When selling products, it’s important to understand that our desires come from. An easy-to-understand theory of needs is the five-tiered hierarchy of needs, developed by American psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970). Maslow proposed that human needs are structured into five levels: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. Maslow’s theory states that we achieve self-actualization by clearing physiological needs at the bottom and then safety needs at the top. Maslow’s model seems to hold clues about the situations in which these needs arise and the types of product purchases they lead to.
Product sales are an important factor for companies. In 2010, psychologist Douglas Kenrick conducted an interesting experiment. His research team wondered whether men who had been exposed to sexualized images would exhibit changes in their purchasing behavior. The research team first recruited heterosexual men. Half of the participants were shown photos of attractive members of the opposite sex, while the other half were shown photos of ordinary buildings. They were then asked what they would buy if they had $2,000 to spend. The building group preferred everyday items like low-cost jeans and toaster ovens. Meanwhile, men who viewed photos of attractive members of the opposite sex were more likely to desire luxury items like designer sandals and high-end car stereos. “Physiological needs” are the desire for reproduction and survival. Reproduction and survival are fundamental principles of behavior found in all living things. The fundamental desire that makes both men and women interested in the opposite sex is important to keep in mind when selling products.
The pursuit of beauty and health are fundamental human desires. Products and services that satisfy these desires will become the high-quality content of the future. For example, the major apparel company Onward has acquired a venture company that deals in natural cosmetics. Beauty and nature are closely related, so it makes sense for this company to acquire a venture company that deals in natural cosmetics. Destroying nature leads to devastation in people’s hearts. If nature and beauty are hidden in a product, it will have something to soothe people’s hearts. Even if functionality and convenience improve, if “beauty” is lost from the world, it will become a brutal society. It will be interesting to see what kind of ingenuity companies will come up with in their pursuit of combining the beauty of fashion and the beauty of cosmetics. Furthermore, if a health element is added to this, it may become a fun product or service.
