Consumerology: The Truth about Consumers and the Psychology of Shopping

(Paperback, 2nd edition)

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Available in paperback for the first time, this new updated and revised second edition of Consumerology: The Truth About Consumers and the Psychology of Shopping contains a new preface and epilogue, in which Philip Graves reveals the myriad tricks and psychological games high street shops play on consumers; the ways in which we are manipulated into buying things we don't want; the ways in which we deceive ourselves; and the cutting edge behavioural science being used to change our habits to even more significant degrees.

Reviews

"Philip Graves has put together an excellent guide to understanding how to know what people will and won't do. Now you can have the benefit of years of knowledge and experience distilled into an easy-to-read and understand book." - From the Foreword by Kevin Hogan "Alongside his debunking of the market research industry, the author takes us on a fascinating romp through the psychological underpinnings of consumer behaviour - Consumer.ology is a rich digest of insights on consumer psychology. It should be essential reading for marketers and general managers, and carefully hidden away from anyone whose livelihood depends on market research." - Alan Giles, Marketing Society Director & Associate Fellow, Said Business School, University of Oxford "Consumer.ology is a refreshingly iconoclastic skewer through the heart of traditional market research methods and reason." - Blake H. Glenn, Senior Inventor, What If! The Innovation Company "The problem with consumers is that they are incapable of understanding their purchasing behavior. Why Because it is actually driven by the unconscious. Consumer.ology author Philip Graves is a lecturer on consumer behaviour and a consultant for associated studies for companies including Whirlpool, Virgin Media, and Pepsi. He has come to the bold conclusion that market studies and focus groups are useless. He asserts that the most accurate information about consumer needs comes from analysis of data gathered in real situations, where people are not aware that they are being observed. Fortunately, the Internet offers a vast territory for observation, because people leave countless traces of their behavior and telling comments. Keeping quiet and listening to consumers is actually just as important as communicating with them, and people often speak more honestly when no questions have been asked." - Business Digest

Author Bio

Philip Graves graduated from Sheffield Polytechnic with a BSc in Applied Statistics. He became Market Research Manager for Eagle Star Life and then, following two years with a traditional market research agency, Research and Brand Strategy manager for Pizza Hut. His 20 years observing consumers made him aware of a conflict between what people said in research and what they actually did, which led to the introduction of psychoanalytical techniques into his work. He has advised numerous international businesses, including Comet, ITV, Whirlpool, Dr Martens, New Covent Garden Food Company, Camelot, Virgin Media, Hotpoint and Pepsi. See his website at www.philipgraves.net.