If you’re building a SaaS, a startup product, or an internal tool for clients, you might believe people buy because of great features, beautiful UI, or a unique idea.
The truth is — they don’t.
People only pay for one (or several) of the 10 fundamental reasons below.
Understanding these human motives will help you build products that truly matter — the ones that sell, grow, and last.
1️⃣ Save Time
Time is the most valuable currency.
If your product helps users get things done faster, automate manual work, or shorten workflows, it immediately creates value.
👉 Examples:
- Zapier automates repetitive tasks.
- Calendly eliminates back-and-forth scheduling.
A product that saves one hour a day will always find buyers.
2️⃣ Avoid Pain
People act more strongly to avoid pain than to gain pleasure.
Pain can mean stress, mistakes, confusion, or frustration.
👉 Examples:
- Grammarly prevents embarrassing writing mistakes.
- Stripe removes the pain of handling payments and compliance.
Help people avoid pain — and they’ll stay loyal.
3️⃣ Make Money
If your product helps users earn more money, it practically sells itself.
👉 Examples:
- Shopify enables anyone to open an online store.
- Ahrefs helps marketers grow traffic and revenue.
When a product generates income, it needs less convincing.
4️⃣ Save Money
If you can’t help users make more, help them spend less.
People love tools that reduce overhead or replace multiple subscriptions.
👉 Examples:
- Notion replaces several management tools.
- Figma saves teams from paying for multiple design licenses.
5️⃣ Feel Loved
A great product isn’t just a tool — it’s an experience.
When users feel heard, supported, and cared for, they stay.
👉 Examples:
- Basecamp is known for its human, empathetic support.
- Many indie SaaS products win users simply by caring more.
People may forget your features, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.
6️⃣ Gain Praise
Everyone loves to look smart, capable, and creative.
If your product helps users get praise from others, they’ll proudly share it.
👉 Examples:
- Canva makes anyone design like a pro.
- Notion makes your workspace look elegant and modern.
If your tool makes users look good — they’ll do your marketing for you.
7️⃣ Get Comfort
People pay for peace of mind.
That could mean stability, data safety, or simply a smoother user experience.
👉 Examples:
- 1Password gives users confidence that their data is safe.
- Dropbox lets you relax knowing your files are backed up.
8️⃣ Improve Health
Health isn’t just physical — it’s also mental balance, focus, and well-being.
Products that improve users’ daily lives create lasting loyalty.
👉 Examples:
- Calm helps reduce stress.
- RescueTime helps users avoid burnout.
9️⃣ Avoid Effort
The less users have to think or work, the better.
The best SaaS products do the heavy lifting automatically.
👉 Examples:
- ChatGPT reduces writing and thinking effort.
- Typeform lets you create beautiful forms without code.
People love products that make them feel productive with minimal effort.
🔟 Increase Status
People buy things that make them look more professional, capable, or high-status.
If your product enhances their image — it’ll always have buyers.
👉 Examples:
- Webflow lets you build pro-level websites with no code.
- LinkedIn Premium helps users stand out professionally.
People don’t buy features — they buy a better version of themselves.
💡 The Core Insight
Products that do any of these get sales.
Products that don’t, simply won’t sell as well.
If your product touches even one or two of these human motives, it will sell.
And if you’re not great at marketing, make sure it touches as many as possible — because that’s how great products market themselves.
🧭 Takeaway for Startups, Agencies & Product Teams
Next time you brainstorm your next product idea, don’t start with:
“What can we build that’s cool?”
Start with:
“How does this product save time, reduce pain, or make users look better?”
That’s how you create real value — not just another app, but a solution people are truly willing to pay for.
