Title: Consumer Behavior | Psychology Today
Headings: 
Contents
Why Consumer Behavior Matters
Why do marketers study consumer behavior?
How do politicians use marketing research in campaigns?
Why are people drawn to fads?
How is consumer behavior affected by natural disasters?
How does consumer behavior change during a recession?
Will the COVID-19 pandemic change consumer behavior?
The Psychology of Buying and Spending
Why does buying things feel good?
Does buying more things make you happy in the long run?
Why do I buy things I don’t need?
Why do I buy things that are bad for me?
How can I stop buying things that are bad for me?
How does anxiety affect what we buy?
What causes panic buying?
What motivates impulse purchases?
How Advertising and Marketing Work
How does marketing influence what we buy?
Do marketers take advantage of how the human brain works?
Why do some ads succeed while others fail?
Why are “limited time offers” so appealing?
Why are so many ads sexual?
Do sexual ads really work?
How to Appeal to Consumers
How can I persuade people to buy my product?
How can I make my marketing campaign more effective?
How can I introduce a new product or idea?
How can marketers sell products ethically?

Content: Consumer Behavior | Psychology Today
Consumer behavior—or how people buy and use goods and services—is a rich field of psychological research, particularly for companies trying to sell products to as many potential customers as possible. Since what people buy—and why they buy it—impacts many different facets of their lives, research into consumer behavior ties together several key psychological issues. These include communication (How do different people respond to advertising and marketing?), identity (Do our purchases reveal our personality ?), social status, decision-making, and mental and physical health. Contents
Why Consumer Behavior Matters
The Psychology of Buying and Spending
How Advertising and Marketing Work
How to Appeal to Consumers
Why Consumer Behavior Matters
Corporations, political campaigns, and nonprofit organizations all consult findings about consumer behavior to determine how best to market products, candidates, or issues. In some cases, they accomplish this by manipulating people's fears, their least-healthy habits, or their worst tendencies. And consumers themselves can be their own worst enemy, making rash purchasing decisions based on anxiety, faulty logic, or a fleeting desire for social status. But consumers aren’t powerless: Learning more about the different strategies companies employ, as well as the explanations for people's often confusing purchasing decisions, can help individuals more consciously decide what, why, and whether to buy.