Why we buy
We like to buy things, but we don’t often ask why we like to buy things. The why tends to be the biggest driver of purchasing compared to what we are actually buying. In many cases we don’t even buy things for the items actual use, instead its more for what the item says about us. So lets look at 3 of the most powerful driving forces of consumer purchases.
- Trends
Today more than ever people have FOMO the fear of missing out. Social media has only perpetuated that trend, as whats hot and whats not is constantly flashed before our eyes at lightning speed. The fact is trends shape consumer interests as many rush to be a part of a trend before it dies out. You only need to look as far as major trends such as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge or the Harlem Shake to see how invested people get into these. For many trends the purchase isn’t necessarily always a set of items, it could be a collection of items to put together a video. Many of these trends are pushed even harder by the ease of participation as this all comes from your smartphone. Trends aren’t new by any means, even before smartphones trends were more of trying to keep up with your peers. Peer pressure is essentially the driving force. Each age demographic is affected by trends differently. So the power of trends are wide reaching and even if you try to avoid it, in all likely hood it will influence your purchase in some way.
