I was really excited when I learned that we had to take the VALS survey . I usually love taking placement tests because it gives me insight into the method to my madness, so to speak. So I took the survey and it told me that my primary VALS is an Experience and my secondary VALS is an Innovator. Upon reading the definition, I was somewhat skeptical of the accuracy. I mean I don’t always have to have the newest, trendiest things. And truthfully, I don’t care what others view me as; this is some characteristics of being an Experiencer. On the other hand I am a impulse buyer, and I love to take risks. The Innovator matches more of my characteristics when it comes to buying. The survey results were very accurate. “Innovators are very active consumers, and their purchases reflect cultivated tastes for upscale, niche products and services.“ This quote describes me very well.
I think that it is important to learn the psychology behind buying, because it gives insight on why people purchase and what motivates them to buy. Although some may say that this practice is bias and is based on stereotypes, it is important to note that not all the characteristics are accurate. Some of the characteristics may not even apply to every person. But just as detectives have criminal profiles to help calculate what the criminal is going to do next, it is important to have a consumer profile.
Last Tuesday my group profiled a Lane Bryant consumer. Her profile consisted of (after feed back from the class) a woman named Jane in her 30’s-40’s, has 2 children, is married, drives a Toyota Camry, makes $60000-$70,000 a year, and owns a house. I would consider her primary VALS as Achiever and her Secondary VALS as a Thinker. The profiling of this Lane Bryant customer was pretty accurate. If I was selling something to a consumer like Jane, I would know more about her buying style because of the VALS survey.
