Topic: Consumer Behavior

Marijuana dispensary Feature / Taxes

Setting the Tax Rate on Legal Marijuana: Consumption, State Revenue and the Black Market

Taxes not high enough? An examination of Washington’s experience even suggests state ownership of pot stores might boost the public coffers

Two people smiling Feature / Retirement Planning

Helping People Make Wise Decisions for Retirement Income

Nudges, long aimed at saving behavior, are needed for people converting a nest egg into income

Female driver looking back to the rear of her car Research Brief / Gender

Economics of Women-Driver Ride Hailing

Other safety measures are easier to implement, but research suggests how female driver pool could be increased

City street under construction in Dubai Research Brief / Nudges

Are You Nudging Me? Oh, OK, Go Ahead

Research shows individuals aren’t necessarily turned off when they know they are being coaxed toward a specific choice

Dusty wine bottles on a rack Feature / Behavioral Decision Making

When Delayed Gratification Backfires

A self-imposed quest for a perfect time to enjoy an indulgence often means missing out on actually having a good experience

Illustration of a comic Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

The Surprising Power of Giving Up Choice Control

Abdicating a decision to someone else is viewed as an act of generosity that is handsomely rewarded

Illustration of a consumer shopping for a car Research Brief / Consumer Behavior

Consumers Habitually Seek the Middle Ground

Unpublished research shows avoiding the extremes is a common approach marketers need to address

People in line to buy tickets at a booth Feature / Pricing

Fairness in the Allocation of Scarce Goods and Services

As alternative pricing schemes proliferate, researchers examine beliefs about their fairness

Censored pricing at a store - Sale Price Research Brief / Pricing

Opaque Pricing: How Sellers Can Gather Data and Boost Revenue

Websites peddle unnamed hotels and even cities; would you pay to omit one from the list?

Mobile phone using the Yelp app Research Brief / E-commerce

Online Reviews Sway Experiential Purchases Less Than Those of Material Products

Reviews that explicitly talk about objective quality assessments are well received

Stack of college textbooks on a shelf Research Brief / Education

Is Anyone Happy about the College Textbook Market?

Buyers find the tomes heavy, costly and too frequently revised, while sellers might like to kill the used book market entirely

Person shopping online on a laptop Research Brief / Marketing

Free Shipping: Our Preference to Spend on Ultimate Goals vs. Preliminary Steps

Prerequisites are valued poorly in a series of six experiments

Illustration of a man walking on a tight wire with a net below Feature / Goal Setting

The Case for Building Wiggle Room into Goals

Aiming high, with some flexibility to trip up along the way, spurs greater success

Illustration of a face Feature / Behavioral Decision Making

People Don’t Mind Government Nudges, but Prefer Them Free of Politics

When an unloved cause or political adversary is attached to a nudge, the method itself becomes suspect

Line chart with hearts Research Brief / Time

Our Envy of Prospective Events Is Greater Than of Those Past

That’s helpful information in a social media world filled with friends who do enviable things

Chalk illustration of a graph Research Brief / Data Analytics

Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics — and Data Visualization

How we interpret time-series data is dependent on the designer’s chosen format