Natia Kakulia

International Black Sea University

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs has been used by many businesses to explain human behavior. It is also well-known to be used by marketers to explain what motivates customers to behave as they do. For brands and marketers to understand how to use the pyramid, they must understand how their product serves the consumer at each stage.

The first need people need to satisfy is physiological needs, that’s because our bodies will not function without them. Air, food and water are the most important. In marketing physiological needs equals to product functionality. It means what a product can do for a person. A product’s functionality is used by marketers to identify product features.  In our example of Nikora, the products they offer must be beneficial for customers, otherwise they will not have any customers. The products must be related to the basic needs of humans.

However, markets are competetive and the decision of which products to buy gets complicated and that’s when Maslow’s other levels “come into play”.

The next step is safety, which means trust and stability. after people satisfy their need of physiological needs, they have a need to feel safe. For example, a  car manufacturer targeting young families is not likely to focus on the top speeds and luxury items in their advertising campaigns, but instead on the cost effectiveness and safety features.

Nikora can sign the contracts with well-known companies, which people already trust. This will make the customers feel important and they will have the feeling of safety.

After that, people have social needs.  When first two stages of needs mostly are met, people begin to feel the need for friends, a partner, children, relationships, a sense of community. Creating a sense of belonging or love for the product is also a need. Nikora Supermarket took into account the long-standing desire of the public and offered customers a service of saving cards. This creates a sense of community and earns trust and love from customers.

Next need in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is Esteem needs. People desire to have respect and be respected by others, this includes self-esteem, confidence and a sence of self achievement. In my opinion, in this case the public opinion on the product is important. If Nikora Supermarket is not respected in public, many people would avoid shopping there, because they do not want to go against the opinion of the majority. Thus, it is very important for Nikora to be respected from people.

The final need in Maslow’s pyramid is self-actualisation. This includes a sense of autonomy, freedom and creative fulfillment. Nikora should include in their advertisments that shopping there is comfortable and efficient, thus people would have more time left for self-improvement and would be able to spend their free time how they want.

Taking into account all these above-mentioned factors, we could safely arrive a conclusion that Nikora meets the neeeds of customers. As the competition grows and customers needs change and develop, they may need to improve some details, but mostly, they have successful and efficient marketing.