Relative sales and matching analysis of consumers' brand choices in open settings

The dissertation is a methodological exploration of the relevance of in-store behavioural experiments with relative sales and matching analysis to study consumers' brand choices in real open settings. Three extensive in-store experiments, using alternating treatment design with baseline—testing the effects of Place, Price, and Promotion—were performed in different types of stores (convenience, supermarkets, and budget) in order to investigate the application of the consumer behaviour analysis research framework to real open consumer settings. Four choice-based behaviour analytical analyses—relative sales analysis, amount matching, cost matching and probability matching—were performed on the data when applicable. The results show that the relative sales analyses for the in-store experiments often show orderliness and functionally interesting, and in some cases contradicting, buying behaviour patterns. As for previous correlational consumer behaviour analysis research there is—as should be expected—strong relationship between relative spending and relative buying (amount matching). Although methodologically peculiar, the application of this compelled matching relationship lies in the ability of the free parameters of the generalised matching equation to indicate dimensions of the substitutability of brands to some degree. Cost matching analyses, generally, did not show downward sloping curves, as is sometimes the case in previous studies. It, as well as amount matching, hides functional relations but can be appropriate if represented with a relative sales analysis, which gives clearer picture of behaviour-environment relationships than matching analysis. Results also show that the probability matching analysis, as applied in consumer behaviour analysis, gives misleading results. The ingathering of the study is a new in-store behavioural experimental project which can appraise consumer behaviour analytical advantages, fallacies, and verification seen with the lenses of in-store experimental techniques, and the inclusion of relative sales analysis to real and affluent consumer settings.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Relative sales and matching analysis of consumers' brand choices in open settings.

The dissertation is a methodological exploration of the relevance of in-store behavioural experiments with relative sales and matching analysis to study consumers' brand choices in real open settings. Three extensive in-store experiments, using alternating treatment design with baseline - testing the effects of Place, Price, and Promotion - were performed in different types of stores (convenience, supermarkets, and budget) in order to investigate the application of the consumer behaviour analysis research framework to real open consumer settings. Four choice-based behaviour analytical analyses - relative sales analysis, amount matching, cost matching and probability matching - were performed on the data when applicable. The results show that the relative sales analyses for the in-store experiments often show orderliness and functionally interesting, and in some cases contradicting, buying behaviour patterns. As for previous correlational consumer behaviour analysis research there is - as should be expected - strong relationship between relative spending and relative buying (amount matching). Although methodologically peculiar, the application of this compelled matching relationship lies in the ability of the free parameters of the generalised matching equation to indicate dimensions of the substitutability of brands to some degree. Cost matching analyses, generally, did not show downward sloping curves, as is sometimes the case in previous studies. It, as well as amount matching, hides functional relations but can be appropriate if represented with a relative sales analysis, which gives clearer picture of behaviour-environment relationships than matching analysis. Results also show that the probability matching analysis, as applied in consumer behaviour analysis, gives misleading results. The ingathering of the study is a new in-store behavioural experimental project which can appraise consumer behaviour analytical advantages, fallacies, and verification seen with the lenses of in-store experimental techniques, and the inclusion of relative sales analysis to real and affluent consumer settings

When Loss Reward: The Near-Miss Effect in Slot Machine Gamblin

An intriguing feature of near-miss outcomes in slot-machine gambling is that, while they are objectively losses, they motivate further play. The “near-miss effect” contradicts standard reinforcement theory in which failure should punish, rather than reward, responding. This critical review first examines neurophysiological research which seeks correlates and perhaps causes of this effect. The search for a neurophysiological substrate reveals that near-misses recruit similar reward-orientated brain regions to those involved in wins. However, two additional research traditions complicate this picture. The first seeks “cognitive distortions” that are held to motivate further play in the face of near-misses. The second claims that contextual factors, inherent in the programming of the machines and the physical arrangement of gambling milieux, modify responses to near-miss outcomes. A recurring theme in all research traditions is the role of a possible source of reinforcement separate from the effect of monetary wins and a potential link between this secondary reinforcement and arousal in players. The paper seeks to diversify the context of slot-machine gambling by arguing that that it is a form of consumer behavior and, as such, influenced by “informational” or symbolic reinforcement as well as by “utilitarian” or functional reinforcement. It compares the behavior of slotmachine gamblers and its consequences with those of economic consumers generally and proposes a framework within which the near-miss phenomenon can be comprehended