Consumer psychology
Consumer decision makers can make suboptimal decisions. For instance, broke people tend make worse decisions. This is because their brains are busy worrying about making it to the next paycheck. Marketing tactics can also push smart shoppers to overspend on deals, pick experiences over material things, and prime key consumer behaviours. More on my work on consumerpsych topics in this page’s curation.
Research
Pala, Erol, Sommer Kapitan & Patrick van Esch (2022), “Simulated satiation through reality-enhancing technology,” Psychology & Marketing, 39 (3), 483-494.
Kapitan, Sommer, Sarah Mittal, Jill M. Sundie & Daniel J. Beal (2021), “What a great deal… I need that! Updating need drives frugal consumers’ responses to deep discounts,” Journal of Business Research, 134, 467-479.
Kapitan, Sommer, Spencer M. Ross and David H. Silvera (2019), "Small-Dollar Credit Lending: The Effect of Financial Burden on Personal Asset Misvaluation," Journal of Consumer Affairs, 53 (3), 946-974.
Mittal, Sarah E., Sommer Kapitan, and David H. Silvera (2019), “Go big or go home: Risk seeking for experiential choices,” Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 18, 97-108.
Yap, Sheau-Fen and Sommer Kapitan (2017), “Consumption Coping and Life Transitions: An Integrative Review,” Australasian Marketing Journal, 25 (3), p. 194-205.
Kapitan, Sommer. “Case study 2.1: Inspired Marketing,” (2018). Marketing 2nd Ed., McGraw Hill Education, Grewal, Levy, Matthews, Harrigan, Buci and Kopanidis. Sydney. 43-44.
Cooking the Books podcast (from NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB) with Frances Cook, December 26, 2018: “Why Do Sales Make Us Irrational?”
Print media
Aug 11, 2021, stuff.co.nz, “'Catching your eye in the wild': Why we keep falling for supermarket 'specials'“
July 31, 2021, Southland Times, “Time to rein in supermarket chains”
July 30, 2021, National Business Review, “Mixed reaction to ComCom’s supermarket review”
July 29, 2021, Radio New Zealand, “Consumer NZ backs Commerce Commission proposals for supermarkets”
July 29, 2021, Business Desk, “Supermarket split: Chains could be forced to sell stores”
July 29, 2021, stuff.co.nz, “Government responds to damning supermarket report on high costs”
May 13, 2021, stuff.co.nz, “Online shopping here to stay, forcing business to rethink their strategy”
March 22, 2021, stuff.co.nz, “Busy shoppers buying back their time with subscriptions”
Nov 23, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Ready steady shop: Black Friday 2020 could be bigger than ever”
Nov 12, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Hello Fresh food poisoning stigma could rub off on other meal kit services”
Nov 4, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “‘Preposterously busy’ bookshop gets benefits of local-focused shoppers”
Oct 19, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Kiwi dogs eat 70,000 possums in a year: Demand for pest pet food grows”
Aug 31, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Lewis Road to sell milk with added collagen, as demand for ‘functional food’ grows”
July 31, 2020, BusinessDesk, “Thanks for the memories — the power of nostalgia in a covid world”
July 30, 2020, Oddee, “Domino’s pulls New Zealand ‘Karen’ pizza promotion after online backlash”
July 29, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Domino’s Pizza ‘Karen’ promo criticised for being tone deaf”
April 12, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Coronavirus - splashing out, then slowing down - what the post-lockdown retail climate will be like”
April 9, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Coronavirus - panic buying has given way to ‘eerie’ supermarkets - what’s next?”
March 30, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Coronavirus: Lockdown rubbish and food waste could be high”
Jan 21, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Shopping with machines: Technology to overtake the human touch”
Nov 13, 2019, The Spinoff, “Mind over money: An extract from Tales from a Financial Hot Mess”
Oct 27, 2019, stuff.co.nz, “Discount shops: Knocked down but not out”
Oct 13, 2019, New Zealand Herald, “From financial mess to thrift queen: How one woman turned finances around”
Sept 1, 2019, stuff.co.nz, “Shopping mall owners are spending $1.5 billion on ‘lifestyle centres’”
Aug 13, 2019, stuff.co.nz, “The Warehouse wants TheMarket to become New Zealand’s Amazon”
April 17, 2019, stuff.co.nz, “Wonky Donky author says book’s success puts spotlight on golliwog, 11 years on”
Jan 27, 2019, New Zealand Herald, “Don’t be loan-ly this year”
Nov 22, 2018, Dominion Post and stuff.co.nz, “Black Friday: Boxing Day not yet eroded by Kiwi shoppers’ increasing love for pre-Christmas sale day”
Oct 27, 2018, stuff.co.nz, “Is New Zealand’s supermarket duopoly ripping us off?”
May 14, 2018, New Zealand Herald, "World saga: Why we're willing to pay more for designer labels"
April 11, 2018, New Zealand Herald, "Gender reveal party supplies a booming business, local retailers say"
Aug 9, 2017, stuff.co.nz, “Mexican food truck business creates DIY weekly meal kits"
July 31, 2017, The National Business Review, “Rich and poor in NZ: Which side are you on?”
July 24, 2017, stuff.co.nz, "Why the Rich List is 'unhealthy, disturbing'"
July 19, 2017, stuff.co.nz, “UberEats faces logistical challenges in Kiwi market"
June 9, 2017, stuff.co.nz, “Sugary drink makers move away from sugar"
March 1, 2017, Scoop Independent News, "Academic, design and business experts to share tricks"
Dec 16, 2016, New Zealand Herald, “What’s behind these Christmas traditions"
Nov 22, 2016, One News “Tips for Christmas shoppers: Retailers know our shopping habits"
May 9, 2016, RetailNZ, “What it's like being a member of the Lululemon tribe for the day"
Feb 26, 2016, Stop Press, “Sex sells. Or does it? Why retail brands are turning down the heat"
Feb 25, 2016, TheRegister, “Does sex still sell? Retail heavyweights’ advertising moves towards being less racy, and more inclusive"
Jan 22, 2016, stuff.co.nz, "Woolworth's Tasmania hat fail the latest of many advertising misfires"
Jan 21, 2016, RetailNZ, “Experiences over stuff: the new consumerism – and what retailers can do about it"
Dec 3, 2015, Daily Mail, “‘Disgusting and sexist': Fashion label slammed for using naked women's bodies as 'props' in new jewellery campaign - but its rings still sell out in less than a DAY”
Dec 3, 2015, stuff.co.nz, “Fashion label I Love Ugly’s ‘sexist’ ads won’t change men’s attitudes – expert"
Aug 21, 2015, Stop Press, “You're drinking what you're thinking: how marketers can embrace behavioural science"
June 6, 2015, Idealog, "Restaurant robotics"
Expert statements
Phys.org, research analyses with co-author Sarah Mittal, “Deep discounts: the nemisis of bargain hunters,” July 14, 2021
The Conversation, research analysis with co-authors Jessica Vredenburg, Amanda Spry, and Joya Kemper: “Athlete activism or corporate woke washing? Getting it right in the age of Black Lives Matter is a tough game,” September 21, 2020
The Conversation, research analysis with co-authors Jessica Vredenburg, Amanda Spry, and Joya Kemper: “Post Gillette: Other brands are better at matching practice with talk, but don’t get the publicity,” February 1, 2019.
The Conversation, research analysis with co-authors Jessica Vredenburg, Amanda Spry, and Joya Kemper: “Woke-washing: What happens when marketing communications don’t match corporate practice,” December 5, 2018.
