What It Takes
Characterizing what goes into a purchase decision is, I’m guessing, the most important thing a company can do. Why does anyone buy anything? There are lots of ways to talk about it, but the one I’m enjoying these days, I call the “Love It / Solve It” chart. Here it is:
The idea is this: In order for me to buy a product, it must both solve my problem, to some extent, and I must love it, to some extent. Exactly how much a product must solve and how much I must love before I’ll by are related to each other along some curve. If a product is above and to-the-right of the curve, as the star is, I’ll by. Below the curve, and no dice.
What does it mean that the factors are related? If I really, really love a product, I may buy it even if it doesn’t really solve a problem particularly well. Phillipe Starck’s “Juicy Salif” juicer is a good example–it’s not a great juicer, but it’s beautiful. Consumers buy it because they like how it looks more than for how it solves the juicing problem. In the extreme, products high in love but low in solve are simply Objets d’Art. The only problem they need solve is the desire for neat stuff.
Similarly, if a product solves a problem really, really well, I may buy it even if I don’t love it that much. I have a toaster but I can’t remember what brand it is. It makes toast; beyond that, I don’t care anything about it. Commodity products of all types fit into this category–anything you buy just because you need it, regardless of any emotional attachment. For me, this includes food staples, underwear, pencils, etc.
The shape of that curve is pretty important for a provider of product and services, because it dictates the way a product balances functional and emotional aspects. The curve differs from person to person, of course, and from product category to product category for an individual. If I’m buying a bar of soap, the “love it” bar is set pretty low; my wife pays closer attention, so her curve is “higher”–soap has a higher “love it” burden for her than for me.
Of course, life is pretty complicated, and this graph is a little simplistic, but still useful to talk about design and marketing. I’ll have more to say next week!
Question: Do consumers love your product? Or does it just solve their problem?
