How Consumer Motivations, Beliefs and Attitudes Affect Decision-Making Process

Motivation

When it comes to consumer behaviours, motivation plays a crucial role. It refers to the internal psychological processes that explain how consumers react, why they take certain actions and behave in particular ways when making decisions about purchasing products and services.

That being said, understanding consumer motivation is vital for all businesses to develop effective marketing strategies in order to attract and retain customers.

Theories of motivation in consumer behaviour

Drive theory

The drive theory of motivation states that people behave in a certain way to reduce internal tension created in the body due to unfulfilled biological needs. As soon as the unmet need arises within the body, the person behaves in a manner that allows them to meet that need, reduce the drive and achieve a state of balance.

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Expectancy theory

Developed by Canadian psychologist, Vroom (1964) suggested that an “individual’s behaviour was motivated by anticipated results or consequences,” and the intensity of their work was driven by the perception that their effort would lead to the desired outcome.

Expectancy theory is also known as the VIE theory due to its three core components:

• Valence – The value or importance an individual places on the reward

• Instrumentality – The belief that performance will lead to the desired outcome or reward

• Expectancy – The belief that effort will lead to the desired performance

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

One of the most well-known theories of motivation is Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. According to Maslow, individuals are motivated by a hierarchy of needs, ranging from basic physiological needs to higher-level psychological needs.

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Self-determination theory

Self-determination theory, or SDT represents a broad framework for the study of human motivation, personality and optimal functioning. It suggests that there are two main sources of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic and that both are powerful forces in shaping who we are and how we behave.

People are often moved by external factors such as reward systems, grades, evaluations or the opinions of other people. Yet, they are also frequently motivated from within, by interests, curiosity, care and abiding values.

According to the SDT, there are three psychological needs that if any of these needs are not satisfied, wellbeing will suffer and motivation is likely to dip.

• Autonomy – Feeling free and willing

• Competence – Feeling effective

• Relatedness – Feeling understood and cared for by others

Beliefs and Attitudes

Consumer attitudes and beliefs are the perceptions or viewpoints that consumers have towards a product or service. Attitudes and beliefs of consumers can be positive, negative or neutral depending on their experiences with the product or service.

Here’s a quick look:

• Attitudes: This refers to a consumer’s overall feelings or evaluations toward a product, service, brand or idea (e.g. I like electric cars because it’s better for the environment).

• Beliefs: These are the factual perceptions that consumers have about a product based on their own experiences or information they’ve heard (e.g. Coffee is black).

Attitude Function Theory

Understanding what customers believe about a product and how they have a feeling about it, can aid businesses and marketers in product development, improvement of brand image and more effective advertising strategies. To do that, it’s important to dive deeper into the functional perspectives of attitudes which explain why some people hold certain attitudes and how these attitudes influence the consumer purchasing decisions.

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References

Ackerman, C.E. 2018, Self-determination theory of motivation: why intrinsic motivation matters, Positive Psychology, available at <https://positivepsychology.com/self-determination-theory/>.

Center for Self-Determination Theory, Self-Determination Theory, available at <https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/>.

Jeremy, S 2024, Expectancy theory: defining Victor Vroom’s motivation theory, Positive Psychology, available at <https://positivepsychology.com/expectancy-theory/>.

Kentrix n.d., What is motivation in consumer behaviour: a comprehensive guide, Kentrix, available at <https://kentrix.in/what-is-motivation-in-consumer-behaviour-a-comprehensive-guide/>.

Harappa n.d., Drive reduction theory, Harappa Diaries, available at <https://harappa.education/harappa-diaries/drive-reduction-theory/>.

McLeod, S. 2023, Functions of attitudes theory, Simply Psychology, available at <https://www.simplypsychology.org/functions-of-attitude-theory.html>.

Riggio, R.E. 2015, Introduction to industrial and organizational psychology, 6th ed, New York: Routledge.

Solomon, M.R. 2015, ‘Motivation and affect’, Consumer behaviour: buying, having and being, 11th ed, Pearson Publishers, pp. 93-119.

Vroom, V.H. 1964, Work and motivation, New York: Wiley.