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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,281)
- News (259)
- Research (887)
- Events (4)
- Multimedia (1)
- Faculty Publications (364)
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- Article
Fighting Bias on the Front Lines
By: Alexandra C. Feldberg and Tami Kim
Most companies aim for exceptional customer service, but too few are attentive to the subtle discrimination by frontline employees that can alienate customers, lead to lawsuits, or even cause lasting brand damage by going viral.
This article presents research... View Details
This article presents research... View Details
Keywords: Customer Service; Customer Focus and Relationships; Service Delivery; Diversity; Prejudice and Bias; Organizational Change and Adaptation
Feldberg, Alexandra C., and Tami Kim. "Fighting Bias on the Front Lines." Harvard Business Review 99, no. 6 (November–December 2021): 90–98.
- July 20, 2016
- Article
To Increase Sales, Get Customers to Commit a Little at a Time
By: Frank V. Cespedes and David Hoffeld
This article discusses what behavioral research does and does not tell us about factors that aid the "closing" of a sales call. View Details
Cespedes, Frank V., and David Hoffeld. "To Increase Sales, Get Customers to Commit a Little at a Time." Harvard Business Review (website) (July 20, 2016).
- 22 Feb 2021
- Book
Reaching Today's Omnichannel Customer Takes a New Sales Strategy
because sales tasks are determined by a firm’s business strategy and its choices about which customers to focus on. In turn, selling behaviors are affected by your control systems and culture as well as whom... View Details
Keywords: by Kristen Senz
- Article
Determining Segmentation in Sales Response Across Consumer Purchase Behaviors
By: Randolph E. Bucklin, Sunil Gupta and S. Siddarth
Bucklin, Randolph E., Sunil Gupta, and S. Siddarth. "Determining Segmentation in Sales Response Across Consumer Purchase Behaviors." Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 35, no. 2 (May 1998): 189–197.
- 2018
- Working Paper
Opportunistic Returns and Dynamic Pricing: Empirical Evidence from Online Retailing in Emerging Markets
By: Chaithanya Bandi, Antonio Moreno, Donald Ngwe and Zhiji Xu
We investigate how dynamic pricing can lead to more product returns in the online retail industry. Using detailed sales data of more than two million transactions from the Indian online retail market, where price promotions are very common, we document two types of... View Details
Keywords: Cash On Delivery; Dynamic Pricing; Online Retail; Payment Methods; Strategic Customer Behavior; Opportunistic Returns; Price; Policy; Consumer Behavior; Emerging Markets; Retail Industry
Bandi, Chaithanya, Antonio Moreno, Donald Ngwe, and Zhiji Xu. "Opportunistic Returns and Dynamic Pricing: Empirical Evidence from Online Retailing in Emerging Markets." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-030, September 2018.
- September 2019
- Case
Starling Trust Sciences: Measuring Trust in Organizations
By: Aiyesha Dey, Jonas Heese and James Weber
Stephen Scott needed to decide whether to keep his behavioral analytics startup in the people analytics sector or shift his company into the RegTech sector. Starling had develop technology that enabled its customers to anticipate and shape the behavior of their... View Details
Keywords: Behavioral Analytics; Financial Institutions; Banks and Banking; Entrepreneurship; Strategy; Banking Industry; Consulting Industry; Information Technology Industry; United States; United Kingdom
Dey, Aiyesha, Jonas Heese, and James Weber. "Starling Trust Sciences: Measuring Trust in Organizations." Harvard Business School Case 120-006, September 2019.
- 03 Jan 2017
- Research & Ideas
5 New Year's Resolutions You Can Keep (With the Help of Behavioral Science Research)
Well-intentioned people often start the new calendar year with a long list of personal resolutions, only to abandon most of them before Valentine’s Day. Alas, it’s a lot easier to make New Year’s resolutions than to keep them. That’s one good reason to explore the work... View Details
Keywords: by Carmen Nobel
- June 17, 2016
- Comment
Companies Need to Start Marketing Security to Customers
By: John A. Quelch
Recent events in Orlando underscore an important marketing truth: consumer safety and security are mission critical. A popular nightclub, Pulse, known as a safe place for the LGBT community, is put out of business at least temporarily by a terrorist act. Not far away... View Details
Keywords: Consumer Safety; Public Safety; Brand Attraction; Risk Management; Safe Environment Benefit; Marketing Safety; Global Brands; Advertising; Change Management; Disruption; Volatility; Crime and Corruption; Customers; Music Entertainment; Animation Entertainment; Film Entertainment; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Problems and Challenges; Safety; Corporate Strategy; Business Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Tourism Industry; Travel Industry; United States
Quelch, John A. "Companies Need to Start Marketing Security to Customers." Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (June 17, 2016). (Republished by Fortune.com as "What the Orlando Tragedies Can Teach Businesses" on June 20, 2016.)
- 2023
- Working Paper
No Mask, No Service: Customer Reaction to Walmart’s 2020 National Mask Mandate
By: Innessa Colaiacovo
Multi-location firms face a complex series of economic tradeoffs when deciding whether to implement
standard processes or allow processes to vary across establishments. One element of this tradeoff is customer
response. This paper explores customer reaction to a... View Details
Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Geographic Location; Policy; Health Pandemics; Retail Industry; United States
Colaiacovo, Innessa. "No Mask, No Service: Customer Reaction to Walmart’s 2020 National Mask Mandate." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 24-004, July 2023. (Revise and Resubmit to Journal of Economics and Management Strategy.)
