What are buying motives?
Buying motives address customer needs. In other words, it can be said that a customer buys because a need for a good or service has arisen. The reason for the need is what we call the purchase motive.
Whether you work in B2C or B2B-world, purchase types and buying motives are a good idea to have in hand, as they can help both a sales and a marketing department generate more sales.
Overall, the purchase motives can be divided into 2 groups:
- Rational motives
- Social motives
Let's take a closer look at both of them below.
The rational purchase motives
The rational buying motives are the customer's reasoning behind the purchase. Let's pretend that Mr. Larsen is buying a new house, and today he is looking at one.
He asks the real estate agent what the price of the house is, what condition the house is in, how much money he should expect to spend on heating the house, what the house costs in basic tax, how much the house is worth in 4 years and what energy class the house is in?
The above questions are all rational and functional - but it would be a lie to say that our buying motives and buying behaviour is always rational.
The social purchase motives - the four purchase motives
Social purchase motives are not equally concerned with rationality and functionality. Rather, these are social motives where the customer thinks a lot about the perception the purchase may have on others. Whether Mr Larsen chooses to buy the house depends not only on the rational motives but also on how the house fits in with Mr Larsen's social motives for buying.
The social purchase motives can be divided into 4 groups:
- The Bandwagon Motif
- The Snob Motif
- The Veblen Motif
- The Thrifty Motif
For this reason, the social purchase motives are also called the four purchase motives.
Let's look at the different buying motives below.
Bandwagon
Is Mr Larsen buying the new house because it is a popular house and there are many others who want to get their hands on it too. Then Mr. Larsen is buying from the Bandwagon motive. When you choose to buy from the Bandwagon motive, you are buying the same as many others.
Snob
Mr Larsen buys the new house because it is very rare and unique. Then Mr. Larsen is buying from the snob motive. The snob motive is the opposite of the bandwagon motive. When you choose to buy from the Snob Motive, you want to stand out and own something special.
Veblen
Is Mr Larsen buying the new house because it is more expensive than the houses his friends or neighbours have. Then Mr. Larsen is buying from the Veblen motive. When you choose to buy from the Veblen motive, you want to exude a certain kind of status so that friends, neighbours or others might look up to you.
Thrifty
Is Mr Larsen buying the new house because it really is a bargain and he is getting a lot for his money. Then Mr Larsen is buying from the Thrifty motive. The Thrifty motive is the opposite of the Veblen motive. When you choose to buy from the Thrifty motive, you want to get a good deal and are not afraid to tell your friends and family what a good dealer you are.
