Humans buy both out of necessity and desire, seeking the happiness that comes from fulfilling our needs.
In this regard, Maslow developed a model of needs that helps us understand the general order of priority in human needs:
- Physiological needs: These are the most basic, such as food, water, and shelter.
- Safety needs: Physical protection and economic stability.
- Social needs: Relationships of friendship and love.
- Esteem needs: Respect, recognition, and achievement.
- Self-actualization needs: Personal development and fulfillment of potential.
This model helps us understand what motivates our purchasing decisions based on the level of need we are seeking to satisfy.
The human mind plays a crucial role in consumption decisions through various psychological and emotional mechanisms. Here are some of them:
Perception and attention: Our perceptions and the way we pay attention influence what we buy. For example, colors, shapes, and sounds in advertisements can capture our attention and affect our perception of a product.
Memory and past experiences: Past experiences and memories associated with certain products or brands can influence our choices. If a product has provided us with a good experience before, we are more likely to choose it again.
Emotions: Emotions play a fundamental role in purchasing decisions. Products that evoke positive emotions, such as happiness, nostalgia, or excitement, are more likely to be bought. Advertising campaigns often seek to emotionally connect with consumers.
Social influence: Our consumption decisions are also influenced by our social environment. Recommendations from friends, family, or influencers can affect our choices. Moreover, the desire to belong to a group can motivate the purchase of certain products.
Motivation and needs: Motivation theories, like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, suggest that our consumption decisions are driven by the need to satisfy different levels of needs, from basic to self-actualization. Habits and routines: Habits play an important role. Once we develop a habit of buying a specific product, it's hard to change. Companies often try to create habits among consumers through promotions and loyalty programs.
Heuristics and cognitive biases: We use mental shortcuts, known as heuristics, to make purchasing decisions quickly. However, these shortcuts can lead to cognitive biases, such as preferring known brands or products with apparent discounts, even if they are not the best option.
Media influence: Constant exposure to advertisements and campaigns in the media can shape our preferences and perceptions, creating a positive image of certain products or services.
These are just some ways in which our mind influences what we consume. It is a fascinating field that combines psychology, neuroscience, and marketing to better understand consumer behavior.
To influence decisions favorably towards our brand, we must first impact the limbic brain with emotions, then provide valuable information to the neocortex, and over time, the reptilian brain will prefer us instinctively.
The Purchase Decision Process is a series of steps that a consumer follows before, during, and after making a purchase. Here is an explanation of each step:
Need recognition: The consumer realizes that they have a need or a problem that can be solved with a product or service. This can be influenced by advertising, recommendations, or personal experiences.
Information search: The consumer seeks information about the available options to meet their need. This can be done passively, by receiving information from advertisements, or actively, by researching online, talking to friends, or visiting stores.
Evaluation of alternatives: The consumer compares the different available options. This comparison can be based on various criteria, such as quality, price, features, and additional services.
Purchase decision: After evaluating the alternatives, the consumer makes the purchase decision. This decision can be influenced by opinions of influential people, promotions, or the desire to please someone else.
Post-purchase behavior: After the purchase, the consumer evaluates their satisfaction with the product or service. A positive experience can lead to future purchases and positive recommendations, while a negative experience can deter future purchases and generate unfavorable reviews.
This process is fundamental to understanding how consumers make decisions and how companies can influence these decisions to improve their marketing strategies.
A crucial point is the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT).
Procter and Gamble introduced the term First Moment of Truth, referring to when the consumer is in front of a product and evaluates it. With current technology, ZMOT is when the user decides they want a product and starts looking for information about it.
Example: Imagine Maria wants to buy a new coffee maker:
Need recognition: Maria realizes that her current coffee maker no longer works well. ZMOT: She decides she needs a new one and starts searching for information online, reading reviews and comparing models. First Moment of Truth: Maria goes to a store and sees the coffee makers in person, evaluating their features. Second Moment of Truth: After buying it, she uses the coffee maker, and her experience with the product confirms her purchase decision. The marketing function is to be present at ZMOT, providing the information users need to feel confident in their choice and confirm that our product meets their needs.
The relationship between physiology and marketing may seem unusual but is quite interesting: Neuromarketing This is a branch of marketing that uses neuroscience techniques to understand how consumers respond to marketing stimuli. For example, eye tracking, electroencephalography (EEG), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are used to analyze brain activity and physiological responses to ads and products.
