consumers needs and buying habits are dramatically changing.
Making a comprehensive list of all the consumer customer needs is very difficult but here are 39 to get you started. They are organized from Esoteric to Functional. The four most commonly stated needs are Quality, Value, Convenience and Choice. You can see many of these are related to those four but the details within these 39 can make a huge impact.
Social Impact
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Self-Transcendence
A belief of Maslow, this need goes beyond ordinary limitations. Few products or services provide this, but it can sometimes be found with religious experiences, art, personal growth, nature, and finding joy in simple moments that push away attachments or material possessions.
Life Changing Impacts
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Provides Hope
Do owning and using your products provide a hopeful feeling for the customer?
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Self-Actualizations
Do your products and services promote feelings of living authentically, ecstasy, wonder and awe, joy and happiness – or meh.
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Motivation
Do owning or using your products and services promote additional motivation for the consumer?
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Heirloom
Do owning and using your products and service bring back cherished memories of past events, people, and places?
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Affiliation / Belonging
Are you selling stuff or bringing us together to feel like a community?
Emotional Impacts
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Emotional Connection
Consumers want to feel understood, respected, and valued by a brand.
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Reduces Anxiety
Is it important for users and owners of your products to feel less anxiety?
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Trust and Reliability
Building trust through transparency, ethical sourcing, and a good reputation is essential.
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Social Impact
Consumers are increasingly concerned about environmental and social impact, seeking products and brands that align with their values.
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Rewards Me
How do your products and service promote a feeling of reward for consumers?
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Design and Aesthetics
Do consumers feel as though they have obtained a panache lift from owning your stuff?
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Badge Value
Does owning or using your products make consumers feel authoritative or in charge?
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Therapeutic Value and Wellness
Does using or owning your products and services contribute to feelings of wellness?
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Fun and Entertaining
Is it fun and entertaining to use and own your product line?
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Attractiveness
How do your products and services contribute to feeling of being more attractive?
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Provides Access
Does owning or using your products or services make me feel I have access to a higher lifestyle or community?
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Social Proof and Belonging
Consumers are influenced by reviews, recommendations, and social media engagement, seeking validation and a sense of community.
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Personalization
Tailoring experiences and products to individual needs and preferences enhances engagement and loyalty. While brands believe they put emphasis on this, only 60% of consumers agree.
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Digital Experience
A seamless and user-friendly digital experience, from browsing to checkout, is essential for online sales.
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Customer Service
Prompt, helpful, and accessible customer service is crucial for building trust and resolving issues. 70% of consumers have stopped doing business with a company due to poor customer service.
Functional Customer Needs
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Saves Time
Do your products and services save the consumer time?
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Simplifies
Do your products, services and sales approaches simplify things for the customer?
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Reduces Risk
Do your products and services reduce risk for the customer?
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Return on Investment
Some consumer products can be resold at a higher price later.
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Organizes
How well do your products and services help the customer to feel organized and sorted?
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Integrates and Connects
How well do your products work with other products? Open architecture?
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Reduces Effort
Does using your products or services reduce effort for the customer. How is the ‘after care’ effort?
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Avoids Hassles
Are your customers feeling worried about future hassle?
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Reduces Cost
Cost to maintain and repair, cost to operate.
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Quality
Includes performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability, aesthetics, and perceived quality.
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Variety
This means variety of similar substitutes. Do you make customers buy more than they need? Do they have just the right selections?
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Sensory Appeal
Smell, sight, feel, sound are all important to the ownership of most products.
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Messaging Channels
A positive experience on a preferred messaging channel significantly improves brand loyalty for 96% of customers
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Informs
Consumers need access to clear and accurate information about products, services, and the company.
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Price and Cost
Consumers are always looking for value. But value doesn’t need to be achieved only with low price. Using the other needs listed here as a guide, improving value on products, services, sales approaches and brand will give you better revenue and margin than reducing price.
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Convenience
Easy access, online ordering, quick delivery, and hassle-free returns are highly valued.
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Choice
Different than Variety, Choice includes substitutes that may provide healthier options. Do you provide these?
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Ease of Use
Products and services should be easy to understand and use, minimizing frustration and maximizing satisfaction.