ABSTRACT
Have you ever wondered why it is that you sometimes end up finishing an entire bag of potato chips after promising yourself you were only going to eat three or four chips and then put the package away? Or what makes some shopping experiences fun and entertaining, whereas others are downright nightmarish? Or why French women don’t seem to gain weight even though they regularly consume cheese, butter, pastries, and pâté? Is there any truth to the oftvoiced claim that “men buy, women shop”? Do those scary warning labels on cigarette packs actually dissuade people from smoking? If you answered “yes” to having contemplated one or more of these questions, then you have come to the right place. This chapter considers these and many other questions linked to the human needs and motives at the root of a wide array of consumer behaviors and marketing decisions. We will consider the personal and social forces that compel and influence shopping, eating behavior, conspicuous consumption, impulse control, and the like, with an eye to marketing strategy and implementation.
