The key to marketing success is understanding and satisfying consumers’ needs. That is why the discipline of consumer behavior is so essential to any organization that deals with customers, users or clients. These needs and their drivers are constantly in flux, yet at the same time they also relate in very fundamental ways to other aspects of human cognition and behavior.
It is our pleasure and privilege to welcome you to The Routledge Companion to Consumer Behavior. This volume explores both foundational and cutting-edge topics that will benefit beginning and established academic researchers, as well as practitioners who wish to stay on top of what we know about consumer behavior. We have brought together a wide variety of scholars from around the globe who represent a diverse set of approaches to important and timely consumer behavior topics. Many of these authors are “household names” in the field; all are highly competent experts in their topical areas.
We start with introductory chapters by titans in the field—Sidney Levy (University of Arizona) and Jag Sheth (Emory University). Since we believe that at the end of the day the consumer’s interest in the marketing exchange is paramount, we then segue to a section on Well-Being.
We chose to organize the remainder of the book in (at least roughly) a micro to macro structure. Thus, we start with sections on Perception, Learning and Memory, Self & Gender, and Motivation, Values & Personality. The volume then moves to “mid-range” sections on Decision Making, Attitudes and Branding, Language, and Buying, Retailing, Services & Disposal. Finally, we present more “macro” topics in sections on Family, Groups & Social Media, Subcultures, Social Class & Power, and Culture. We end the book with “real-world” perspectives from two prominent practitioners, who discuss the challenges and opportunities they face “in the trenches” as they seek to understand their customers and meet their needs.
The discipline of consumer behavior is fast-moving and fundamental for the welfare of companies, government, non-profits—and of course the end consumer. We hope you will enjoy diving into the important topics this volume addresses as much as we enjoyed working with this group of world-class scholars to put it together.
Michael R. Solomon
Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, U.S.A.
Tina M. Lowrey
HEC, Paris, France