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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,826)
- People (4)
- News (348)
- Research (1,112)
- Events (11)
- Multimedia (4)
- Faculty Publications (462)
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- Research Summary
Consumer Decision Making and Behavioral Research
John Gourville’s research focuses on consumer behavior, especially in the areas of pricing and consumer decision making. In the area of pricing, for instance, he has looked at the role of time on how consumers interpret and react to product costs and prices.... View Details
- May–June 2023
- Article
Need for Speed: The Impact of In-Process Delays on Customer Behavior in Online Retail
By: Santiago Gallino, Nil Karacaoglu and Antonio Moreno
The impact of delays has been widely studied in various offline services. The focus of this study is online services, and we explore the impact of in-process delays—measured by website speed—on customer behavior. We leverage novel retail and website speed data to... View Details
Keywords: Online Retail; Quasi-experiments; Abandonment; Synthetic Control; E-commerce; Internet and the Web; Consumer Behavior; Policy; Retail Industry
Gallino, Santiago, Nil Karacaoglu, and Antonio Moreno. "Need for Speed: The Impact of In-Process Delays on Customer Behavior in Online Retail." Operations Research 71, no. 3 (May–June 2023): 876–894.
- 2022
- Article
Dynamic Pricing Algorithms, Consumer Harm, and Regulatory Response
By: Alexander MacKay and Samuel N. Weinstein
Pricing algorithms are rapidly transforming markets, from ride-sharing apps, to air travel, to online retail. Regulators and scholars have watched this development with a wary eye. Their focus so far has been on the potential for pricing algorithms to facilitate... View Details
Keywords: Competition Policy; Regulation; Algorithmic Pricing; Dynamic Pricing; Economics; Law And Economics; Law And Regulation; Consumer Protection; Antitrust Law; Industrial Organization; Antitrust Issues And Policies; Technological Change: Choices And Consequences; Competition; Policy; Price; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Microeconomics; Duopoly and Oligopoly; Law
MacKay, Alexander, and Samuel N. Weinstein. "Dynamic Pricing Algorithms, Consumer Harm, and Regulatory Response." Washington University Law Review 100, no. 1 (2022): 111–174. (Direct download.)
- August 2015
- Article
Cost Conscious? The Neural and Behavioral Impact of Price Primacy on Decision-Making
By: Uma R. Karmarkar, Baba Shiv and Brian Knutson
Price is a key factor in most purchases, but it can be presented at different stages of decision making prior to a purchase. We examine the sequence-dependent effects of price and product information on the decision-making process at both neural and behavioral levels.... View Details
Keywords: fMRI; Retail Promotion; Purchase Decisions; Price; Value; Decision Choices and Conditions; Consumer Behavior; Product Marketing; Retail Industry
Karmarkar, Uma R., Baba Shiv, and Brian Knutson. "Cost Conscious? The Neural and Behavioral Impact of Price Primacy on Decision-Making." Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 52, no. 4 (August 2015): 467–481.
- 2025
- Working Paper
Tracking the Short-Run Price Impact of U.S. Tariffs
By: Alberto Cavallo, Paola Llamas and Franco Vazquez
This paper examines the short-run impact of the 2025 U.S. tariffs on consumer prices using a unique integration of high-frequency retail pricing data, product-level country-of-origin information, and detailed tariff classifications. By linking daily prices from major... View Details
Cavallo, Alberto, Paola Llamas, and Franco Vazquez. "Tracking the Short-Run Price Impact of U.S. Tariffs." Working Paper, April 2025.
- January 2024
- Article
Dog Eat Dog: Balancing Network Effects and Differentiation in a Digital Platform Merger
By: Chiara Farronato, Jessica Fong and Andrey Fradkin
Digital platforms are increasingly the subject of regulatory scrutiny. In comparison to multiple competitors, a single platform may increase consumer welfare if network effects are large or may decrease welfare due to higher prices or reduction in platform variety. We... View Details
Keywords: Platform Differentiation; Digital Platforms; Network Effects; Measurement and Metrics; Mergers and Acquisitions; Outcome or Result
Farronato, Chiara, Jessica Fong, and Andrey Fradkin. "Dog Eat Dog: Balancing Network Effects and Differentiation in a Digital Platform Merger." Management Science 70, no. 1 (January 2024): 464–483.
