John Wesley Hutchinson - Faculty Research in Knowledge@Wharton

The Shopper of Tomorrow: Trading Down

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:51:20 EST

Attention Shoppers: We no longer have the following items -- "a sense of entitlement," "conspicuous consumption" and "a golden period of luxury." At least that is the word from Wharton faculty and other experts who point to a new logic that is defining not just what U.S. consumers buy, but how they view the shopping experience.

New Products (Like the iPhone): Announce Early or Go for the Surprise Rollout?

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:33:58 EST

When it comes to rolling out new goods and services, companies tend to choose one of two strategies as a way of generating interest in their products, whether it's Apple's iPhone or Microsoft's Surface Computing effort. One is pre-announcing the product to give customers, partners and even competitors advance notice of what's to come. The second approach is the surprise unveiling, where a company hopes to make a big splash by giving few advance hints about an upcoming release. Which approach is best? It depends -- on the product, the company and its position in the market, say experts at Wharton.

Getting Close to the Customer: Quantitative vs. Qualitative Approaches

Wed, 05 May 2004 13:10:03 EST

After adapting information technology to develop ever more sophisticated research methods, marketers are taking a second look at more human, qualitative approaches to tapping into the hearts and minds of consumers. As one Wharton marketing professor says: “We can put each customer’s order on a microchip, but as far as having a sense of what’s inside making him tick,” the answers remain elusive. He and others suggest that companies use both quantitative methods – such as data mining – and qualitative methods, ranging from “concept banks” to “brand communities” to customer advisory boards, always keeping in mind the cost-effectiveness of these varied approaches.