What are the enduring insights about consumer judgments and behavior? Leading scholars in the consumer research field offer the latest findings on 42 topics in Consumer Insights: Findings from Behavioral Research.

Edited by University of Florida professor Joseph Alba, the book addresses a broad range of consumer phenomena, from variety seeking and brand recall to price biases and the effects of package size on consumption. Each of 42 entries offers a concise discussion of a managerially important insight, its evidence base, implications for practice, and selected references.

A field guide to the fascinating territory of consumer behavior research. Consumer Insights provides the current consensus on important behavioral questions, the evidence base of those findings, and an indication of where to go for details. It is a resource that marketers and market research professionals will want to keep close at hand.

—Scott McDonald, Senior VP, Market Research, Condé Nast Publications, Inc.

The body of research on consumer behavior is huge and it is difficult for managers to separate fact from fiction. This book brings together a wealth of consumer insights, in an easily readable format, with compelling managerial implications. It is a “must read” for managers in B2C companies, consultants, and marketing academics.

—Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkamp, C. Knox Massey Distinguished Professor of Marketing and Marketing Area Chair, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

"Consumer research has long been based on survey interviews and on direct observation of behavior. However, in the past few decades, the behavioral side of consumer research has flourished as scholars from social and life sciences have devised better ways of experimenting with, capturing, and analyzing human behavior. Alas, very few marketers are familiar with this area and, indeed, few even know where to begin looking for answers. This book, the latest in MSI's Relevant Knowledge series, can serve as a field guide to this fascinating territory. Consumer Insights offers the current consensus on important behavioral questions, the evidence base of that consensus, and an indication of where to go for details. It is a resource that marketers and market research professionals will want to keep close at hand." --Scott McDonald, Senior VP, Research and Insights, Conde Nast

"The idea behind this book is brilliant! The Insights section is an efficient way to get to the core of a consumer behaviour topic, the Evidence Base and Reference sections allows the reader to go beyond the basic concept to investigate its nuances, and the Managerial Implications section brings the topic to life by highlighting its relevance. Consumer Insights has integrated simplicity and complexity in a way that will be uniquely valuable to managers and academics. I will use it to as supplement for my marketing and brand management classes, as well as to jumpstart the development of my next research ideas." --Simona Botti, Assistant Professor of Marketing, London Business School

"Today's consumer is both complex and dynamic. This book summarizes the findings from the field of behavioral research that address the myriad behavioral forces shaping this complex consumer and the interaction of these forces in defining the context for his or her choices. Covering such critical areas as pricing, advertising, branding, and product portfolio management, the authors explain how such behavioral phenomena as the consumer's perception of quality, emotional feelings, inferences, bias, habits, social interaction with others, and past consumption history impact the effectiveness of today's marketing programs.

"The format of the book is ideal for the time-challenged marketing executive, providing a summary of key findings in each area, accompanied by a listing of the primary research works supporting those findings. Consumer Insights: Findings from Behavioral Research makes a strong case for evaluating each element of the marketing program from the behavioral perspective through market research. It also provides valuable insights on how to design that research in order to account for the impact of these same behavioral phenomena on the consumer's responses to marketing surveys. This is a practical guide to a complex subject, the consumer. --David F. Poltrack, Chief Research Officer, CBS Corporation

Joseph W. Alba is Distinguished Professor of Marketing and chair of the Department of Marketing at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business, where he has been faculty member since 1981. His research focuses on decision making, brand equity, product design, and pricing.