MarketingLesson 3 of 4 in the course Marketing and Customer Value

Interpreting Consumer Needs and Marketing Value Exchanges

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 4 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Understanding what customers truly need is essential for offering products and services that satisfy them. A customer’s first request may not explain the full reason behind a purchase, so marketers need to ask questions and interpret responses carefully.

Customers may be unaware of some needs, struggle to explain them, or use words that can mean different things. A request for a “restful” hotel, an “attractive” bathing suit, or a “powerful” lawn mower leaves room for interpretation. Marketers can ask follow-up questions to clarify what those descriptions mean to each customer.

All flashcards

What are stated needs?
They are the needs a customer clearly specifies or directly requests, such as asking for a new phone.
How do real needs differ from stated needs?
Stated needs are the customer's direct requests; real needs clarify what those requests mean, such as the particular features that matter in a phone.
What is an unstated need?
It is an expectation the customer has but does not explicitly ask for, such as helpful service while buying a phone.
What makes a need a delight need?
It adds a welcome “wow” factor that can make an offering more desirable, such as a complimentary phone case.
What is a secret need?
It is a motive the customer may not state or even recognize, such as choosing a product partly because it conveys status.

Quiz questions

  1. A customer directly asks for a new phone. Which type of need does this request express?Answer: A stated need.
  2. A customer asks for a phone, and a salesperson clarifies which features matter most. What is the salesperson identifying?Answer: The customer's real needs.
  3. A phone shopper expects helpful retailer service but does not ask for it. Which type of need is this?Answer: An unstated need.
  4. A free phone case pleasantly surprises a buyer. Which type of need does this benefit address?Answer: A delight need.
  5. A customer chooses a phone partly because owning it signals status, without mentioning that motive. Which type of need may be involved?Answer: A secret need.

Based on Principles of Marketing by Dr. Maria Gomez Albrecht, Dr. Mark Green, Linda Hoffman (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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