American psychologist Maslow once proposed a five-level theory of needs, which was later collectively referred to as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, as shown in Figure 2-4.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory helps to explore the real needs of buyers and understand the interests that buyers care about. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, needs can be divided into physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, respect needs, and self-actualization needs. These needs are arranged from low to high.
(1) Physiological needs
Physiological needs are the basic needs of buyers to maintain their survival, including clothing, food, housing, transportation, and other aspects. For buyers, physiological needs are the most important needs, and this need is also the driving force that drives buyers to buy products. Maslow believes that only when physiological needs are met will people pursue other high-level needs.
E-commerce companies should have a deep understanding of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. For example, when an e-commerce company selling food learns that buyers want to enjoy delicious food without leaving home, the e-commerce company can produce food that suits the buyers’ tastes and cooperate with convenient and fast logistics companies to meet the buyers’ needs.
(2) Safety needs
Maslow believes that people are pursuing safety at all times. For people, sensory organs and effector organs are tools for seeking safety. For example, when people eat spoiled food, they will spit it out immediately. Some e-commerce companies have seized the buyers’ safety needs and manufactured and sold products such as anti-wolf spray and smart safety jewelry. Such considerate products will naturally make buyers feel trustful and greatly stimulate their desire to buy.
(3) Social needs
Social needs include two aspects: one is friendship and the other is belonging. Many buyers do not want to be isolated, but want to be cared for and taken care of. Interactive products such as smart speakers can meet the social needs of buyers and are the focus of e-commerce companies.
(4) Respect needs
Respect needs can be divided into internal respect needs and external respect needs. Internal respect needs refer to the ability of buyers to achieve independence in various situations. Its essence is the self-esteem of buyers. External respect needs refer to the desire of buyers to be respected and highly evaluated by others. When the need for respect is met, buyers will be more confident and enthusiastic and can better play their own value. The popularity of “Kua Kua Group” and “Kua People Service” on major e-commerce platforms to a certain extent shows that for buyers, respect needs are becoming more and more important.
(5) Self-actualization needs
Self-actualization needs are the highest level of needs, which are the needs of individuals to exert their abilities and realize their ideals. In other words, the satisfaction of self-actualization needs will make individuals feel the greatest happiness. Nowadays, the businesses related to self-realization needs mainly include online courses and knowledge payment. With the development of the times, such businesses will continue to increase.
Tips
When exploring the real needs of buyers, e-commerce companies can start with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. At the same time, e-commerce companies should also target buyers’ pain points, solve the problems faced by buyers, and bring core value to buyers.