Introductory description

The module is structured around three key themes:
Consumer Behaviour Intelligence: This theme offers a deeper exploration into consumer needs—a critical aspect of crafting effective Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning (STP) strategies. It delves into the complexities of understanding consumers even beyond their own self-awareness. Students will be introduced to cognitive and motivational principles, enabling them to more accurately identify their target consumers and comprehend the underlying factors driving their purchasing behaviour.
Consumer Insights for Decision Makers: The focus of this theme is on how consumer insights can strategically inform decisions in product and service development, pricing, and beyond. The module will provide practical knowledge in areas such as behavioural pricing, systematic inventive thinking, and choice engineering. This equips students with the tools to make informed, impactful decisions based on deep consumer understanding.
Consumer Behaviour Management: This theme delves into practical methods for influencing consumer behaviour in real-world scenarios, covering key areas such as persuasion, motivation, and choice architecture. We will offer students state-of-the-art insights and strategies for each of these behaviour-modifying mechanisms. Participants will learn how to identify and leverage specific cognitive and motivational levers to influence consumer actions and determine which levers are most relevant in various situations.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

• Understanding consumer needs
• Utilizing consumer motivation and incentives
• Connecting to consumer identity
• Consumer exposure and attention
• Mastering consumer perception
• Implementing persuasion principles
• Employing choice architecture
• Harnessing behavioural pricing
• Investing in consumer creativity
• From consumer insights to strategic decision-making

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Identify and explain the relevance of consumer behaviour principles to a given context.
• Critically assess the effectiveness of motivational, persuasion, and nudging tools for influencing consumer behaviour.
• Critically reflect on consumer motivation principles and their influence on consumer decision making.
• Critically reflect on consumer cognition principles and their implications for how consumers acquire, interpret, and use information in decision making.

Indicative reading list

Reading lists can be found in Talis

Research element

Students will conduct research using secondary sources.

International

Usage of international examples and case studies.

Subject specific skills

Apply the nudge framework to real-world scenarios.
Evaluate the use of a range of persuasion principles in practical applications.
Integrate motivational principles into consumer behaviour strategies.

Transferable skills

Oral and written communication skills.
Groupwork and teamworking skills.