There are many reasons why people buy things; these can range from the basic need for an item to filling an emotional void. There are in fact 15 main influences that lead people to make a purchase and here, we reveal what they are:

What influences people to buy?

Basic need is understandably the most reason that people are driven to make a purchase. Whether this is food, clothing or shelter we purchase it because it is a necessity. Some items of clothing, such as school uniforms, could also fall into the compulsory purchase category.

Sometimes we make a purchase for convenience. This is because buying it is the easy, simple option, and often the quickest. The convenience of the product that is being offered outweighs the increase in price you might encounter.

Broken an item and need to purchase a replacement? This is another reason for making a purchase. Whether it is because the item is broken, out of date or doesn’t fit, purchasing a replacement can make sense.

Very often name recognition can come into play when replacing a broken item. If the item in question has lasted well and done the job properly then you are more likely to use this as a starting point for your next purchase – of course if it broke rather quickly then the opposite could apply.

Any commodity that is experiencing scarcity, whether there is limited availability or because it is running out is more appealing to buyers – something people are finding more and more in recent times. This is also true of things such as antiques and collectables, however, and can have a significant influence on whether to purchase or not.

The same can be said when it comes to prestige; people want the latest of something because they want to be seen to be keeping on trend. For some things that are considered more of a luxury item than a necessity, for example purchasing a beauty treatment or something like perfume or makeup, people buy because they want to indulge themselves.

Lower prices such as those available during big sales can play a role in making people purchase something too. You might have been lusting after that flat screen TV for months but been unable to justify the price. A big drop in price during a sale can often make it a more justifiable purchase. Great value plays a huge part in many impulse purchases. When you see something that is a really good price it can be hard to pass up the deal.

We have all been guilty of purchasing something because it was the latest fad or innovation. An amazing gadget endorsed by your favourite celebrity can quickly become something that sits at the back of your cupboard gathering dust.

Or worse still, purchasing something in order to impress someone, or because you want to go one better than everyone else by having the biggest and best available option.

If you are looking to meet a certain social status, ego stroking and likeability – the belief that someone will like us better because we own something – can play a huge part in purchasing influences.

Of course these are not the only reasons that people feel compelled to make a purchase. Some people buy to fill an emotional vacuum, because they are looking for something that will fulfil a safety requirement or even because they want to make a donation to charity in order to feel good about themselves.

For many people though, the decision to buy is based on emotion, and the logic to justify the purchase follows. Companies actively try to show customers how good they will feel as a result of using a product or service in order to ensure that they keep coming back.

Buy Now Button

The “Buy Now Button” is a powerful tool that online websites use to entice customers into making a purchase.

This highly visible graphic offers a visitor to a website the option to click to make a purchase, and they are then redirected to a shopping cart containing the item they were looking at. It is that simple.

One single click and the item you were looking at is in your basket and ready to pay for. The word “Now” offers a great motivation and urgency to the potential purchaser to convert their browsing into purchasing.

This strategy of creating urgency is constantly seen at casino affiliate websites where a particular bonus will be expiring unless you act NOW.

Optimising the Buy Now Button

Website designers know that the wording alone is not enough, but paired with colours such as red, orange or blue it is far more likely to have the desired outcome. Red in particular is used for grabbing attention in order to increase instant sales; blue is often associated with impulse purchases.

Orange is seen as a warning colour that signals urgency. Websites use these physiological tactics to lure customers in order to boost their sales.

Both the shape and size of the ‘buy now’ button are also important. The human brain is programmed to avoid pointy things so whether you opt for a rounded button or a rectangle you need something with rounded corners.

It should also be large enough to tap on easily; especially when using a mobile phone, which is becoming an increasingly popular choice amongst consumers.

However, the button should not be too big that it ruins the design of you page as customers may find it distracting.

Positioning

To achieve maximum profit, the location of the “Buy Now” button is crucial.

Homepage

The “Buy Now” button is often added to the homepage of a website alongside popular products such as new arrivals, best sellers and special offers.

When added to the sidebar the “Buy Now” button is visible to potential customers browsing the website. It allows the product to be visible regardless of which page the customer is browsing.

Blog

Company blogs can add a “Buy Now” button within an article to catch the customers while they are captivated by the story they are reading.

Landing page

Using a landing page to launch or promote a single product is a great place to add the “Buy Now” button as it allows for instant selling.

“Buy Now” buttons are also added to photo galleries to offer maximum impact.

If you are looking to add a “Buy Now” to your online site in order to drive more sales then it is important to consider which products it will work well for. When looking at the locations, shape and size of your “Buy Now” button remember those things which draw customers to click.

The colour, size, location and even shape of the button you use, as well as convincing copy on the rest of the site will all combine to draw your potential customer in and convert their search into that all-important purchase.