Why People Buy Things They Don't Need

Knowing why consumers buy what they do is the secret to predicting how they will behave in a shifting world. Yet, marketers often look only at actual consumer behavior, without finding out why the choices were made.

Pamela Danziger, president of Unity Marketing, has been an astute researcher of the "whys" behind consumer behavior for more than 20 years. She began writing this book before September 11, 2001. After the terrorist attacks, she added to her research to help her understand how purchase behavior might have changed, the underlying causes, and what companies could do to win the hearts of their customers in a difficult and changing world.

This insight-filled book is based upon surveys, interviews, and focus groups with hundreds of men and women of all ages who make discretionary purchases—who buy things they could probably do without. She explains that the roots of human behavior are remarkably stable throughout one’s life, and these are the best predictor s of how changes in the external environment will affect consumer behavior. Ms. Danziger’s book profiles customers for dozens of categories, of discretionary spending, explores 14 different "justifiers" that people use to rationalize when they buy things they could do without, and provides myriad examples from excellent marketers who have used their knowledge of underlying motivators to help consumers justify their purchases and become satisfied customers. Corporate leaders, marketing and sales executives, strategic planners, futurists, and merchandisers are sure to benefit from this analysis of why people buy.