Buying motive is the urge or motive to satisfy a desire or need that makes people buy goods or services. Behind every purchase there is a buying motive.

There are different kinds of consumers. So, their wants and needs are also different. They buy goods or services to satisfy their needs. The causes and factors which stimulate consumer to buy certain goods or services is called buying motives. In fact, the motivating factor to direct consumer behavior is buying motives.

Identifying buying motive of consumer is a difficult task for business entrepreneurs. There are various factors to induce consumers to buy any product. Profit, fear, dignity, pride, fashion, entertainment, love, health, facility, curiosity, habit, security, utility etc. lead persons to buy products. Among them profit, fear and pride are the three major motivating factors. Such motives may be different from person to person

The combination of facts and the emotional state of a person that generates a feeling within them that they need to purchase an item, as well as the factors that influence their eventual choice of a particular product is defined as Consumer Buying Motives.

1) PRODUCT BUYING MOTIVES :-

Product buying motives refer to those influences and reasons, which prompt (i.e. induce) a buyer to choose a particular product in preference to other products.

They include the physical attraction of the product (i.e. the design, shape, dimension, size, color, package, performance, price etc. of the product) or the psychological attraction of the product (i.e. the enhancement of the social prestige or status of the purchaser through its possession), desire to remove or reduce the danger or damage to life or body of the possessor, etc.

In short, they refer to all those characteristics of a product, which induce a buyer to buy it in preference to other products. Product buying motives may be sub-divided into two groups, viz., (1)

CONSUMER BUYING

MOTIVES

PRODUCT

Emotional Product Buying

Motives

Rational Product Buying

Motives

PATRONAGE

Emotional Patronage

Buying Motives

Rational Patronage

Buying Motives

emotional product buying motives and (2) rational product buying motives.

1.A) EMOTIONAL PRODUCT BUYING MOTIVES:-

When a buyer decides to purchase a product without thinking over the matter logically and carefully (i.e., without much reasoning), she is said to have been influenced by emotional product buying motives. Emotional product buying motives include the following:

FACTORS – EMOTIONAL

1. Pride or Prestige 2. Emulation or Imitation3. Affection4. Comfort or desire for comfort5. Ambition6. Desire for distinctiveness or individuality7. Desire for recreation or pleasure8. Hunger and thirst9. Habit

1.B. Rational Product Buying Motives:

When a buyer decides to buy a certain thing after careful consideration (i.e. after thinking over

the matter consciously and logically), s/he is said to have been influenced by rational product

buying motives. Rational product buying factors are given above.

2. Patronage Buying Motives: Patronage buying motives refer to those considerations or reasons, which prompt a

buyer to buy the product wanted by him from a particular shop in preference to other

shops.

FACTORS - RATIONAL

1. Safety or security

2. Economy

3. Relatively low price

4. Suitability

5. Utility or Versatility

6. Durability of the product

7. Convenience of the Product

In other words, they are those considerations or reasons, which make a buyer, patronise

a particular shop in preference to other shops while buying a product.

Patronage buying motives also may be sub-divided into two groups viz. a) Emotional

patronage buying motives and b) Rational patronage buying motives.

2.a)Emotional Patronage Buying Motives:When a buyer patronises a shop (i.e. purchases the things required by him from a particular

shop) without applying his mind or without reasoning, he is said to have been influenced by

emotional patronage buying motives. Emotional patronage buying motives include the following:

FACTORS – EMOTIONAL

1) Appearance of the shop

2) Display of goods in the store

3) Originality and Imitation

4) Prestige

5) Habit

6) Others’ Recommendations

2.B. Rational Patronage Buying Motives:When a buyer patronises a shop after careful consideration (i.e. after much logical reasoning

and careful thinking) he is said to have been influenced by rational patronage buying motives.

Factors - RATIONAL1) Convenience2) Low price charged by the shop3) Credit facilities offered4) Efficiency of salesmen

5) Wide choice6) Services offered7) Treatment8) Reputation of the shop

SELLING POINTS BUYING MOTIVES1) MEANING Selling points are the special

points of features of a product with which the attention of customers is to be drawn towards the product.

