Do price discounts help in crisis recovery?

When clients disappear, and demand dries up, it is tempting to cut prices. Businesses try to lure customers back with a good deal, particularly those that sell perishable items (for instance, food and flowers), seasonable items (for instance, Father’s Day cards and gifts) and services (for instance, restaurants and hairdressers). Hotel managers, for instance, see … Continue reading Do price discounts help in crisis recovery?

Impact of COVID-19 on the generation and disclosure of personal data

The Journal of Public Policy & Marketing published a special collection of papers regarding COVID-19. This included a paper by Aaron R. Brough and Kelly D. Martin, discussing how the COVID-19 pandemic led to four phenomena related to personal data. The four phenomena are: Increased surveillance by governments worldwide, in the form of generalised data … Continue reading Impact of COVID-19 on the generation and disclosure of personal data

Podcast recommendations: Why we stockpile(d) toilet paper; Why tracing COVID-19 with an app is tricky; and Why automated recommendations technology is struggling

Today, I would like to share with you three podcast episodes. While discussing issues related to COVID-19, they actually offer great insight about consumer psychology, and about the limitations of technology. Why we stockpile(d) toilet paper In episode 34 the “It's all just a bunch of BS” podcast, Caroline Roux discusses decision making in … Continue reading Podcast recommendations: Why we stockpile(d) toilet paper; Why tracing COVID-19 with an app is tricky; and Why automated recommendations technology is struggling

Can the health locus of control help us understand who will download and use contact tracing apps?

I secured a small grant to investigate UK residents’ perceptions of contact tracing apps. I am just waiting for ethical approval, before I can start collecting data via interviews and, after that, a survey. In the meantime, I am checking the latest published research on related topics. Based on my previous work, I know that … Continue reading Can the health locus of control help us understand who will download and use contact tracing apps?

Adapting to the new normal – Webinar

Yesterday, I joined a webinar to share my colleague Liyuan Wei and I are supporting a boutique hotel to adapt to the challenges presented by COVID-19. The owner of the hotel very kindly joined us, too, to share his perspective – why he reached out to us, what he is getting from this collaboration, … Continue reading Adapting to the new normal – Webinar

Early results suggest that UK residents would trust and use NHS contact tracing app

At the time of writing, the UK Government is testing a contact tracing app. Contact tracing apps are seen as key in enabling an easing of lockdown measures, but are effective only if a majority of citizens use it. And that, in turn, could vary with the app’s features. A team of researchers at … Continue reading Early results suggest that UK residents would trust and use NHS contact tracing app

COVID-19 contact tracing apps, and why marketing needs to join the discussion

The UK government’s strategy to contain the spread of the SARS-Cov-2 virus has, until now, relied on extreme social distancing, via stay-at-home orders (aka lockdown). Such measures aim to slow down the rate of infection (i.e., flatten the curve) to avoid overwhelming the health services, and to allow for treatments and a vaccine to become … Continue reading COVID-19 contact tracing apps, and why marketing needs to join the discussion

Video from my Brunel Public Webinar Series: Mortgage market lockdown

Earlier this week, I participated in the public webinar series organised by the research office, at Brunel University London. I discussed why we are experiencing a contraction in the mortgage market, now. Then, drawing on my research about customer screening in financial services, I reflected on how this contraction is likely to create vulnerability … Continue reading Video from my Brunel Public Webinar Series: Mortgage market lockdown

Covid19, the limitations of machine learning, and the importance of data

The Covid-19 crisis is showing us the limitations of many things that we took for granted. Medicine’s ability to cure, for instance. For the time being, there is no cure for Covid19 – the best thing that the fantastic health professionals can do for us is support our bodies, while they fight the virus’s infection. Or, the … Continue reading Covid19, the limitations of machine learning, and the importance of data

What the mortgage market lockdown means for vulnerable consumers – lessons from the 2008 recession

When the UK went into lockdown, the process of selling our flat stalled, as both the buyer and ourselves are facing various practical barriers to execute the sale. We are not the only ones, of course. Even before the lockdown, house sales were falling (40% fewer enquiries and 15% fewer sales agreed, according to property … Continue reading What the mortgage market lockdown means for vulnerable consumers – lessons from the 2008 recession