Topic: Consumer Behavior

A nest thermostat on the wall reads 25 degrees Research Brief / Energy

Improving Utility Calculations on Energy Demand to Reduce Costs

Power companies haven’t maximized the benefits of customers agreeing to short-term electricity interruptions

Strawberry doughnut in a box Research Brief / Advertising

Inventory Scarcity Messages in Online Retailing Can Backfire

If there are only six left, I guess I won’t be buying a dozen

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

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

Person looking at billboard ads on a wall Research Brief / Branding

Luxury Goods: The Perils and Profits in Lower-Priced Markets

A study uses game theory to suggest when designer companies should license their names for down-market goods

A cargo ship loaded with cargo container sits at a dock in Iceland Research Brief / Pricing

Measuring the Impact of Currency Moves on Consumer Prices

It varies across goods and services and can be blunted by monetary policy

A couple watching TV Research Brief / Consumer Behavior

Monetizing TV Content: What Binge Watchers Will and Won’t Do

Fandom doesn’t mean blindly following a franchise wherever it ventures or being a vocal cheerleader

Building facade with old air conditioners Research Brief / Energy

Motivating Households in India to Reduce Energy Consumption

The same message that works with U.S. households is effective in the developing world

Illustration of a calendar with 15th circled Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Motivation to Begin or an Excuse to Slack Off?

Fresh-start dates can serve as either — it’s a two-way nudge

A man tests a phone from a display in a store Research Brief / Supply Chain

Offering Free Upgrades Early to Manage Inventory and Boost Profit

Waiting until one product model runs out can be a costly mistake

A woman having coffee in front of a laptop Research Brief / E-commerce

Online Coupons Work in the Moment but Don’t Seem to Alter the Seller-Shopper Relationship

Studying 1 million Alibaba users, Hengchen Dai mostly confirms the transactional nature of internet retailing

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

A pile of glittery gold stars on the left of the frame and in the center a yellow star Research Brief / Sales

Online Reviews: Should Sellers Show All or a Subset Relevant to You?

Most sellers do one or the other, but giving shoppers both might lift sales

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?

Illustration of a boardroom with members wearing chef hats Research Brief / Management

Origin Story of Products: To Consumers, How Big a Team Seems Right?

Buyers value team over individual effort but are sensitive to invention-by-committee

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