Publications

October 2019
Article

Correcting Consumer Misperception

By: Omar Isaac Asensio

For the well informed, taking actions to curb energy consumption from household appliances is uncomplicated. Now, research shows that simple information provision interventions can correct consumer misperceptions of the energy consumed by common appliances, offering... View Details

Keywords: Energy Conservation; Knowledge Dissemination

September 2010 (Revised December 2010)
Case

Santander Consumer Finance

By: J. Gunnar Trumbull, Elena Corsi and Andrew Barron

A Spanish company has to decide if they should expand into the fragmented European consumer finance market and has to make important organizational strategy decisions in the midst of the world economic downturn that followed the 2007 U.S. credit crunch. Since 2002, the... View Details

Keywords: Borrowing and Debt; Financial Markets; International Finance; Personal Finance; Consolidation; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Financial Services Industry; European Union; Spain

Research Summary

Consumer Habituation

This paper examines how consumers willingness to pay for goods is determined by past patterns of consumption. The central result is a theorem of interior maximum, which states that willingness to pay for a good is maximized at a moderate level of habitual... View Details

2021
Working Paper

Consuming Contests: Outcome Uncertainty and Spectator Demand for Contest-based Entertainment

By: Patrick J. Ferguson and Karim R. Lakhani

Contests that are designed to be consumed for entertainment by non-contestants are a fixture of economic, cultural and political life. In this paper, we examine whether individuals prefer to consume contests that have more uncertain outcomes. We look to... View Details

Keywords: Contest Design; Information Preferences; Consumer Demand; Sports; Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Demand and Consumers; Outcome or Result

SSRN

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April 2017
Article

Introduction to Special Issue: The Consumer in a Connected World

By: John A. Deighton, Jacob Goldenberg and Andrew T. Stephen

Keywords: Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Consumer Research; Smartphones; Data; Technology

Read Now

March 1992 (Revised October 1994)
Case

AT&T Consumer Products

By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.

Describes the factors AT&T Consumer Products managers considered in deciding whether to locate a new plant for telephone answering machines in the United States, Asia, or Mexico. Describes in depth the restructuring of AT&T during the 1980s, the competition facing its... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Competitive Strategy; Trade; Management; Operations; Crime and Corruption; Executive Compensation; Selection and Staffing; Demand and Consumers; Asia; Mexico

Video

Consumer Goods Webinar

2015
Chapter

Consumer Neuroscience: Revealing Meaningful Relationships Between Brain and Consumer Behavior

By: Hilke Plassmann and Uma R. Karmarkar

The goal of this chapter is to give an overview of the nascent field of consumer neuroscience and discuss when and how it is useful to integrate the "black box" of the consumer's brain into consumer psychology. To reach this goal, we first briefly outline several... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Cognition and Thinking

23 Jul 2021
Blog Post

Trends in Consumer Products

A job search in Consumer Products requires thorough research to understand how Covid has affected a company’s business. Most consumer products companies had very uneven business results—some brands saw... View Details

August 1995 (Revised January 1997)
Exercise

Consumer Behavior Exercise (C)

By: John A. Deighton and Susan M. Fournier

Students are instructed to interview a recent purchaser of a high-involvement/ego-expressive product or service in depth about his/her buying decision. The exercise provides students with first-hand understanding of important concepts in consumer choice domain (e.g.,... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior

Fast Answer

Consumer confidence

Where can I find information on consumer confidence and sentiment? Conference Board: From the "Economy, Strategy & Fiance page," select "Consumer Dynamics." Surveys of Consumers: Current and... View Details

Fast Answer

Consumer demographics

Where do I find data on consumer demographics and buying behavior? You may begin with: Passport provides data and market reports related to consumer lifestyles in a wide range of industries and... View Details

October 1975
Background Note

Consumer Analysis

Research Summary

Consumer Behavior and Health

Professor Riis studies consumer behavior and health using the methods and theories of experimental psychology and behavioral economics. Particular problems that he is currently investigating include:

• Information use and decision making in food service... View Details

August 1995 (Revised January 1997)
Exercise

Consumer Behavior Exercise (A)

By: John A. Deighton and Susan M. Fournier

Students are instructed to interview a recent purchaser of a low-involvement product or service in depth about his/her buying decision. The exercise provides students with first-hand understanding of important concepts in consumer choice domain (e.g., stages in the... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior

January 2020 (Revised April 2020)
Teaching Note

Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods

By: Jill Avery

Brandless, an online direct-to-consumer seller of upscale private-label consumer packaged goods (CPG), offered consumers a limited assortment of values-conscious products delivered directly to their homes with the simplicity of one fixed $3.00 price point that promised... View Details

Keywords: Brand; Brand Management; DTC; Private Label; Groceries; Packaged Food; Personal Care; Startups; Retailing; Amazon; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Business Startups; Disruption; E-commerce; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States

March 1999 (Revised December 2001)
Background Note

Analyzing Consumer Perceptions

By: Robert J. Dolan

Describes the perceptual mapping techniques in a non-technical fashion. The procedure is useful for the depiction of the structure of the market. Discusses alternative methods, presents examples of each, and shows how the maps can be used in marketing decision making. View Details

Keywords: Industry Structures; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Behavior

January 2014
Technical Note

Learning From Extreme Consumers

By: Jill Avery and Michael Norton

Traditional market research methods focus on understanding the average experiences of average consumers. This focus leads to gaps in our knowledge of consumer behavior and often fails to uncover insights that can drive revolutionary, rather than evolutionary... View Details

Keywords: Market Research; Ethnography; Design Thinking; Innovation; New Product Development; Research; Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Innovation and Invention