- April 1995 (Revised May 1995)
- Case
Kraft General Foods: The Merger (B)
By: David J. Collis and Elizabeth Wynne Johnson
Discusses the recent decision to blend the previously separate Kraft and General Foods units into one operating company with a focus on the creation of a single massive sales force. View Details
Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Salesforce Management; Corporate Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry
Collis, David J., and Elizabeth Wynne Johnson. "Kraft General Foods: The Merger (B)." Harvard Business School Case 795-153, April 1995. (Revised May 1995.)
- 20 Sep 2004
- Research & Ideas
How Consumers Value Global Brands
uninterested in brands' global presence. The drivers also have less impact on consumers in Brazil and India. That may be because of vestiges... View Details
- 2011
- Book
Moving Forward: The Future of Consumer Credit and Mortgage Finance
By: Nicolas P. Retsinas and Eric Belsky
The recent collapse of the mortgage market revealed fractures in the credit market that have deep roots in the system's structure, conduct, and regulation. The time has come for a clear-eyed assessment of what happened and how the system should be strengthened and... View Details
Keywords: Financial Crisis; Capital Markets; Credit; Financial Markets; Mortgages; Personal Finance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Demand and Consumers; Financial Services Industry
Retsinas, Nicolas P., and Eric Belsky, eds. Moving Forward: The Future of Consumer Credit and Mortgage Finance. Brookings Institution Press, 2011.
- 2019
- Working Paper
The Impact of Increasing Search Frictions on Online Shopping Behavior: Evidence from a Field Experiment
By: Donald Ngwe, Kris J. Ferreira and Thales Teixeira
Many online stores are designed such that shoppers can easily access any available discounted products. We propose that deliberately increasing search frictions by placing small obstacles to locating discounted items can improve online retailers’ margins and even... View Details
Keywords: E-commerce; Online Retailing; Friction; Effor; Search Costs; Price Discrimination; Consumer Behavior; Price; Search Technology
Ngwe, Donald, Kris J. Ferreira, and Thales Teixeira. "The Impact of Increasing Search Frictions on Online Shopping Behavior: Evidence from a Field Experiment." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-080, January 2019.
- December 2019
- Article
The Impact of Increasing Search Frictions on Online Shopping Behavior: Evidence from a Field Experiment
By: Donald Ngwe, Kris J. Ferreira and Thales Teixeira
Many online stores are designed such that shoppers can easily access any available discounted products. We propose that deliberately increasing search frictions by placing small obstacles to locating discounted items can improve online retailers’ margins and even... View Details
Keywords: Online Retailing; Friction; Effor; Search Costs; Price Discrimination; Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Strategy; Price; E-commerce; Retail Industry; Fashion Industry
Ngwe, Donald, Kris J. Ferreira, and Thales Teixeira. "The Impact of Increasing Search Frictions on Online Shopping Behavior: Evidence from a Field Experiment." Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 56, no. 6 (December 2019): 944–959.
- September 20, 2004
- Comment
How Consumers Value Global Brands
By: Douglas Holt, John A. Quelch and Earl L. Taylor
In 2002, we carried out a two-stage research project in partnership with the market research company Research International/USA to find out how consumers in different countries value global brands. First, we conducted a qualitative study in forty-one countries to... View Details
Keywords: Global Brands; Brand Value; Multi-national Brands; Social Responsibility; Global Range; Multinational Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Brands and Branding; Social Marketing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact
Holt, Douglas, John A. Quelch, and Earl L. Taylor. "How Consumers Value Global Brands." Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (September 20, 2004).
- 2025
- Working Paper
The Value of Silence: The Effect of UMG’s Licensing Dispute with TikTok on Music Demand
By: Mengjie (Magie) Cheng, Elie Ofek and Hema Yoganarasimhan
Social media platforms like TikTok have transformed how music is discovered, consumed, and
monetized. This study examines the implications of the dispute between TikTok and Universal Music
Group (UMG), which resulted in UMG excluding its music from TikTok from... View Details
Keywords: Demand And Consumers; Monetization; Social Media; Revenue; Conflict and Resolution; Music Industry
Cheng, Mengjie (Magie), Elie Ofek, and Hema Yoganarasimhan. "The Value of Silence: The Effect of UMG’s Licensing Dispute with TikTok on Music Demand." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 25-014, July 2024. (Revised June 2025.)
