Why do personalities, self-concepts, and lifestyles influence consumer-related behavior choices? This question is important for future marketers to understand. While it may sound like a complicated question at first, hopefully this blog post will be able to help provide an answer. To understand why personalities, self-concepts, and lifestyles influence customer buying decisions. We need to understand how marketers describe each term.
Personalities
The first term to describe is customer personalities. Customers personalities are a collection of traits that customers show that form basic observable patterns. Understanding these can be extremely helpful to marketers as it allows them to better predict what a customer may do. For example, a customer segment may be more prone to exhibiting a nervous personality trait. Marketers will be able to interpret this information to realize that this customer segment will likely need more information before making a purchase, as well as moving slower through the purchasing funnel.
Self-Concepts
Self-concepts are ways that customers view themselves. This could also be called customer self-esteem. Customers will seek products and brands that align with their self-concept, then use these products to help express and reinforce that belief. This is a powerful tool for future marketers to understand. Ensuring that a company brand aligns with the self-concept of their target audience can help move customers through the buyer’s journey.
Lifestyles
Finally, lifestyles are the way customers choose to live their life. For example, a customer may be an avid outdoorsperson, who enjoys spending most of their free time outside. Marketers would describe this person as having an outdoor or adventurous lifestyle. Understanding a target markets lifestyle will be very important when it comes to ensuring a brands product aligns with their needs, wants, and desires. Another example, if a brand wanted to market their new product line of hiking backpacks it would seem foolish to align their product with a target market whose lifestyle involves staying inside to play videogames. While there is a chance that some customers in this target market may also hike, it would be much easier to advertise to a target market whose lifestyle is outdoor focused.