A selection of articles and essays on consumer behaviour, research, and decision-making.
While no longer updated regularly, this archive reflects some of the themes and thinking behind Philip’s work.
Clichés: Is Retail Really Detail?
Stephen Fry once quipped, “It’s a cliché that most clichés are true, but then like most clichés that cliché is untrue.” I read that quote four times and it still makes my head spin. I don’t like clichés. For the most part they’re said witho…
Do Your Customers Need a Boost?
When in a purchasing situation, the mental faculties of a consumer are said to reside in one or both of two separate “systems”. System 1 is a subconscious (meaning automatic) stimulus response and impulse oriented system. This relies strict…
How to Turn a Customer’s Brain Off
Years ago, between the ages of 16 and 20, I had a part-time job in a sports shop. It would have been an ideal job for someone like me, who is so keen on sport, were it not for the fact that each week a tempting new product would come into t…
Recommendations are Exaggerations
It’s often said that if you’re thinking of buying something it’s a good idea to ask people you know what they would recommend. And I agree. But it’s also a very bad idea too. It’s a good idea because getting a recommendation is easy to do a…
How to Make Someone Buy
I deliberated long and hard before deciding to write this article. For the most part the areas of consumer behaviour that interest me are those relating to how the consumer mind works. I judge that telling you about these insights from neur…
What Other People Think
In my article To Sell More Think Sheep I discussed the contradiction that exists between the observable fact that we all do pretty much the same things (particularly as our friends) but like to entertain the notion that we’re much more auto…
Too Much Choice
The other day I watched a movie I’ve enjoyed several times before, Say Anything, starring a very young John Cuszak. At its heart it’s a romantic comedy about an unlikely coupling, but it also dabbles with the issue of choice. One lead chara…
When is a Fact Not a Fact?
A couple of months ago I mentioned to someone that sales of fine wines were declining (the really expensive stuff). He wasn’t happy. In fact, he robustly disputed my interpretation of the statistic I was quoting. He argued that since it wa…
Can Pens with Logos Really Help a Brand?
I watched an old episode of Friends the other day, the one where Ross and Chandler decide to try and take revenge on a hotel that won’t give them a refund when Monica can’t make the trip. From the apples on the front desk through to the rem…