Stated intent is emotional. Commitment is situational.

Multiple consumer studies in 2025 showed the same weird gap:

People would talk about cutting back, spending less, being practical.

Then they bought other stuff anyway, as long as value and necessity show up clearly in the moment.

I don’t really think buyers are lying on purpose.

Most genuinely believe what they say when asked about spending intentions.

It just isn’t what they often go on to do.

This is often the case in surveys, where commitment level is zero.

Especially when money feels awkward … or the real answer doesn’t make them look how they want to be seen.

Answering a hypothetical question is not the same mental process or environment as making real spending decisions.

Money is painful to part with. We get real, fMRI-measurable pain signals from it.

And when people talk about budgets, they are usually not thinking about their Coveted Condition™.

They are thinking about optics, like how they DO want to be judged, and what is most rational.

Nobody’s remembering how their furnace was acting up last winter, or their tires that need replacing.

But IRL, at the point of purchase, everything flips.

Suddenly, the question becomes entirely personal and practical. Pain sensors activated. Coveted Condition locked in.

Will this get me to a desired future state?

Will this be a smart decision I won’t regret tomorrow?

Will it help me be closer to the way I continuously fantasize about being?

That is why value and necessity keep on overriding stated preferences.

The brain switches from narrative and casual question-answering to protection.

For product makers, this is a warning, and a big hint to chew on.

Surveys can be very useful, but they only reflect the lowest-hanging thoughts.

Behavior reveals needs, including latent and emerging pains.

If your positioning relies on what buyers say they want, you are preparing for the wrong moment.

Prep instead for the instant they feel the separation between spending pain and worthwhile payoff.

THAT is where real demand hangs its hat.

Want to make your product irresistible? That’s what we do as product marketing consultants at Graphos Product, helping innovators turn need-driven ideas into market-ready successes.