What Is the Relationship Between Consumer Behavior and Motivation?

Consumer motivation is the intrinsic motivation of consumer spending behavior. Psychology believes that motivation is the internal process of an individual, and behavior is the manifestation of this internal process. The internal conditions that cause motivation are needs, and the external conditions are incentives. In consumer behavior, consumer motivation is the motivation that promotes consumer behavior and provides purpose and direction for consumer behavior. ^[1]

Consumer motivation

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Consumer motivation is the intrinsic motivation of consumer spending behavior. Psychology believes that motivation is the internal process of an individual, and behavior is the manifestation of this internal process. The internal conditions that cause motivation are needs, and the external conditions are incentives. In consumer behavior, consumer motivation is the motivation that promotes consumer behavior and provides purpose and direction for consumer behavior. ^[1]

First, motivation refers to the consciousness or experience of an individual's own needs, and is the driving force for all behaviors of the individual. Consumer motivation is the most direct cause and motivation when consumers buy and consume goods. In real life, consumers are stimulated and their inherent needs are activated. This creates an uneasy mood (nervous, uncomfortable). This internal uneasiness is combined with the consumption object that may relieve the physiological deficiency, and it has evolved into a motive force, which is the formation of consumption motivation. For consumers, consumption motivation stimulates consumers' needs, pushes consumers to find things that meet their needs, and adopts purchasing and consumption behaviors, thereby eliminating physiological anxiety. The relationship between motivation needs can be understood in this way. Needs are an individual's physical or psychological state, a lack of certain needs. He may be unconscious or aimless. He generates specific behavioral tendencies and behaviors Provides possibilities.

First, purpose. Once specific motivations are formed in the minds of consumers, they have the purpose of buying and consuming goods.

Second, directivity. Consumers have obvious requirements for the goods they will buy.

Third, initiative. Motivation may come from the internal factors (needs, consumption interests, or consumption habits) of the consumers themselves, or from external conditions (such as advertisements, tips for shopping places, etc.) and consumers have a clear understanding of the purchase of goods. The clear purpose is to be more proactive in receiving external stimuli, and to feel that you are collecting things related to the product.

Fourth, motivation. Under the control of motivation, consumers will be randomly prepared to buy back and buy back the goods.

5. Diversity. Millions of consumers have different motivations when they buy different items, because the characteristics of the goods will produce different consumption motivations.

Six, combination. When consumers buy goods, they may have one motivation for consumption, but they may also have multiple motivations for consumption.

Motivation research is essentially a qualitative approach that was widely adopted by consumer research in the late 1950s. As a result of Dichter's work and subsequent research designed to delve deeper into the consumer's mind, two different types of research methodology--quantitative research and Qualitative research

Quantitative Study

Quantitative research is essentially a descriptive method that is used by researchers to connect the impact of various promotional messages on consumers, so that marketers can "predict" consumer behavior. This research method is also considered positisism, and researchers who are mainly engaged in predicting consumer behavior are called positivists. The research methods used in empirical research are mainly borrowed from the natural sciences, including experimental methods, investigation methods and observation methods. The results of the study are descriptive and empirical. If the data collection is random (such as probability sampling), the results can be generalized to a larger population. Because the data collected is quantitative, it can help them perform precise statistical analysis.

Qualitative research

Qualitative research includes in-depth interviews, focus groups, metaphor analysis, puzzle research, and projection methods. These methods are administered by highly trained interview analysts who also analyze the results of the research; therefore, these results are subjective. Because the sample is small, the results cannot be generalized to a larger population. Its main purpose is to gain new perspectives on promotions and products, and specific aspects of these content can be tested through larger and more extensive research.

Combining qualitative and quantitative results

Marketers often use a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to help make strategic marketing decisions. Marketers have found that these two research paradigms are complementary in nature. Compared to using one method alone, a combination of quantitative (empirical) research and qualitative (explainist) research can reveal a richer aspect of consumer behavior. Combining these results allows marketers to design more meaningful and effective marketing strategies.

Instinct to say

Instinct theory is one of the oldest doctrines explaining human behavior. The original instinct theory was nothing more than simply naming or labeling observed human behavior. Instinctive behavior must meet two basic conditions: (1) it is not obtained through learning; (2) all individuals of the same genus have exactly the same behavioral performance patterns. However, in the complex human behavior, instinct behavior is only a small part, and many behaviors considered as "human nature" can also be changed through acquired learning.

