Why’d you do it?

Consumer Motivation

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Police ask ‘what is their motive?’ Marketers must ask the same. Why do people do the things they do? Why do they buy the things they buy? The answers to all these questions come down to motivation.

Motivation is the ‘force that causes an individual to take action and initiate, guide and maintain behaviours’ (Shrestha P 2017).

Put simply, once a need is recognised the individual is in a state of tension until they have satisfied the need. So where does motivation come from? Goals. Motivation is created in an attempt to reach a goal, the importance of the goal determines the intensity of motivation.

What to Eat?

There is extensive research into the influences on food choices. Research has concluded that ‘sensory appeal, healthiness, convenience and price’ are the most significant factors (Kaya 201). HelloFresh addresses each of these influences with ‘food that’s good and good for you’ (HelloFresh 2019). The pre-portioned and delivery serve satisfies the need for convenience. Discounts and promotions allows the products to be accessible at a reasonable price and consequently increase accessibility.

Kaya (2016) notes that food choice is influenced by the;

Product – Intrinsic and extrinsic
Consumer – knowledge, beliefs and attitudes
Consumption Context – occasion, cultural and environment

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Theory

Utilitarian/Extrinsic: actions are done for an external purpose or functional benefit. HelloFresh emphasises the practicality and convenience of their product/service through their advertising mechanisms. Functional features include: perfectly portioned ingredients to prevent waste, deliver-to-door service, ability to pick diets and meals and quick instructions with pictorial aids.
Hedonic/Intrinsic: actions are carried out for experiential or emotional desire, purely for the enjoyment of the activity. HelloFresh highlights the ability to enjoy cooking without stressing about the meal planning (HelloFresh 2019). It also addresses the desires of the environmentally conscious appealing to their wants with waste minimisation and 100% recyclable packaging.

Drive and Expectancy Theory

Sources; Shrestha P 2017, & Solomon, Russell-Bennet & Previte 2018

The implementation of influencer marketing supports expectancy theory. Influencers demonstrate, support or highlight the benefits of HelloFresh which reduces consumer concern. Consequently, consumers are more likely to associate HelloFresh with positive consequences. Additionally, using promotion codes reduces risk for customers and therefore increases the likelihood for purchase. Sponsored posts by influencers are accompanied by additional discounts which combines the two methods to reduce perceived cognitive dissonance and consequently increase sales.