Marc Linzmajer

Consumer neuroscience: an overview of an emerging discipline with implications for consumer policy

In recent years, interest in the integration and application of neuroscientific theories, concepts, findings and methods to the research discipline of consumer behavior has been increasing. The sub-discipline of consumer neuroscience that has resulted from that interest belongs to the innovative approach of neuroeconomics. Consumer neuroscience investigates problems of consumption and marketing through methods and findings from neuroscience. Conventional research in consumer behavior and marketing necessarily looked at the human organism as being a “black box” which cannot be assessed directly, or physiologically. This was a time when research mainly used theoretical constructs to interpret these bodily processes and resulting behavior. More recently, however, modern techniques and methods in neuroscience have facilitated a far more direct look into the “black box” of the organism as the basis for the sub-discipline of consumer neuroscience. Consumer neuroscience, therefore, can significantly benefit research in the field of consumer behavior, particularly in the attempt to better understand human behavior in decision-making processes. Although consumer neuroscience is a fledgling discipline, it constitutes a complementing advancement toward more comprehensive testing and expansion of theory. Against this background, the primary goal of the paper is to provide an overview of methods, findings, and implications of selected studies in consumer neuroscience. Furthermore, we integrate aspects of consumer policy and neuroethics, discussing the possible implications of these insights for consumer protection.ZusammenfassungIn den letzten Jahren konnte eine sich verstärkende Integration neurowissenschaftlicher Theorien, Konzepte, Erkenntnisse und Methoden in die Konsumentenverhaltensforschung beobachtet werden. Die damit angesprochene Consumer Neuroscience ist ein Teilgebiet der Neuroökonomik und untersucht konsum- und marketingrelevante Probleme mit Methoden und Erkenntnissen der Hirnforschung. Die klassische Konsumentenverhaltens- und Marketingforschung betrachtete den menschlichen Organismus notgedrungen als eine „Black-Box”, in welche kein direkter Einblick möglich ist. Stattdessen nutzte man hauptsächlich theoretische Konstrukte, um latente Prozesse und die mit ihnen verbundenen Verhaltensweisen beschreiben und erklären zu können. Ein direkterer Blick in die „Black-Box” des Organismus wird nun mit Hilfe moderner Techniken und Methoden der Hirnforschung möglich, die auf dem Gebiet Consumer Neuroscience zum Einsatz kommen. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden in vorliegendem Beitrag ausgewählte Methoden und Ergebnisse aus dem Bereich Consumer Neuroscience vorgestellt. Abschließend werden verbraucherpolitische und neuro-ethische Aspekte integriert und mögliche Implikationen dieser Erkenntnisse für die Verbraucherpolitik diskutiert.

Cross-Industrial User Channel Preferences on the Path to Online Purchase: Homogeneous, Heterogeneous, or Mixed?

Though research literature addresses a broad range of advertising impact models, studies on the channel preferences of online purchasers have received little attention, regarding both multichannel settings and channel interplay in click sequences. To provide advertisers a method for better evaluating customer channel preference, this study investigates the path to purchase by building on four multichannel clickstream data sets from three industries, recorded with cookie-tracking technologies. Applying a Cox model and clustering techniques supports delineation of empirical generalizations and industry-specific findings on channel exposure, including their antecedents and distinct channel click sequences. Across data sets, online users show idiosyncratic channel preferences for a limited set of one or two channels rather than multiple online vehicles. Both channel homogeneous click sequences and combinations of two channels (including branded contacts) are effective as purchase predictors. Our study also presents industry-specific results regarding the influence of click sequences on purchase intent, thereby providing insights for advertising research, particularly as are suited to optimization of online advertising activities.

The Effect of Glucose Consumption on Customers' Price Fairness Perception

Price fairness research has not yet developed a comprehensive explanation of what drives customers’ perception of price fairness. Here, we show that customers perceive product prices as having greater fairness after glucose intake, thus identifying a biological driver of customer price fairness perception. We also show that there is no linear effect of glucose consumption on customers’ price fairness perception, and that glucose intake does not lead to significant differences in the mood states of participants. Our results demonstrate how the integration of neuroscience concepts and theories can provide deeper insights on automatic and unconscious processes, hence making it possible for marketing and consumer researchers to better understand customers’ price fairness perceptions.

Contributing to Competitiveness in Retailing by Engaging in Sustainability: The Case of Migros

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the practice of sustainability through a diverse range of case studies spanning across varied fields and areas of expertise. It provides a clear indication as to the contemporary state of sustainability in a time faced by issues such as global climate change, challenges of environmental justice, economic globalization and environmental contamination. The Palgrave Handbook of Sustainability explores three broad themes: Environmental Sustainability, Social Sustainability and Economic Sustainability. The authors critically explore these themes and provide insight into their linkages with one another to demonstrate the substantial efforts currently underway to address the sustainability of our planet. This handbook is an important contribution to the best practices on sustainability, drawn from many different examples across the fields of engineering, geology, anthropology, sociology, biology, chemistry and religion.

