Consumer Motivation

What is Motivation Motivating can be described as the driving

force within individuals that impels them into action. For instance,
at the basic level, our body has a need (say hunger), which will
translate into a drive (here the drive will be to obtain food) and
the goal will be to satisfy the need
Nature of Motivation
Needs & their fulfillment are the basis of motivation. Needs
change, so also motivation. Bo internal & external factors are
responsible for change. The fact is that not all needs are satisfied
fully. When some are satisfied, some others arise. Sometimes
because of personal, financial, social
& cultural limitations, people cant fulfill some of their needs,
wants & goals. Failure of needfulfilment may give rise to the
following states:
1. Rationalization trying to justify the situation & excusing
oneself,
2. Aggression getting angry & frustrated, and resorting to
unsocial actions,
3. Regression trying to settle without that particular need & try
something else,
4. Withdrawal trying to disassociate oneself from the very
thought of it.
Role of Motives
The role of motives in influencing behaviour:
1. Physiological arousal when a consumer becomes aware of his
needs due to changes in his
Physiological state, it will give rise to physiological motives,
2. Emotional arousal at times the mundane nature of routine life
leads a person to fantasies or day
dream, and this stimulates his latent needs to satisfy his emotion.
3. Cognitive arousal this occurs when we come across some
information incidentally &this
triggers our thought process & arouses a need in us.

4. Environmental arousal the various signals that we come

across in our environment in the form
of the sights smell & sound surrounding us also prompt many
needs.

Aspects whereby motivation to a target can be possible

The study of consumer motivation essentially addresses the
question: Why do people shop? The answer, really, is that
people shop for a variety of reasons and it is very difficult to make
generalizations. Shopping for food can, on one level, is seen as
satisfying some basic survival need. The problem with that,
however, is that most of us buy far more food than we would
actually need for basic subsistence and many of the items we
purchase in a supermarket are luxuries (relatively speak-ing).
One of the most influential studies of consumer motivation is that
conducted by Tauber (1972). According to Tauber, there are two
main categories of motivation for shopping
Personal Motives
Role Playing some shopping activities are associated with a
particular role in society (housewife, mother, student, etc).
Diversion shopping can be a form or recreation, or an escape
from daily routine.
Self-Gratification shopping can be mood-related, for instance
where people engage in retail therapy to cheer them up or
alleviate depression.
Learning shopping is an ideal way to learn about new fashions
and trends.
Physical Activity for some people, a stroll around the mall can be
their main form of exercise.
Sensory Stimulation shoppers often report that they enjoy
handling merchandise, the sounds of background music, the

scents of perfume counters, etc, and visit stores or malls to

indulge in this.
Social Motives
Social Interaction people enjoy the opportunities for social
interaction with friends, strangers, sales staff, etc.
Peer Affiliation certain shops allow customers mix with key
reference groups; e.g. people with shared interests, members of a
social category they either belong to or aspire to etc.
Status & Authority shopping experiences are sometimes seen as
ways of commanding respect and attention; e.g. during
encounters with sales staff.
Pleasure of Bargaining some shoppers love to haggle, a
way of obtaining goods at a better price or of priding oneself on
the ability to make wise purchases. The above categories are by
no means mutually exclusive. Some 70% of the population visits a
shopping mall at least once per week and they are liable to do so
for a variety of reasons at any one time. Shopping is certainly far
more than merely going to a store to buy a product one needs or
wants people often go to the mall with no intentions of spending
any money at all!