- November–December 2021
- Article
Does Gender Matter? The Effect of Management Responses on Reviewing Behavior
By: Davide Proserpio, Isamar Troncoso and Francesca Valsesia
We study the effect of management responses on the reviewing behavior of self-identified female and male reviewers. Using data from Tripadvisor, we show that after hotels begin to respond to reviews, the probability that a negative review comes from a self-identified... View Details
Keywords: Word Of Mouth; Online Reviews; Management Responses; E-commerce; Gender; Prejudice and Bias; Digital Platforms; Customers
Proserpio, Davide, Isamar Troncoso, and Francesca Valsesia. "Does Gender Matter? The Effect of Management Responses on Reviewing Behavior." Marketing Science 40, no. 6 (November–December 2021): 1199–1213.
- December 2008
- Article
Remedying Hyperopia: The Effects of Self-Control Regret on Consumer Behavior
By: Anat Keinan and Ran Kivetz
Keinan, Anat, and Ran Kivetz. "Remedying Hyperopia: The Effects of Self-Control Regret on Consumer Behavior." Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 45, no. 6 (December 2008).
- 30 Sep 2002
- Research & Ideas
Use the Psychology of Pricing To Keep Customers Returning
Buyers are more apt to use a product right after they purchase it, a fact you need to ponder as you consider how to keep customers coming back for more. In this e-mail interview with HBS Working Knowledge's Manda Mahoney, Harvard Business... View Details
Keywords: by Manda Mahoney
- August 26, 2009
- Comment
Where Cash for Clunkers Ran Off the Road
By: John A. Quelch
Today, let us celebrate the end of an unjustifiable drain on the U.S. taxpayer: the Cash for Clunkers (C4C) program.
True, C4C greatly boosted the number of consumers visiting car dealers. Doubtless, some new cars were sold to consumers who thought they... View Details
True, C4C greatly boosted the number of consumers visiting car dealers. Doubtless, some new cars were sold to consumers who thought they... View Details
Keywords: Government Programs; Environmental Impact; Government Waste; Customer Behavior; Economic Growth; Economy; Financial Crisis; Government and Politics; Leadership; Marketing; Programs; Value; Auto Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Public Administration Industry; United States
Quelch, John A. "Where Cash for Clunkers Ran Off the Road." Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (August 26, 2009).
- March – April 2008
- Article
Customer Preference Discontinuities: A Trigger for Radical Technological Change
By: Mary Tripsas
What factors cause a mature industry to re-enter a period of technological turbulence? This paper addresses this question by developing a model of technological evolution that incorporates both technological trajectories and a new concept: preference trajectories, ... View Details
Keywords: History; Technology; Transition; Consumer Behavior; Industry Structures; Product Development
Tripsas, Mary. "Customer Preference Discontinuities: A Trigger for Radical Technological Change." Managerial and Decision Economics 29 (March–April 2008): 79–97.
- 10 Oct 2018
- Research & Ideas
The Legacy of Boaty McBoatface: Beware of Customers Who Vote
public. Boaty blowback highlights the potential danger of giving consumers the power to vote, even though customer engagement is a primary goal of almost every social media strategy. The problem: Even though NERC never explicitly promised... View Details
- Article
A Brand's Eye View of Response Segmentation in Consumer Choice Behavior
By: Randolph E. Bucklin, Sunil Gupta and Sangman Han
Bucklin, Randolph E., Sunil Gupta, and Sangman Han. "A Brand's Eye View of Response Segmentation in Consumer Choice Behavior." Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 32, no. 1 (February 1995): 66–74.
- February 2019 (Revised December 2019)
- Case
ThirdLove
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Matthew G. Preble
Rayport, Jeffrey F., and Matthew G. Preble. "ThirdLove." Harvard Business School Case 819-061, February 2019. (Revised December 2019.)
- 2025
- Working Paper
In Privacy We Trust: The Effect of Privacy Regulations on Data Sharing Behavior
By: Ozge Demirci, Ayelet Israeli and Eva Ascarza
This paper studies the impact of privacy policies on consumer data-sharing behavior, focusing on policy changes in California and Virginia that took effect in 2023. Using data from a leading customer engagement app in the United States, where users upload shopping... View Details
Demirci, Ozge, Ayelet Israeli, and Eva Ascarza. "In Privacy We Trust: The Effect of Privacy Regulations on Data Sharing Behavior." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 26-001, July 2025.
- 12 Feb 2018
- Research & Ideas
Customers at the Back of the Line Are Anxious—Can You Keep Them from Leaving?
customers, and how operational choices affect customer behaviors and firm performance. We all spend a surprising amount of time waiting our turn; by one estimate, Americans wait in line 37 billion hours a... View Details
- June 2016
- Teaching Note
HubSpot: Lower Churn through Greater CHI
By: Jill Avery, Asis Martinez Jerez and Thomas Steenburgh
HubSpot, a web marketing startup selling inbound marketing software to small- and medium-sized businesses, is under pressure from its venture capital partners to rapidly acquire new customers and to maintain a low level of customer churn. The B2B SaaS company is in the... View Details