With a bevy of product selection available, why should someone, anyone bother to purchase your particular product or service. Spend their hard earned cash on your brand. It’s believed once you offer “benefits” which outweighs the cost of the product, the consumer will buy it, and you get the sale.
Well, we all know that’s not always true. Consumers aren’t self calculating mechanical robots.
They instead rely more on their emotions, who assigns meaning along with personal significance when making their purchasing decisions.
So what needs to be determined, is how these potential buyers actually evaluates products or service selection before actually buying.
What is the process, the criteria on how they trade off the various factors before they ultimately decide.
How exactly are their emotions involved, and how do these emotions interfere with their logic during the process.
Every consumer, including yourself, whether you realize it or not, will use several known defined categories of emotional criteria, when deciding to purchase a certain product.
The Technical Functional Criteria Evaluation
What’s quickly evaluated is the technical criteria of the product, if it will be technically or functionally adequate.
Does the particular product or service perform the exact things they’re wanting it to.
The product may also include a few additional features which makes it easier to operate or use.
If the particular type of product has been available for a while, what’s assumed is it’ll perform its basic said function.
Marketing battles are won or lost on the grounds of how easy the product is to use, along with what additional features or better service it offers.
So does your particular product happen to perform its core function better than your competitors, is it faster or smoother than anything else on the market.
Have you been able to enrich your product somehow with additional features. Is your product or service easier to buy and easier to operate.
The Criteria Which Is Economic Sacrifice
What we as consumers of society live in, is an approach avoidance world.
The benefits of your product are in a constant tug of war with its price, and the emotional effort it takes for the consumer to actually buy it.
For the majority of these consumers, the psychological toll it takes to actually spend cash on the product, dramatically reduces their enjoyment of it.
One vital emotionally significant factor that’s important, is the maximum price you can charge for your product, which the consumer can afford.
How closely does your particular product or service relate to the buyer’s needs. How unique is your product and do you charge a “fair” price for it.
Is paying the asking price you’re charging, socially and morally acceptable to the buyer.
Know The Moral Criteria
What every consumer is also guided by, is what others demand or want.
Some potential buyers need to obey certain moral requirements, and this loss of control on your behalf can become frustrating.
What consumers also feels is an obligation to consider the needs and the desires of others, such as their family and friends.
Does your product help the consumer comply with any moral obligations if there are any.
Can your product somehow be made more appealing to your customers spouse or friends.
Using Integrative Social Criteria
Do you know how your product or service fits with your potential customer’s personal identity, as what every consumer belongs to are certain social groups.
As a result, they can face certain potential peer embarrassment, if they don’t conform to them.
So what they do is constantly attempt to strike a balance between being part of the group, while balancing their self-esteem and visibility.
Any product or service which happens to increase their self-esteem, is always emotionally satisfying.
Does your product somehow help your customer express their personal identity. Can your product be described as exclusive or upscale.
Developing Adaptive Criteria
What all consumers want is to minimize any risk, that they’ll possibly regret the purchase at a later date.
The easiest solution is avoiding responsibility completely while trusting the advice of others, preferably someone who’s an expert.
Consumers will also lower the risk of future regret, by copying the buying habits of others whom they assume are in the know.
They do so by looking for guarantees, or by basing their buying decision on your reputation or brand.
Are you able to offer endorsements or positive feedback from recognized experts. Do you have valid testimonials from satisfied customers.
How solid is your money back guarantee. Is there any way you can offer a free trial or a sample.
The Intrinsic Criteria
What intrinsic criteria refers to, is your product’s basic nature. How much the consumer actually likes your product.
The appeal to your customer’s senses based on how it feels, looks, smells, tastes, or sounds.
Curiosity is another strong intrinsic criteria. What consumers are constantly looking for is something that’s new and unique.
Familiar products are always reassuring, but they also can be boring.
The trick is not straying too far. All consumers have an optimal level of novelty, which maximizes their curiosity and a desire to satisfy it.
If you happen to push beyond this optimal point, they’ll just return to what they’re familiar with.
If you happen to focus just on rational behavior, what you’re doing is to choosing to ignore the enormously powerful emotional forces which ultimately forms your customer’s final decision.
The rational argument should already be won over by your particular product’s high quality design, savvy pricing, creative innovation, or persuasive presentation.
This should win over the consumers emotions, when they’re deciding to buy your product.