Buying motives are the inner feelings, urges of the customers which make them to buy certain goods and services.

2) THEME Buying motives explain the reasons as to why customers purchase a particular product or service. They provide a solid base on which the salesman develops the selling points.

A study of different types of buying motives of different types of customers greatly depends upon the ability, skill, imanigination and psychological study of salesman.

3) UTILITY A study of buying motives enables a salesman to present his product in such a way as would satisfy the particular motive of the customer concerned.

A proper knowledge of the special features, i.e. selling points of the various products should be acquired by the salesman. This will help him in delivering his sales talk effectively.

4) EXAMPLES The various may be vanity, pride, economy, fashion, habit, comfort, necessity, love and affection etc., which prompt a customers to buy the goods and services.

The selling points constitute unique methods of production, attractive design, beautiful colours, liberal discount, attractive packing and others.

5) CONTROL A salesman has no control over ‘buying motives’ as those are the inner feelings of the customers.

 A salesman has full control over ‘selling points’, as he can use any or all points he likes to sell his products.

6) PRIORITY As the ‘consumers are the kings’ of the modern marketing system, therefore buying motives come first on which selling points depend. Therefore the goods are produced by a manufacturer to match the buying motives of the customers.

 Selling points come next to buying motives. After goods have been manufactured as personality the buying motives of customers, selling points are thought upon.

7) SOURCES OF ACQUIRING KNOWLEDG

A study of different types of buying motives of different types of customers greatly depends upon the ability,

 A salesman can master the selling points of very goods by his past experience, use of those goods, consultation with

E skill, imagination and psychological study of salesman.

senior salesman and by study of sales journals.

It is needless to indicate the importance of buying motives in modern day marketing. It

is necessarily an inner feeling of the potential buyer. Once known, buying motives

become a significant tool to finalise the product, pricing, distribution and promotional

policies of an organisation.

Therefore, the importance of buying motives can be examined on the basis of the

following:

1. Product Planning and Development:The manufacture’s product decision with regard to size, colour, weight, dimension,

design, packaging, taste, etc. depends a lot on the consumer psychology which is

chiefly based on the buying motives.

Thus, once the buying motives are known, the product planning and development can

be done in accordance with the consumer likings, tastes and preferences. Therefore, a

thorough knowledge of the buying motives makes the product planning and

development of an organisation considerably easy.

2. Pricing Policies:Pricing of products and services is extremely significant because survival, growth and

the profitability of an organisation depends on the same, to a great extent. In case a

large section of the consumers are influenced by rational buying motives, the pricing

policies of the firm have to be competitive.

On the other hand, a comparatively high pricing strategy can be adopted if a majority of

the consumers are guided by emotional buying motives. Therefore, it is essential that

sellers should examine the nature of buying motives closely, and pricing decisions can

be made accordingly.

3. Distribution Channel:Once the buying motives of the consumers are known to the seller, the distribution

channel of an organisation can be planned effectively. In other words, if the consumers

are primarily guided by the service facilities offered by the dealers, the manufacturer

can plan the distribution pattern accordingly so as to make services available at different

distribution points.

If door-to-door service is the motivational factor for a majority of buyers, then such

provisions have to be built up by the seller. Similarly, if consumers prefer a particular

type of store, the distribution channel has to be modified accordingly.

4. Promotional Policies:All promotional efforts usually aim at winning the confidence of the potential buyers in

favour of products or services. Once the influencing factors or the buying motives of the

consumers are known, the advertisement and sales promotion programmes can be

directed towards appealing to those specific buying motives.

Accordingly, a large section of the buyers can easily be influenced and motivated for

making a purchase. Therefore, in order to build an effective sales promotional policy,

studying and understanding buying motives of consumers are essential.

Thus, it is clear that an effective and successful marketing mix depends to a great

extent on proper understanding of the buying motives of the potential consumers. Once

the motives of the buyers are known, it becomes quite easy to develop an effective

marketing programme. In other words, the marketing programmes and strategies of an

organisation is simply a reflection of the buying motives of the potential consumers.