Psychoanalysis

Its founder is Austrian psychiatrist and psychologist Philoyd. According to Freud, the human spirit consists of three parts: consciousness, pre-consciousness, and subconsciousness. Consciousness is related to direct perception and is the element or component of our perception. The subconscious refers to the individual's original impulse and various instincts and the desires generated by this instinct. They are not tolerated by traditional customs and are suppressed below the limit of consciousness. They are psychological parts of human consciousness that cannot be perceived. Preconsciousness is between consciousness and subconsciousness. The psychological part that can be recalled from subconsciousness is the experience that people can recall. It is the intermediary link and transition area between consciousness and subconsciousness.

After the introduction of the psychoanalytic theory, although the theoretical circle has so far been mixed with it, the value of its motivation research and marketing practice is worthy of recognition. First, it has driven new leads in research methods. Psychoanalysis says that human behavior and motivation are mainly dominated by the subconscious mind. Therefore, the study of human motivation must go deep into the human heart, which cannot be done only with traditional methods.

Psychoanalytic theory shows that in analyzing consumer behavior, the symbolic value of goods or services and their satisfaction of consumers' deep needs should be emphasized.

Motivational theory

Motivation theory was proposed in the 1920s. The theory believes that human behavior is similar to animal behavior in that they are caused by internal stimuli. Unlike instinct, it emphasizes that experience and learning (rather than genetic instincts) in behavioral responses Core role.

Incentive theory

The theory of incentives proposed in the 1950s argues that not only internal motivations cause behaviors, but also external stimuli such as incentives that cause behaviors.

In the theory of incentives, the perception-motivation theory and the expectation-motivation mechanism are used to describe two different mechanisms of individuals' behavioral responses to external stimuli. Feeling-incentive mechanism is used to explain the individual's sensitivity to specific stimuli and the stimulating effect or motivating consequences of this behavior. Anticipation-incentive mechanism refers to the behavioral stimulus consequences caused by anticipation of behavioral results.

Wake-up theory

According to the traditional motivation theory, human behavior aims to eliminate the tension caused by lack, but certain human pursuits of stimulation and adventure, such as mountaineering, adventure, watching horror movies, etc., are just to arouse tension rather than eliminate tension. The so-called arousal refers to the level of activation or activity of the individual, that is, what kind of arousal or activity response state the individual is in. According to the awakening theory, individuals prefer those stimuli with a moderate potential for awakening, and pursue stimuli with moderate uncertainty, novelty, and complexity to keep their arousal or excitement level bullying within a certain range, so that they are not over Big but not small.

Two-factor theory

Two-factor theory was proposed by American psychologist Frederick Herzberg in 1959. It includes health factors, which lead to dissatisfaction with work, mainly factors such as corporate policy and behavior management, supervision, wages, interpersonal relationships, and working conditions; the other is incentives, which can bring job satisfaction and mainly achieve success , Recognition, the attractiveness of work itself, responsibility and development.

Explicit need theory

The explicit needs theory proposed by American scholar McClelland focuses on the impact of environmental or social learning on needs. Therefore, this theory is also known as the theory of acquired needs. In McClelland's theory, there are three kinds of social needs, namely, the need for achievement, the need for affinity and the need for power.

The need for achievement is the need for people to be willing to take responsibility, solve a problem or complete a task.

Affinity need refers to the need for individuals to interact with and be compatible with others in social situations.

The need for power refers to the individual's tendency to gain power and authority and try to strongly influence others to dominate others. ^[2]

1.Emotional motivation

Whether the motivational purchase needs are met directly affects consumers' attitudes toward the product or marketer, and is accompanied by the consumer's emotional experience. These different emotional experiences will show different purchasing motivations for different customers. stability.

2. Reason motivation

Motivation generated by consumers after careful consideration of various needs, the effects of different products to meet needs and prices, has objective and thorough control.

3. Patronage motivation

Emotional and sensible experience creates a special trust and preference for a particular store, brand or product, and it is a behavioral motivation for consumers to repeatedly and habitually go to purchase, which is often habitual.

The specific types of consumers' motivations include: seeking truth, seeking honesty, seeking security, seeking novelty, seeking beauty, seeking name, imitation, hobby and speed motivation.