Consumer Pschology

CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY is the study of human responses to product and service related information and experiences. Many responses are important, including beliefs and judgments, emotions, purchase decisions, and consumption practices. A broad range of product and service related information is also important, such as advertisements, package labels, coupons, consumer magazines, and word-of-mouth communications from friends and relatives. The goals of consumer psychologists are to describe, predict, influence, and/or explain consumer responses.

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Consumer psychologists are educators, researchers, and administrators. They get direct feedback from their work and they see how it changes things. It is not easy to understand why some people buy and others do not. Nor is it a simple matter to discover the trends and predict where things are going in the next few years. The majority of business executives and managers are well educated and trained in their field, but few are also all that familiar with the behavioral sciences. This is where consumer psychologists step in. The consumer psychologist's job is not easy. Once a Coke was a Coke. Today's consumers have more than brand preferences. Some want regular cola, some decaffeinated, some sugar-free, and some both decaffeinated and sugar-free. And there is still more: New formula and Classic; cherry-flavored, too.

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PROs

Challenge of Working With Others Regular work in a rewarding team environment is not unusual. You get to meet, communicate with, and work with many different individuals. Human Behavior You gain knowledge and insight through analysis of human choice patterns.Creativity There is ample opportunity for creativity. There are many opportunities to be creative and make your opinion count. You can be creative with how you go about different studies.

Seeing Hard Work Pay Off You are oftenable to see all of your hard work pay off by seeing predictions work out. It is satisfying to see that your findings can help companies make better products for you

CONs

High Risk of Burnout There is a lot of overtime expected with a six day work week or a possible 50 hours a week when there are product development deadlines.

Slow Start As you begin your career in consumer psychology, it can be slow at first. You can spend most of your time entering computer data. Lack of Cooperation You may experience hard times with finding cooperative candidates to interview and to use for supplying good consumer data. Discouragement There may be many instances when things do not go as planned and research projects do not lead to meaningful conclusions. Decision Overload As a Consumer Psychologist, you will have to make many decisions regarding research, tests, consumers, and data interpretation. This may overload some individuals.

SKILLS, ABILITIES AND KNOWLEDGE NEEDED to be successful in Consumer Psychology include the ability to evaluate problems and make appropriate decisions, apply a thorough understanding