Trust me if you can – neurophysiological insights on the influence of consumer impulsiveness on trustworthiness evaluations in online settings

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how consumer personality trait impulsiveness influences trustworthiness evaluations of online-offers with different trust-assuring and trust-reducing elements by measuring the brain activity of consumers. Shoppers with high degrees of impulsiveness are referred to as hedonic shoppers, and those with low degrees are referred to as prudent consumers. Design/methodology/approach To investigate the differences between neural processes in the brains of hedonic and prudent shoppers during the trustworthiness evaluation of online-offers, the present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and region-of-interest analysis to correlate neural activity patterns with behavioral measures of the study participants. Findings Drawing upon literature reviews on the neural correlates of both trust in online settings and consumer impulsiveness and using an experimental design that links behavioral and fMRI data, the study shows that consumer impulsiveness can exert a significant influence on the evaluation of online-offers. With regard to brain activation, both groups (hedonic and prudent shoppers) exhibit similar neural activation tendencies, but differences exist in the magnitude of activation patterns in brain regions that are closely related to trust and impulsiveness such as the dorsal striatum, anterior cingulate, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the insula cortex. Research limitations/implications The data provide evidence that consumers within the hedonic group evaluate online-offers differently with regard to their trustworthiness compared to the prudent group, and that these differences in evaluation are rooted in neural activation differences in the shoppers’ brains. Practical implications Marketers need to be made aware of the fact that neurological insights can be used for market segmentation, because consumers’ decision-making processes help explain behavioral outcomes (here, trustworthiness evaluations of online-offers). In addition, consumers can learn from an advanced understanding of their brain functions during decision-making and their relation to personal traits such as impulsiveness. Originality/value Considering the importance of trust in online shopping, as well as the fact that personality traits such as impulsiveness influence the purchase process to a high degree, this study is the first to systematically investigate the interplay of online trustworthiness perceptions and differences in consumer impulsiveness with neuroscientific methods.

Where to Search for Price Knowledge? The Influence of Lifestyle on Price Knowledge

Over the last decades of research, behavioral economics as well as consumer psychologists have yielded several fundamental findings relevant for marketing research and practice. While most of these findings were fruitful for many fields of economics, management, and marketing research, this holds true particularly for the field of behavioral pricing. Within this field, price knowledge became one of the most important themes. However, most of the research neglects the view that price knowledge should not depend solely on product-related or psychological factors, but should also take neurobiological factors into account. This neglect is astonishing, given the common understanding that price knowledge is stored in the memory system of the consumer’s brain. Recognizing that this memory system is affected by individual lifestyle components, this study addresses the effect of individual lifestyle components on price knowledge.

Using Psycho-physiological Interaction Analysis with fMRI Data in IS Research: A Guideline

The integration of neuroscientific methods in Information Systems(IS) research to better understand how the brain interacts with IS relevant context has gained in importance. Many papers that highlight the potential of neuroIS and that discuss methodological issues associated with using functional brain imaging already exist. However, neuroIS researchers have to keep in mind that the emergence of complex mental processes such as trust in IS contexts is based on activity in a network of brain regions rather than on activity in one area alone. Accordingly, we introduce psycho-physiological interaction (PPI) analysis, a technique that one can use to analyze fMRI data. Specifically, we review how one can conduct PPI analysis, provide a concrete research example, and show how this analysis can inform IS trust research. Thus, we introduce neuroIS Researchers working in the domain of functional brain imaging to advanced fMRI analyses methods and show, based on the example of trust, how These methods can enhance our understanding of the nature of IS constructs.

An Empirical Examination of Drivers Impacting Usage Intentions of Social Media Shopping

The increasing popularity of social media and commercial activities over such media has led to new possibilities and opportunities for marketing, especially in retailing. Many retailers have embraced a multichannel strategy to include social media marketing. Similarly, New and existing social media entrepreneurs are taking advantage of various technological innovations, created new forms of social media sites, and have strengthened the interface and interactions within existing sites. For example, Facebook allows for not only creating buzz about new products and promotions, but also enables shopping. Payment, a new venture, now provides technical support to numerous clients who want to create their storefronts on Facebook (Zimmerman 2012). Understanding I shopping behaviors of Internet users is essential to assess whether or not a social media storefront is an appropriate strategy for every e-retailer and if every social network will be perceived as an adequate shopping place for internet users.

Emotional and Behavioral Consequences of Cross-Border Shopping

Motivated by potential savings, an increasing number of consumers travel to neighboring countries for the main purpose of shopping (e.g., Canadians to the USA, Swiss to Germany). This cross-border shopping might seriously harm local economies, for example in terms of revenue, unemployment, and social well-being.

Treiber, Innovationsobjekte und Voraussetzungen einer erfolgreichen Innovationstätigkeit im Handel

In den Wirtschaftswissenschaften werden Innovationen definiert als fur die mit technischem, sozialem oder wirtschaftlichem Wandel einhergehenden (komplexen) Neuerungen (Gabler Wirtschaftslexikon 2013). Bisher liegt keine allgemein akzeptierte Begriffsdefinition vor. Gemeinsam sind allen Definitionsversuchen die Merkmale, dass es sich fur das betrachtete System um qualitativ neuartige Produkte, Prozesse, Dienstleistungen oder soziale Handlungsweisen handelt, die sich auf dem Markt oder im innerbetrieblichen Einsatz bewahren. Dieses Verstandnis spiegelt sich in der Definition des Profilbereichs Business Innovation der Universitat St. Gallen (HSG) wider: „Business Innovation ist die systematische Planung, Steuerung und Kontrolle von Innovationen in und zwischen Organisationen. Gegenstand der Innovationen sind Produkte und Dienstleistungen, Prozesse und Geschaftsmodelle.“ Business Innovation ist eingebettet in ein Wettbewerbsumfeld, welches Innovationen fordern, aber auch erschweren kann. Hierzu gehoren neben interorganisationalen Kooperationen vor allem Einflusse der Branche und des Marktes sowie das regulatorische Umfeld. Dieser Beitrag fokussiert Spezifika des Handels und kann daher in das Themenfeld „Industry/Market/Cross Organization“ des St. Galler Rahmenmodells Business Innovation eingeordnet werden.