Why do people buy?

That is, what are the "emotional triggers" that cause people to want to buy something....

Some examples are:
- to save money (eg. the various discount stores)
- to show off to their friends (eg. flashy "high-status" cars)
- to add something to their "collection" (many people are collectors - I used to collect foreign money, both notes and coins)
- to relive their childhood (like baby boomers collecting toys from the 1950s and 60s)
- to add some "beauty" to their lives (like moving out of the city, to a home where deer and the antelope play!)

What are some others?

It seems to me that when you know these, you can build businesses around them.

Each business would have a different "quality" too, I think, since the motivation of why people buy does affect the "feeling" the business has, in my opinion.... Maybe it's because the kind of people you deal with in these different businesses are different themselves.

Anyhow, I'd love to hear your thoughts....

- Dien