Neuromarketing is fascinating because it combines marketing with neuroscience to understand how consumers make decisions. Here are some reasons why it is so interesting:
Understanding the subconscious: Much of our purchasing decisions are influenced by subconscious processes. Neuromarketing helps reveal these hidden processes, allowing companies to create more effective campaigns.
Emotional responses: It analyzes consumers' emotional reactions to different stimuli, such as ads or products. This helps marketers design messages that emotionally connect with their audience.
Accurate measurement: It uses advanced technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and eye tracking to measure brain and body responses with a precision that traditional market research methods cannot match.
Improvement of products and experiences: By understanding how consumers perceive and react to products and services, companies can improve them to increase customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
Optimization of advertising campaigns: It allows adjusting and optimizing advertising campaigns based on neural responses, ensuring that the messages are more effective and resonate with the target audience.
Innovation and creativity: It provides insights that can inspire new ideas and creative approaches in product development, packaging design, and marketing strategies.
In summary, neuromarketing offers a unique window into the functioning of the consumer's mind, allowing companies to create more precise, effective, and personalized strategies.
Example of how neurotransmitters intervene in purchasing processes
Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in purchasing processes by influencing our emotions and stress responses. Here’s an example:
Imagine you are in a store looking for a new mobile phone. While exploring the options, you find one that seems perfect, but the price is higher than expected. This situation can generate anxiety and stress.
Intervention of norepinephrine: Norepinephrine is released in response to stress, increasing your heart rate and level of alertness. This response can make you feel more driven to make a quick decision to relieve anxiety, such as opting for a cheaper model or even abandoning the purchase altogether.
Dopamine is a crucial neurotransmitter in purchasing processes because it is related to pleasure and reward. Here’s an example:
Imagine you are browsing online and see a tempting offer for a product you've wanted for a long time, like a pair of limited edition sneakers. Seeing the product and the offer, your brain releases dopamine, which generates a feeling of pleasure and excitement.
Intervention of dopamine: This release of dopamine makes you feel good and anticipate the gratification you will get from buying the sneakers. Dopamine not only motivates you to make the purchase but also makes you feel rewarded and satisfied once you complete the transaction.
Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in memory and learning, which is crucial in purchasing processes. Here’s an example:
Imagine you are looking to buy a new laptop. You have researched several brands and models and find yourself in a store looking at different products.
Intervention of acetylcholine: During your search process, acetylcholine helps you remember the information you have learned about the products: specifications, reviews, and prices. This neurotransmitter makes it easier to retrieve that data when evaluating your options in the store, allowing you to make an informed decision based on the accumulated information.
Endorphins are neurotransmitters that act as the body’s natural painkillers and are related to the sensation of well-being and happiness. Here’s an example of how they intervene in purchasing processes:
Imagine you decide to buy a new pair of shoes as a reward for achieving an important personal goal.
Intervention of endorphins: When making the purchase, especially if it is something that excites you, your brain releases endorphins. This release of endorphins makes you feel happy and satisfied, reinforcing the purchase decision and associating the experience with a positive sense of reward.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that contributes to the feeling of well-being and satisfaction, and plays an important role in purchasing processes. Here’s an example:
Imagine you had a particularly successful day at work and decide to reward yourself with a special dinner at your favorite restaurant.
Intervention of serotonin: Serotonin is released when you feel satisfied and happy with your achievements, which motivates you to reward yourself. This feeling of well-being influences your decision to make a purchase that makes you feel even better, like a special dinner. During the meal, the additional release of serotonin can reinforce your satisfaction with the choice of rewarding yourself, creating a positive experience that you might want to repeat in the future.
In summary:
- Norepinephrine can influence your purchasing decisions by intensifying your emotions and stress responses, leading to more impulsive decisions or avoiding the purchase altogether.
- Dopamine plays a fundamental role in creating a sense of pleasure and reward in the purchasing process, encouraging you to make impulsive and satisfying purchasing decisions.
- Acetylcholine contributes to purchasing processes by strengthening memory and learning, ensuring you remember and apply relevant information when making purchasing decisions.
- Endorphins can increase the satisfaction and happiness associated with the purchase, leading to a more enjoyable and memorable shopping experience.
- Serotonin enhances the feeling of happiness and well-being during the purchasing process, leading to decisions that seek to reinforce those positive feelings.
