The consumers’ role in the current UK supply problems

The UK is currently experiencing various supply chain problems, resulting in fuel shortages, bare supermarket shelves, reduced options in restaurants, and warnings of disruption for Christmas retail, amid many other problems. The Institute for Government, a think tank focused on improving efficiency in government and public service, produced a really helpful explainer of the reasons behind the current supply chain … Continue reading The consumers’ role in the current UK supply problems

Seeing the smart speaker as a servant vs a master vs a partner – Why it matters

I just came across a very interesting study published in the Journal of Marketing Management, which examined how smart speaker users viewed their devices, and how that related to their experiences of using the device. The study was conducted by Fiona Schweitzer, Russell Belk, Werner Jordan and Melanie Ortner, and its title is “Servant, friend or master? … Continue reading Seeing the smart speaker as a servant vs a master vs a partner – Why it matters

Consumer perceptions of surveillance activity of Alexa vs. Google Home vs. Siri

Voice assistants (aka smart speakers) are becoming increasingly popular. For instance, by the end of 2017, one in six US adults owned a smart speaker (e.g., Alexa or Google Home), a number that is expected to grow by 50% during 2018. This represents an adoption rate much faster than that for smartphones or the Internet. … Continue reading Consumer perceptions of surveillance activity of Alexa vs. Google Home vs. Siri

When consumers feel powerless about a situation, their attitude changes

I came across Dr Kristin Laurin’s work on rationalisation when she participated in episode 125 of the You Are Not So Smart podcast. She found that people’s core beliefs change when they feel powerless about the situation that they find themselves in. This occurs via a process of rationalisation – i.e., we try to … Continue reading When consumers feel powerless about a situation, their attitude changes

Using wearables is all about control. And so is not using them.

The short video below presents two extreme cases of attitudes towards using wearables. On the one hand, we have Thomas who monitors multiple aspects of his daily life, from food intake to movement, and even built a wearable to track his sneezes. On the other hand, we have Emma, who firmly rejects using wearables even … Continue reading Using wearables is all about control. And so is not using them.

Effectiveness of ads on smartphone vs TV

I came across this study, commissioned by Facebook, investigating how people respond to visual content delivered on a smartphone vs. a television. It was published in 2015, so you may know about it, already. But, if you don’t, read on as it is very interesting. The study exposed research participants to video ads on … Continue reading Effectiveness of ads on smartphone vs TV

Popular choice vs friends’ recommendations – which is most influential?

There are two sources of social influence that can shape consumer purchases: Overall popularity of the product, as evidenced by indicators such as best-selling lists or online ratings, which aggregate the choices or opinions of previous buyers in the system. Popularity of the product within the buyer’s social circle. This can be evidenced by people … Continue reading Popular choice vs friends’ recommendations – which is most influential?

On social engineering in social media platforms (or, how we are not in control)

Historian Melvin Kranzberg once wrote that: “Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral”. That is, technology (digital techology, for instance) does more than allowing users to do something; the design of that techonological product actually encourages some behaviours, while discouraging (or, at least, downplaying) others. For instance, the addition of cameras to … Continue reading On social engineering in social media platforms (or, how we are not in control)

Three things you need to know, if you are using Twitter to study consumer emotions

With 313m monthly active users around the world, of which 82% access Twitter via their mobile handsets, Twitter is likely to be a great source of insight into what customers are doing, paying attention to, or talking about. As Pratik Thakar, Coca-Cola’s head of creative content for Asia-Pacific, said, it is like a big focus … Continue reading Three things you need to know, if you are using Twitter to study consumer emotions

Something for your weekend #6: bug business (podcast)

If you have 30 minutes free this weekend, listen to the 'Bug Business' episode of the Start-Up podcast (season 5, episode 6). If has some valuable marketing lessons about introducing a new product / idea. In this case, the new idea is is trying to convince people to eat insects, but the lessons are valuable … Continue reading Something for your weekend #6: bug business (podcast)