Topic: Consumer Behavior

City landscape at dusk Research Brief / Housing

Could Costly Housing Bring Down Superstar Cities?

Stuart Gabriel’s research shows how a vibrant economic hub loses essential residents

Illustration of a woman holding both of her hands to her face Research Brief / Marketing

Did You Forget, or Never Know? How It Impacts Purchasing

A different decision tree is used when product information is forgotten, rather than just unknown

Crushed and stacked plastic bottles ready to be recycled Research Brief / Sustainability

Ditching Small Plastic Bottles — for Medium-Sized — Could Cut Waste

1.8 million tons of PET plastic bottles end in landfills annually

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

Shelf of food and television Research Brief / Consumer Behavior

Examining the Difference Between Quality and Taste in Consumer Preferences

Laptops and TVs are based on quality, fast food and soda on taste; but some buyers defy these models, and it’s an opportunity for marketers

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

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

A girl smiling in front of a calendar Research Brief / Bias

Future Bias Is Present by Middle School

By age 10 or earlier, kids are putting more weight on the future than the past — just like adults

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

Close-up of energy meters Research Brief / Energy

Household Energy Efficiency: Not All Upgrades Are Created Equal

Behavior, other factors influence which improvements are effective

Shopping cart with digital display. Research Brief / Sales

How Loyalty Programs Might Become More Profitable

Target customers with easy access to a competitor?

Handmade leather sandals, isolated on white background. Research Brief / E-commerce

How Many Pairs of Sandals Would You Look at Online?

On your phone, about 20. How retailers can best harvest sales from those glances

Chocolate truffles in a display case Research Brief / Consumer Behavior

How Much We Value Something Increases Our Patience

Delayed gratification isn’t just about willpower

Illustration of a head with blinders Feature / Behavioral Decision Making

How People Gather Information — or Don’t — to Make Decisions

Personal beliefs, especially among the less educated, often outweigh actual data

Four individuals sitting side by side at a dinner table, laughing and smiling Research Question / Nudges

How to — and How Not to — Message Older Americans

Practitioners often ignore decades of progress in understanding what works

Book cover of The Green Bundle Book Review / Sustainability

How to Make Sustainable Products More Appealing to Consumers

Magali Delmas proposes a “green bundle,” combining environmental good with product traits — quality, healthiness, performance, status — that have always sold