Factors affecting desire in your customer's mind
A 500-word post on the factors that cause changes in the actual and desired state in the mind of the consumer.
Welcome to Issue #10 of Market Curve - a weekly newsletter exploring the intersection of marketing with consumer psychology and behavioral economics. Through Market Curve, I hope to offer marketers and founders a different perspective on how to better understand their customers - one that is rooted in science.
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— Shounak
In my previous essays, I’ve talked about the consumer problem recognition process at length. Here’s the TLDR version:
Problem recognition is triggered when there is a significant gap between the actual and desired state in the mind of the consumers.
Today, we analyse ( in brief) the factors that cause changes in the actual and desired state.
Factors affecting changes in the actual state:Â
Assortment deficiency
Arousal of needs
Post purchase evaluation
Assortment deficiency
Assortment deficiency is when your solution to the problem in your actual state has either "run out" or you have "worn out" the solution. Ex: I've run out of milk, my cloth is worn out, I've outgrown Notion etc.
Need Arousal
The actual state is affected when circumstances in the actual state are such that it gives rise to needs. Ex: You have just received a promotion, you just got married etc.Â
Post purchase evaluation
Post-purchase evaluation occurs when the consumer buys a product which has solved his problem but the solution did not do anything to bridge the gap between the desired and actual state. As a result, the status quo still exists. Ex: You buy a suit online that doesn’t fit you.Â
Factors affecting changes in the desired state:Â
Reference Groups
Novelty
Thinking
Reference Groups
Reference group is an example of mimetic desire and social proof - people look to their social circle (however that may be defined) that acts as a source of their desire. Ex: Students entering corporate culture after college will buy suits, shirts etc to fit in.Â
Novelty
Approximately, one-third of consumers say they change their brand because they are looking for a change. Newness via shiny objects are abundant in the digital age. As a result, there is a high probability of people switching brands.Â
Thinking
Humans can manufacture desire just by thinking. Consumers can will themselves into such desire-centric mental states. Ex: He will buy gym shorts because they think it will increase their willpower to go to the gym.Â
Factors affecting changes in both the actual and desired state:Â
Changes in the actual state
Changes in the actual state can lead to changes in the desired state too. For instance, a salary raise (change in actual state) can lead to a change in desired state.
Previous decisions
The actual and desired state is changed often by previous decisions. If I buy camping gear, then a flashlight also seems like a good buy. Car salesmen use this technique all the time.
Family Characteristics
A person's family characteristics can also change his actual state (him getting married) and his desired state (new furniture).
Culture
Cultural norms and behaviors are evidence of social proof and as such alter the actual and desired state. You enter a new country (change in actual state) and there is the tradition of giving gifts to your neighbour (desired state).
Individual development
In the event I get promoted at my job (change in actual state ), I end up wanting to learn Adobe Illustrator (desired state) to explore myself and grow professionally.
Marketing
A brand new car on sale can alter the perception of the actual state and desired state. Although marketing won’t directly lead to a change in these states, the perception or the interpretation of that state is changed which makes marketing powerful.
Thank you so much for reading! If you want to get in touch, you can respond directly to this email or reach out on Twitter or LinkedIn. Always excited to meet like-minded humans!Â
Until next week!
— Shounak.