What is Consumer Need And Want

As previously stated,the starting point of Marketing is the identification of consumer needs. But what do we mean by needs?  Kotler(1997) defined needs as a state of deprivation of some basic satisfaction'. For instance, consumers require food, clothing, Shelter, safety, belonging and esteem. These needs are not created by Society or by marketers but rather exists in the very texture of human biology and the human conditions.

McCarthy and Perreault(1990) point out that need are the basic forces that motivate a person to do something. Needs are also said to be internal motivational States that are Arius d buy external stimuli or internal cues. For example,external stimuli may be a friend who influences the consumer to buy a new product,while internal cue may be thirst or hunger.

WHAT IS CONSUMER WANT?

There is a distinction between need and wants. Wants are said to be desires for specific satisfiers (I.e.products or resources) of needs, for instance,when a person is hungry,he needs food but wants garri,beans,rice,coke,cake,etc. Although consumers needs are few,their wants are many. Consumers wants are dynamic. In other words they are continually shaped and reshaped by social forces and institutions, including families,schools,churches,clubs,peer groups,and,others.

Marketing is concerned with meeting consumers needs and wants profitably. However, understanding these needs and wants is not always a simple task. This is because some consumers or customers have needs of which they are not fully conscious. Or may not be albe to articulate or express those needs clearly. And again they may use words that require some interpretations.