Consumer Psychology: A Deconstruction
Consumer psychology is essential for running predictive analytics. It’s defined as an aspect of psychological marketing—a process, more like—where consumers think a certain way and are influenced by specific factors before purchasing. Put simply, it’s knowing what makes a person tick to help companies align their strategy accordingly.
Here’s what this means from a digital marketing perspective.
Final Decision
As this is a deconstruction, I’ll start from where it all ends: with the final purchase decision. A customer is driven to the stores primarily because they want to satisfy a rational or emotional requirement they feel they might lack or be running out of.
For instance, if someone’s in the mood for a blueberry muffin snack, that would be an emotional requirement—a whim, if you will. On the other hand, when people buy groceries, they’re mostly rationing and replenishing depleted supplies.
Whatever the case may be, they reach this stage because an option has satisfied their prerequisites for quality, price, functionality, and, of course, accessibility.
Marketing
Some may argue that social and cultural aspects come second to last due to being the driving force behind a decision, but I digress. My reason for doing so: a great marketing strategy would be tailored to consumer behavior, not the other way around.
By being intimately acquainted with the nuances of your target audience, you’ll be able to come up with mutually interactive, not to mention, emotionally relatable content that panders to your local customer base.
For example, female sanitary product ads attract clients by promising comfort and no stains, and charities show the plight of an underprivileged community to draw donations.
Factors from Without
There are many variables in a decision-making process—it’s not just an exchange between a seller and a buyer, but a complicated web of warring opinions by family and friends, who are also influenced by their families, social background, religion, and culture like the buyer.
Take, for example, laundry detergent. A college student is more likely to buy Tide Pods—so would an older person—but a middle-class, blue-collar worker would probably go for the powder because it’s cheaper.
The “Need”
The need obviously doesn’t have to be essential, it could just be a commodity. Your aim is to make them want to come back for more.
For instance, if you run a book store, you want to attract the habitual reader by:
Being an Amazon vendor.
Forming your own user-friendly platform.
Holding regular sales and promotions.
Finding a way to spread the word about said promotions through digital marketing services.
This is all the more important for new buyers because they might not know about the unique selling points of your competition.
A Digital Marketing Specialist’s Take On Consumer Psychology
As a former web developer and project management expert, I’ve spent a good part of my life picking the minds of consumers across various sectors. The knowledge I possess today can fill a book, and it has.
Marketing Minds has all that a digital marketing consultant could probably tell you about consumer behavior.
