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To alter consumer behavior, some companies reach out to academics
The Washington Post: At Arlington-based Opower, success is measured by the amount of energy homeowners conserve. But the company’s software, which allows consumers to track their usage, cannot yield that result on its own. The
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Why we can’t stop spending
Canadian Business: The dangerous paradox: Policy-makers have encouraged Canadians to keep spending, while decrying rising debt levels. Read the whole story: Canadian Business
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A Sales Promotion That Works for Shoes May Not For Chocolate
The Wall Street Journal: Generally speaking, shoppers prefer bonuses (such as a buy one, get one offer) to discounts (50% off), even if the net price is the same. Among other reasons, “the perception is
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Preference Invites Categorization
It is no secret that you know more (that is, have expertise) about things you are interested in. If you hate baseball, you are not going to spend your spare time reading up homerun statistics
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Pricing and the brain: Why things cost $19.95
Are we really fooled when storekeepers price something at $19.95 instead of a round twenty bucks? It seems so and new research from University of Florida marketing professors Chris Janiszewski and Dan Uy shows that
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Strange Brew
In side-by-side taste tests, pub-goers agree: “MIT Brew” tastes better than Budweiser — as long as tasters don’t learn beforehand that the secret ingredient is balsamic vinegar. It sounds more like a fraternity prank than
