Consumer Behavior - Publications - Faculty & Research

13 Jun 2018
Sharpening Your Skills

That Costs HOW Much?

graphicola Price is important to consumers not just because it determines whether they can afford to purchase that purse or patio set. The cost of an item sets the buyer's expectations as to how the product or service will perform and... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

04 Dec 2000
What Do You Think?

Have We Overdone Deregulation and Privatization?

Summing Up Let's hear it for deregulation, at least its long-term effects. It's well worth the short-term disruptions and consumer confusion. That's the near-unanimous judgement of those of you responding to my recent piece on the... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

10 Nov 2008
What Do You Think?

How Much Can You Ask of Your Customers?

so that volunteers (often customers, but also others) can easily contribute content (opinions and ratings for Zagat guides), "stuff for sale" (eBay online marketplace), behavioral data (Google's search engine algorithm), and... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

13 Mar 2017
Research & Ideas

Hiding Products From Customers May Ultimately Boost Sales

once, or if she sees them a few at a time throughout the season? “In product categories where the consumer is likely to purchase several products, the value of concealment tends to be positive” The answer depends on the product category,... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail; Fashion

25 Aug 2003
Research & Ideas

Should You Sell Your Digital Privacy?

It's a startling idea: Instead of relying on regulators to protect our privacy against telemarketers, data miners, and consumer companies, we should capitalize on the value of our personal information and get something of value in return.... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls & Sean Silverthorne; Advertising

07 May 2018
Research & Ideas

Why Online Retailers Should Hide Their Best Discounts

to adapt it to an online environment,” says Ngwe. Their study gauges the effect of so-called search frictions that make it harder to find discounted items or require additional clicks by consumers to find bargains. “We want to see how... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Retail

17 Nov 2020
In Practice

How Retailers Can Thrive in a Shopping Season Like No Other

American retailers are heading into a holiday shopping season unlike any other as the spiraling COVID-pandemic and limp economy threaten consumer spending. We asked Harvard Business School faculty members—in particular, authors of recent... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Retail

12 Sep 2012
Research & Ideas

The Unexpected Link Between Cadavers and Careers

explains Michel Anteby, an associate professor in the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School who cowrote the paper with Filiz Garip of Harvard University, Paul V. Martorana of Wagner College, and Scott Lozanoff of the... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Education; Health

11 Dec 2006
Research & Ideas

Fixing Price Tag Confusion

The price tag is evolving. It wasn't long ago that potential buyers had only to contemplate a single figure on a price tag—Mattress $799. But increasingly consumers are being presented with "partitioned" prices. Look at your monthly cable... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

22 Feb 2000
Research & Ideas

The Mind of the Market: Extending the Frontiers of Marketing Thought

might serve the study of consumer behavior. An HBS professor since 1991, Zaltman's work actually cuts across a number of boundaries. He's a co-director (with Stephen M. Kosslyn, Professor of psychology at Harvard University) of the Mind... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

10 Aug 2015
Research & Ideas

Why a Federal Rule on CEO Pay Disclosure May Get You In Trouble With Customers

check. In sheer terms of gaining favor among consumers, a firm with a high CEO-to-worker pay ratio must offer a substantial 50 percent discount to keep up with a firm that maintains a low pay ratio. This is among the key findings in the working paper Paying Up for Fair... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail

02 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

Digital Initiative Summit: Big Messages, Small Screens, Many Choices

is, if the app is the way we interact with the brands, how do you get me to be one of your favorite apps?" Gupta said that a successful app must provide obvious, unique value—and meet consumers where they live. As an example, he cited the... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Advertising

Article

Households' Willingness to Pay for 'Green' Goods: Evidence from Patagonia's Introduction of Organic Cotton Sportswear

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Michael Crooke, Forest L. Reinhardt and Vishal Vasishth

To shed light on individuals' willingness to pay for "green" goods (i.e., goods that are supposed to have lower adverse environmental impacts either in production or in use), we study data from the introduction by Patagonia, Inc., of organic cotton sportswear in the... View Details

Keywords: Spending; Consumer Behavior; Environmental Sustainability; Consumer Products Industry

Citation

Find at Harvard

15 Apr 2013
Research & Ideas

Solving the Search vs. Display Advertising Quandary

these investments motivated consumers to plunk down their credit cards or fill out an application for a service. That's why the Internet has been such a godsend to companies, says Sunil Gupta, the Edward W. Carter Professor of Business... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Advertising

21 Aug 2013
Research & Ideas

To Buy Happiness, Spend Money on Other People

Now, Consume Later (delayed consumption leads to increased enjoyment); and Invest in Others (spending money on other people makes us happier than spending it on ourselves). Recently we featured a video illustrating the emotional benefits... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

October 1971 (Revised June 1985)
Case

Fisher-Price Toys, Inc.

Reviews new product introduction and pricing decisions for a riding toy designed for preschool children. Designed to provide background in buyer behavior, market analysis, and corporate strategy. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Product Launch; Consumer Products Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

27 Jul 2009
Research & Ideas

Social Network Marketing: What Works?

the research with HBS Working Knowledge. Sarah Jane Gilbert: Your research attempted to answer this question: Do friends within a social network influence online buying behaviors of others in the group? What did you discover? Sunil Gupta:... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Advertising; Publishing; Retail

29 Jan 2013
Research & Ideas

Creating the Perfect Super Bowl Ad

question whether ads, including the over-the-top Super Bowl spots, have become too entertaining, says Thales S. Teixeira, an assistant professor in the Marketing unit at Harvard Business School. In upcoming research, Why, When and How Much to Entertain View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Advertising; Media & Broadcasting

08 Jan 2007
What Do You Think?

Neuro Economics: Science or Science Fiction?

assess the impact of this work. Dick Meza said that "it will have to run the gauntlet of peer reviews and further research ." Lorenzo Ferlazzo observed that "the current lack of standardized insights into behavioral stimuli... View Details