Search results

I: The shift from relative to absolute. From relative to absolute ; The decline of "irrationality" ; New patterns in consumer decision making ; Why we're bullish about absolute values -- II: How marketing changes forever. When brands mean less ; Satisfaction, loyalty, and the future of past experience ; Absolute diffusion : from Pinehurst to Pinterest ; Pointless positioning and persuasion -- III: A new framework. The influence mix ; Communication : match your customers' influence mix ; Market research : from predicting to tracking ; Segment evolution : from susceptible to savvy ; The future of the absolute ; Absolute business : a final word

Abstract
User reviews aggregate word of mouth and often greatly enhance consumers' ability to estimate product quality. Consumers decide for themselves whether and how to incorporate user reviews with other sources when evaluating options (e.g., a small minority uses Consumer Reports ). Despite the extraordinary diligence of Bart de Langhe, Philip Fernbach, and Donald Lichtenstein and their use of a variety of data sources and methods, I have concerns about the purpose of the research, the evidence and distinctions they rely on, and the overstated conclusions. However, studying how user reviews and other currently available quality sources of information affect consumers is important and offers new directions for judgment and decision-making researchers.

Abstract
Over the past 50 years, consumer researchers have presented extensive evidence that consumer preference can be swayed by the decision context, particularly the configuration of the choice set. Importantly, behavioral research on context effects has inspired prominent quantitative research on multialternative decision-making published in leading psychology, management, economics, and general interest journals. While both streams of research seem to agree that context effects are an important research area, there has been relatively limited interaction, communication, and collaboration between the two research camps. In this article, we seek to initiate an active dialogue between the two sides. We begin by providing a critical overview of the two literatures on context effects, discussing both their strengths and weaknesses, as well as disparities and complementarities. Here, we place particular emphasis on deepening consumer researchers' understanding of context effects by drawing on prominent quantitative research published in non-marketing journals over the last decades. Importantly, we provide a roadmap for the future that can inspire further research and potential collaborations between the two camps, overcoming silos in knowledge creation.