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While no longer updated regularly, this archive reflects some of the themes and thinking behind Philip’s work.
Not Getting Shot and the Magician at Nando’s Restaurant: Retail Review
I’m quite partial to a bit of magic. Quite a lot of the psychologists I know have a passing interest in the subject. I think it’s all part of a fascination with how the mind works: that balance between our willingness to believe the incredi…
Why You Can’t Answer 3 Customer Satisfaction Questions
I just bought a new printer. It’s wireless. Buying it was tricky. The Amazon reviews of Wifi printers had alerted me to the fact that getting them set up wasn’t necessarily easy. In the end I selected one that almost everyone…
Playing with Market Research
One of the advantages of understanding how the process of asking people questions influences them is that you can have fun demonstrating its impact. I was recently invited to speak to a local business group and took the opportunity to demon…
Charity Begins at Home
One of the things I really enjoy about the calls I get from journalists is that they prompt me to consider new aspects of consumer issues. This morning I was called by BBC Radio Bristol to talk about the rise of charity shops on UK high st…
Are Consumer Interest Groups Bad for Consumers?
We live in a consumer age. My own view is that consumerism is part of evolution. I know that there are a few people out there who really hate how far it’s gone: I’m certainly not arguing that the consequences of being a consum…
Amazon Test New Website Design
It’s always interesting to see what ideas a web giant like Amazon is evaluating, particularly when the change is more than just a subtle adjustment. At present they’re trying out a very different home page. One thing Amazon does…
Shuropody (August 2011)
“Yes!” That was my first thought as I watched my golf ball fly towards the 200 yard marker at the driving range; the first successful launch from new Taylormade R9 5 wood. My previous attempts had travelled the kind of distance better measu…
The Name’s Not Bond: Christopher Ward Watches
I’ve been having some trouble with a couple of Eastern Europeans. You know the types; a beautiful woman who, it turns out, is actually a spy, and a ruthless maniac who wants to take over the world. Being a secret agent myself (something I n…
Literary Criticism: Review of an Independent Book Retailer
If you have seen the Tom Hanks Meg Ryan movie, “You’ve Got Mail” you may remember the plot revolves around the email exchanges of the two characters. Hanks runs the large corporate book store – FoxBooks, and Ryan the small independent Shop …