Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs shows the basic structure of where behaviour takes place, and when researching consumer behaviour there is usually two categories to deal with, derived from the five levels in the structure. The top three levels being Discretionary Wants, and the bottom two are Fundamental Needs.
A report based on a survey of more than 3,000 Chinese consumers, called “Understanding China: The Opportunities and Challenges“, from the research company Forrester, found out a major trend that Chinese consumers like Western products.
They elaborated on that point by asking “why do you prefer foreign brands?” And more than half of the people answered that they believed that foreign brands tend to be of superior quality than of domestic brands. From our understanding of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs we can tell that this marketing research is based on the category of discretionary wants. Most Chinese consumers feel that by possessing goods from foreign (Western ) brands they would be satisfying their discretionary wants, for example distinguishing themselves from others.
If a company was to set foot in the market in China, this research would be great use to them to understand the behaviour trend of Chinese consumers, they may adjust their marketing tactics to appeal to this behaviour, maybe emphasizing on their foreign brand.
