Why People Buy Perhaps you already know why people buy, but do you know all 51 reasons? The more of those reasons you know, the better you'll be able to market.By Jay Conrad Levinson Geoff Ayling, in his superb book, "Rapid Response Advertising," provides wannabe guerrillas with a full fifty reasons why people buy. There are really far more than fifty, but I have a feeling that these fifty will get your creative juices flowing. People make purchases for these, among many reasons: 1. To make more money â even though it canât buy happiness 2. To become more comfortable, even a bit more 3. To attract praise â because almost everybody loves it 4. To increase enjoyment â of life, of business, of virtually anything 5. To possess things of beauty â because they nourish the soul 6. To avoid criticism â which nobody wants 7. To make their work easier â a constant need to many people 8. To speed up their work â because people know that time is precious 9. To keep up with the Joneses â there are Joneses in everybodyâs lives 10. To feel opulent â a rare, but valid reason to make a purchase 11. To look younger â due to the reverence placed upon youthfulness 12. To become more efficient â because efficiency saves time 13. To buy friendship â I didnât know itâs for sale, but it often is 14. To avoid effort â because nobody loves to work too hard 15. To escape or avoid pain â which is an easy path to making a sale 16. To protect their possessions â because they worked hard to get them 17. To be in style â because few people enjoy being out of style 18. To avoid trouble â because trouble is never a joy 19. To access opportunities â because they open the doors to good things 20. To express love â one of the noblest reasons to make any purchase 21. To be entertained â because entertainment is usually fun 22. To be organized â because order makes lives simpler 23. To feel safe â because security is a basic human need 24. To conserve energy â their own or their planetâs sources of energy 25. To be accepted â because that means security as well as love 26. To save time -- because they know time is more valuable than money 27. To become more fit and healthy -- seems to me thatâs an easy sale 28. To attract the opposite sex â never undermine the power of love 29. To protect their family â tapping into another basic human need 30. To emulate others â because the world is teeming with role models 31. To protect their reputation â because they worked hard to build it 32. To feel superior â which is why status symbols are sought after 33. To be trendy â because they know their friends will notice 34. To be excited â because people need excitement in a humdrum life 35. To communicate better -- because they want to be understood 36. To preserve the environment â giving rise to cause-related marketing 37. To satisfy an impulse â a basic reason behind a multitude of purchases 38. To save money â the most important reason to 14% of the population 39. To be cleaner â because unclean often goes with unhealthy and unloved 40. To be popular â because inclusion beats exclusion every time 41. To gratify curiosity -- it killed the cat but motivates the sale 42. To satisfy their appetite â because hunger is not a good thing 43. To be individual â because all of us are, and some of us need assurance 44. To escape stress â need I explain? 45. To gain convenience â because simplicity makes life easier 46. To be informed â because itâs no joy to be perceived as ignorant 47. To give to others â another way you can nourish your soul 48. To feel younger â because that equates with vitality and energy 49. To pursue a hobby â because all work and no play etc. etc. etc. 50. To leave a legacy â because thatâs a way to live forever