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Hedonic and Utilitarian Motivators in Shopping
Shopping research divides people’s motivations for shopping and buying into two broad categories. The “Utilitarian” motivators are practical and economic, and the the “Hedonic” motivations relate to pleasure, leisure and self-image. It isn’t surprising that men are more influenced by the utilitarian motivators, while women are more influenced by the hedonic motivators:
” Women showed much stronger buying involvement than did men, particularly on the leisure and social dimensions, whereas men were high on apathy … as a general tendency, men are comparatively more motivated by functional factors, whereas women are more motivated by emotional and social factors.” (1)
(1) Helga Dittmar, Karen Long, and Rosie Meek, “Buying on the Internet: Gender Differences in On-Line and Conventional Buying Motivations,” Sex Roles: A Journal of Research 50.5-6 (2004), Questia, 28 Dec. 2007