Author: Susan Weinschenk

The Pew Research Center conducts research on the ownership of smartphones versus basic cellphones. As of 2019 most people in the countries with “advanced economies” have a smartphone, but in countries that are considered “emerging economies” there are fewer people with smartphones. For example, in South Korea 95% of adults have a smartphone, and 5%…

According to a survey by Millward Brown Digital if a task is quick (5 minutes), all generations prefer to do the task on a smartphone. But if the task is longer, then all generations prefer to do the task on a laptop or desktop. But there’s a generational difference in the stated reason why they…

The Pew Research Center conducts research on technology use.Below are the findings for different age ranges (18–29, 30–49, 50-64, 65 and older) of people in the US with various technologies. Takeaways

It may seem like people are using their smartphones to text a friend, check social media, or browse the news if they’re bored, but according to the Pew Research Center more than half of the people with smartphones have also used their phones for many tasks: People with lower incomes are almost twice as likely…

Let’s say that you’re the CEO of a large retail clothing brand. You have stores throughout the world, and you have a website. People buy shirts, pants, skirts, belts, and so on at your stores and at your site. If you want people to enjoy the shopping process with your brand, and to be excited…

Look at the numbers below. Don’t actually multiply them—just estimate what you think the answer would be: 1 X 2 X 3 X 4 X 5 X 6 X 7 X 8 Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman showed people the numbers the same way I’ve them displayed above. When they asked people to estimate the…

Research on cognitive dissonance in relation to shopping and purchasing often focuses on the post-purchase reaction. But the studies show that cognitive dissonance is just as relevant, and maybe even more relevant, in the pre-decision process. In fact, one could argue that marketing and advertising are all about trying to induce a feeling of cognitive…

You just bought an expensive pair of shoes. You have a very brief pang of regret. Did you need another pair of shoes? Did you need these shoes? Should you take them back? After about 10 seconds, you let go of the regret. “They’re great,” you say, “and they’ll be just right for the wedding…

Budget and financial counselors often advise people to withdraw cash each week and use it to pay for daily and weekly expenses rather than putting purchases on a credit card. The theory is that if you see the money leaving your wallet, you’ll spend less. The theory is correct, as several research studies have shown.…

If you talk to major retailers in the US, it quickly becomes clear that online sales and store sales are two very different things. Several of my retail clients have online shopping operations and staff headquarters in one location, and store operations and staff in a different location, often thousands of miles away. From the…