- 2020
- Working Paper
Dog Eat Dog: Balancing Network Effects and Differentiation in a Digital Platform Merger
By: Chiara Farronato, Jessica Fong and Andrey Fradkin
Digital platforms are increasingly the subject of regulatory scrutiny. In comparison to multiple competitors, a single platform may increase consumer welfare if network effects are large or may decrease welfare due to higher prices or reduction in platform variety. We... View Details
Keywords: Platform Differentiation; Digital Platforms; Network Effects; Measurement and Metrics; Mergers and Acquisitions; Outcome or Result
Farronato, Chiara, Jessica Fong, and Andrey Fradkin. "Dog Eat Dog: Balancing Network Effects and Differentiation in a Digital Platform Merger." NBER Working Paper Series, No. 28047, November 2020.
- 05 Mar 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The Impacts of Increasing Search Frictions on Online Shopping Behavior: Evidence from a Field Experiment
- July 2003 (Revised April 2005)
- Case
Branding Citigroup's Consumer Business
By: Rohit Deshpande and Carin-Isabel Knoop
In Spring 1998, Citicorp and Travelers merged to create a financial powerhouse that united the bank with Travelers' consumer finance and brokerage businesses, including Salomon Smith Barney and Primerica. It was the first U.S. financial services company to combine... View Details
Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Relationship Management; Decisions; Asset Management; Investment Banking; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Relationships; Business and Shareholder Relations; Banking Industry; United States
Deshpande, Rohit, and Carin-Isabel Knoop. "Branding Citigroup's Consumer Business." Harvard Business School Case 504-023, July 2003. (Revised April 2005.)
- Article
Does 'Liking' Lead to Loving? The Impact of Joining a Brand's Social Network on Marketing Outcomes
Does “liking” a brand on Facebook cause a person to view it more favorably? Or is “liking” simply a symptom of being fond of a brand? We disentangle these possibilities and find evidence for the latter: brand attitudes and purchasing are predicted by consumers’... View Details
Keywords: Brands; Marketing Effectiveness; Brand Evaluation; Peer Influence; Brands and Branding; Social and Collaborative Networks; Social Media
John, Leslie K., Oliver Emrich, Sunil Gupta, and Michael I. Norton. "Does 'Liking' Lead to Loving? The Impact of Joining a Brand's Social Network on Marketing Outcomes." Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 54, no. 1 (February 2017): 144–155.
- November 2004
- Case
The Electronic Product Code: Future Impact on the Global Food System
By: Ray A. Goldberg and James Weber
The Electronic Product Code (EPC) is a successor to the Uniform Product Code and will improve the efficiency and traceability of the global food system. This case focuses on how best to implement this new system and respect the privacy of the ultimate consumer, and the... View Details
Keywords: Information; Rights; Ethics; Consumer Behavior; Management Systems; Technology Adoption; Innovation and Invention; Food and Beverage Industry
Goldberg, Ray A., and James Weber. "The Electronic Product Code: Future Impact on the Global Food System." Harvard Business School Case 905-409, November 2004.
- 25 Sep 2000
- Research & Ideas
More Than the Sum of Its Parts: The Impact of Modularity on the Computer Industry
drives. CB: Ultimately, though, the power of modularity does not lie simply in the creation of financial option value and the ensuing impact on... View Details
- 2011
- Working Paper
Observation Bias: The Impact of Demand Censoring on Newsvendor Level and Adjustment Behavior
By: David F. Drake
In an experimental newsvendor setting we investigate three phenomena: Level behavior — the decision-maker's average ordering tendency; adjustment behavior — the tendency to adjust period-to-period order quantities; and observation bias — the tendency to let the degree... View Details
Drake, David F. "Observation Bias: The Impact of Demand Censoring on Newsvendor Level and Adjustment Behavior." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 12-042, December 2011.