What Motivates You?

In the current climate, it would be reasonable to ask yourself “what motivates me” or “how am I motivated”, to organise effective working from home. Despite it being commonplace to ask yourself how you are motivated towards work, you may find you do not ask yourself what motivates you as a consumer as frequently.

Many different factors can influence a person’s motivation to purchase or to enter a purchasing environment. I recently read a theory put forward by Foxall et al in 1998, which suggests that consumers who are shopping for a purpose and motivated to buy a specific product have higher levels of pleasure in comparison to those who do not have motivation to buy a specific product. Despite this theory being over 20 years old, I believe this still applies to consumer habits today. Christmas shopping is a prime example of this for me- due to December being hectic, I normally finish my shopping just a few days before Christmas Day, sometimes even Christmas Eve! The pressure of time and the necessity to buy for a purpose puts Foxall et al’s theory into practice, as I am normally very motivated to finish buying gifts for everyone, and I feel a huge sense of relief once this is done!

Image Courtesy of Forbes.

This did, however, lead me to question whether the idea of motivation and pressure can actually lead to buying products for the sake of it and consumers making unnecessary purchases. Taking the previous examples of Christmas presents, do you ever just buy the first remotely suitable thing for your Secret Santa? Therefore, in an already busy and potentially stressful shopping environment with an added time pressure, it would be plausable to assume some purchases are unnecessary or rushed. This influence’s an individual’s decision-making process, and time is likely to decrease a consumer’s thought process behind evaluating the need or want for a certain product.

Tauber, 1972, proposed there are a multitude of personal motivations for a person to go shopping, which range from social interaction, communication with others, sensory stimulation and the need for self-gratification amongst the need to purchase a specific product. This theory implies a person’s motivation to shop changes depending on both circumstance and their personal character. Ask yourself, how many times do you visit a shopping centre for the purpose of buying one or more specific products and leave as soon as you have done this? I would assume, from personal experience, that on many occasions you may visit a shopping environment not only to buy a specific product and leave again, but also for a sensory experience, such as eating a meal, or visiting stores for browsing without an outstanding need to purchase a product. Shopping centres are also great social places to meet with friends and family, therefore each visit may be for desirable purposes, rather than a need to purchase.

Both Foxall et al and Tauber’s theories indicate motivation is specific to both an individual and circumstances, and motivation can change very regularly. This is certainly the case when it comes to my purchasing habits- sometimes my motivations can change throughout the same shopping experience! The addition of online shopping environments, since the development of both theories discussed earlier, also alter motivations as shopping experiences are available 24/7, in any location. This could influence consumer’s motivations to purchase, as shopping could be viewed as easier, making consumers motivated to buy a larger volume of products with less input from the individual’s decision-making process.

Hopefully this piece has made you think about your own motivations towards shopping. Let me know what motivates you when making purchases, big or small, and how this changes depending on circumstance. It would be great to hear any thoughts you have on motivation or the theories discussed in this piece. Thank you for reading.