Every day we pay for various goods or services. Given that the overall amount of money for most of us is quite limited, something always has to be sacrificed.
It hurts the most when you have to deny yourself the purchase of such desirable and often expensive things like new gadgets or clothes. But do we really need them so much? Any purchase is caused by a certain need for something. From a scientific point of view, this need may be functional or psychological.
We’re all a little crazy, yeah. In practice, both functional and psychological requirements are rarely found in pure form. When choosing a product, we are often impressed, it looks beautiful, but after leaving the store we evaluate pros and cons and find our current product is hardly worse.
From a psychological point of view, you feel the joy and enjoyment of this product, and from the functional point of view, you understand that to accomplish the current tasks, it is enough to stay with the old product. There is a conflict of interests, in our case – needs.
If the buyer behaves on the basis of two opposites, then the manufacturer acts the same way. A product is created that performs certain tasks, and a number of operations (advertising and marketing) are carried out to create certain emotions and force the buyer to purchase this product, even if he does not need it.
As an example let’s consider, several products of our beloved company: Macbook, iPhone, iPad.
Why do we need a new Mac? Apple computers have long been a highly specialized tool for professionals working in creative fields, working with photos and videos. They were bought even despite their high (comparing to analogs) value. The quality, performance, and functionality were really important. Over time, the situation has changed, Mac security and productivity is not so perfect anymore. So, today the advertising budget of Apple is not big enough to force everyone to buy a Mac. Although, it is worth noting that the MacBook is the only laptop whose sales did not fall even in times of crisis.
With the iPhone, the situation is the opposite. It is much more expensive than its counterparts, but even people who need no other functions but to make calls still buy iPhones.
Interesting features like TrueTone or Force Touch, are enough to satisfy the purchase of this smartphone, so here emotions take up over the rational matter. We need to pay tribute to the marketers of the company, they know their business.
iPad takes an interesting position. This is a fairly productive tool, easy to use, delighting users with its simplicity and design.
Just a couple of years ago people were selling their laptops and choosing the iPad as their main tool. But tablet sales are falling even for Apple, what’s the problem?
The answer is quite simple: at the moment, the potential of tablet capabilities is exhausted, and the new models do not look very different from the old ones. Neither functional nor psychological factors will force the consumer to spend his or her money. Even today you can comfortably work with old iPad Air. There is no point in changing the 2-3-year-old device to a new one.
Let’s hope that with the release of iOS 14 the situation will change since it hurts not only business but us – ordinary consumers. The less money the company receives from the sale of its goods, the less it invests in its development.
And what does all this mean? Do dishonest capitalists try to fool us? Do we need to forget about shops once and for all? Of course not! But going to the store, take your time and think well. I am confident that understanding your needs will save you from useless spending.
