Topic: Consumer Behavior

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shopping cart with digital display. Research Brief / Sales

How Loyalty Programs Might Become More Profitable

Target customers with easy access to a competitor?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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