Consumer Research - Publications - Faculty & Research

28 Oct 2009
Lessons from the Classroom

HBS Begins Teaching Consumer Finance

got tenure. As I reflected on my post-tenure plans, I wrote about my interest in how the financial sector works for regular individuals. At the time, my colleagues thought this was an amusing concept. Over the years my research has been... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson; Financial Services; Education

Research Summary

Current Research

By: Leslie K. John

Professor John is a behavioral scientist who uses both laboratory and field experiments to investigate questions that are at the intersection of marketing, organizational behavior, and public policy.

Professor John’s work has been published in leading... View Details

25 Oct 2020
News

How Consumers Really Use Online Reviews

16 Apr 2018
Research & Ideas

Can Consumers Be Saved From Their Misguided Decisions?

often fail. Why are consumers so blind? And why can’t scientists and public policy makers help them more effectively? A new study suggests that researchers are not diving deeply enough into root causes,... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Consulting; Retail

21 May 2018
News

Consumers Care About CEO-Employee Pay Ratios

2015
Book

The Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Psychology

By: Michael I. Norton, Derek D. Rucker and Cait Lamberton

Why do consumers make the purchases they do, and which ones make them truly happy? Why are consumers willing to spend huge sums of money to appear high status? This handbook addresses these key questions and many more. It provides a comprehensive overview of consumer... View Details

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March 1999 (Revised December 2001)
Background Note

Analyzing Consumer Preferences

By: Robert J. Dolan

Presents a non-traditional description of the conjoint analysis methodology. Discusses the process by which a study is done and cites areas of application. View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Mathematical Methods; Product Marketing

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13 Sep 2010
Research & Ideas

The Consumer Appeal of Underdog Branding

Biography," details her joint research about the trend and its implications for brand management. Keinan, an assistant professor in the Marketing Unit at Harvard Business School whose research on View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

06 Dec 2022
Research & Ideas

Latest Isn’t Always Greatest: Why Product Updates Capture Consumers

associate professor at the University of Chicago. Consumers put on blindfolds The researchers performed dozens of experiments, using products ranging from gummy candy to dictionaries, and testing out labels... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

September 2015 (Revised February 2020)
Case

Managing Consumer Touchpoints at Nissan Japan

By: Thales Teixeira, Nobuo Sato and Akiko Kanno

In 2015, Nissan was third place in the Japanese auto market, behind Toyota and Honda. The challenge of increasing market share was that 80% of car shoppers who were non-Nissan owners did not consider Nissan during their purchase process. This process involved three... View Details

Keywords: Nissan; Automobiles; Cars; Touch Points; Digital Marketing; Internet and the Web; Marketing Channels; Advertising; Auto Industry; Japan

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Research Summary

Current Research

I am interested in research on various topics in retail operations and supply chain management, including inventory management, product variety, distribution logistics, financial performance of retailers, and linking operational performance to... View Details

26 Mar 2012
Research & Ideas

What Neuroscience Tells Us About Consumer Desire

brain data to play a key role in future research on consumer choice. (In a recent HBS industry background note on neuromarketing, she discusses the techniques that have helped View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Consumer Products

The Rising Cost of Consumer Attention

Attention is a necessary ingredient for effective advertising. The market for consumer attention (or “eyeballs”) has become so competitive that attention can be regarded as a currency. The rising cost of this ingredient in the marketplace is causing marketers to... View Details

24 Apr 2014
News

Creating connections among consumers

Using the power of crowdsourcing, Angie Hicks (MBA 2000) turned neighborly advice about good service providers into a national consumer network that has transformed the world of online reviews and ratings. In 1995, Hicks cofounded Angie’s... View Details

26 Mar 2012
News

What Neuroscience Tells Us About Consumer Desire

Research Summary

Current Research

By: William C. Kirby

Doing business in China in the early 21st century

Chinese companies and consumer markets

Chinese Universities: Leaders of the 21st Century?

The enduring role of State-Owned Enterprises in China

Business, political, and cultural... View Details

01 Jun 2002
News

Ads Improve Consumer Decisions

Advertising can be good for you! Sounds fishy to the average consumer, but it's implied by conclusions from research by HBS associate professor Bharat Anand and his colleague, Ron Shachar, of Tel Aviv University. The pair began by... View Details

Keywords: Laura Singleton (MBA 1988)

26 May 2009
Research & Ideas

Improving Market Research in a Recession

most firms are reducing spending on the market research that would help manage that uncertainty. In the United States, spending on market research has dipped for four consecutive quarters, and chief... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

1982
Article

Correlates of Deficient Consumer Environments: The Case of the Elderly

By: Rohit Deshpandé and S. Krishnan

Although much research attention has been given to the format of consumer information environments, there has been little study of the effects of consumer environments lacking in information. This paper describes an empirical study of elderly consumers functioning in... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Age; Information

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