves from outside danger. This is an immediate solution to the fear of something happening.
People will buy something protective for the future cause of loss, like house insurance. They bought the insurance in case something happens that causes them to lose their house. Or in a smaller example, a phone case to protect the phone from being broken so easily.
If your product makes them feel safer in any form, then they may push the Buy Button.
Everyone wants life to be as easy as possible, and who can blame them? Products like washing machines are popular because they make the everyday act of laundry smoother. If your product can help a customer in any way, make sure to highlight that when you’re marketing it.
Let’s talk about impulse buying. We’re all guilty of it at one point or another. When we impulse buy, it’s usually a product that’ll make us happier. Impulse buys are done without much thought and instead, customers are caught up in the moment.
Products that are fun, brightly colored, or makes a customer laugh are great for impulse purchases. If this sounds like one of your products, make sure to highlight these aspects.
Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are great for finding impulse buyers.
This can be tied in with impulse buying but has more of a focus on popular trends. When there is a wildly popular trend, people tend to buy from that trend because they don’t want to be left out. They’ll buy to prove that they’re part of the group and show off their purchase.
There’s nothing wrong with jumping on the trend train and marketing your products as such.
Personal wellbeing is probably the most important thing to people. If a product guarantees that it will help people live longer and healthier, people will buy it. This can also include any form of self-improvement and ways for people to better themselves.
If a buyer is unsure whether or not they should buy something, they’ll look at reviews. If the reviews are overwhelmingly positive, it might be the push they need to make the purchase.
This is why you have to encourage your customers to leave reviews. Offer them a discount as a way to entice them to do so.
People love buying things that are limited edition or part of a flash sale. It can make them feel like they got something special that not a lot of people have.
If a product seems popular, but not selling, try having a flash sale. Use a countdown clock to show your customers they only have so much time to buy this product.
After learning about the different reasons people buy things, ask yourself “What need/want does my product satisfy?” You may only have one answer, or maybe all of them. Use this knowledge to market yourself to your audience and get their attention.