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Consumer Behavior

Revolutionizing How We Evaluate Consumer Decision-Making

Systems 1 and 2: Not Either/Or, But Both

Plenty has been written about advances in cognitive science around System 1 thinking (fast, automatic, and emotional) and System 2 thinking (slow, deliberate, and rational). Because consumers use both System 1 and 2 thinking, it is unlikely that research evaluating only their rational assessment OR focusing entirely on implicit/emotional reactions will yield complete results and insight to make the best brand strategy and messaging choices possible. Measuring both System 1 and 2 thinking is important because it more accurately captures how the brain works …

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Inflation Insights for Action – '23 versus '22

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Inflation is attacking every industry, and organizations are looking for leadership and insight on how to respond.

Our most recent free ACUPULSE™ report compares consumer thoughts, feelings, and behaviors today versus Spring 2022, to answer questions such as:

  • How are different age groups changing their shopping priorities?

  • Are any consumers buying more across certain categories than last year?

  • Beyond lower prices, what kinds of things will motivate consumers to purchase new products?

Click here to download the free report, and be sure to check out the offers at the end of the deck to get even more data customized to your sector, category, or brand.

5 Success Stories Leveraging Multi-Cognition Research

We’ve debated with ChatGPT about the importance of understanding how emotion/impulse and rational thought factor into consumers’ purchase decisions.

Our Spark Multi-Cognition Research® methodology goes beyond traditional screening of “System 2” reasoning to capture impulsive “System 1” drivers that are critical in today’s crowded marketplace. Spark MCR has helped clients across multiple categories grow their business by narrowing in on the most effective messaging for ad campaigns and packaging, understanding how to increase value and purchase intent, identifying ways to attract new users, and more…

Click below to learn about 5 of our many Spark success stories.

Factors in System 1 (Emotional/Impulsive) vs. System 2 (Rational/Conscious) Decision-Making

It’s true that human beings often make decisions based on emotion, impulse, and non-conscious automatic behavior. But there are occasions when conscious, rational thinking takes the lead. We challenged ChatGPT to explain what factors determine this. The AI offered 6 scenarios, but ACUPOLL has identified 2 more.

Click below to see all 8, along with an excerpt of our conversation with ChatGPT.

ChatGPT debunks “95% of decisions are non-conscious”

According to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman, “95% of our purchase decision-making takes place in the subconscious mind,” implying that emotions are what really drive purchasing behavior, and decision-making in general. We challenged ChatGPT on this statistic… and actually changed its “mind.”

Click below to read our conversation with the AI.

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Free Report – What Consumers Want Your Brand to Do in This Inflationary Environment

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Following up on our award-winning ACUPULSE™ COVID-19 Tracking Reports, we’re delving into consumer struggles, emotions, shopping behavior changes, and – most important – how they want companies to respond to this difficult economic environment.

Click here to download the free report.

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System 1 Weight Management

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How consumer psychology and marketing strategy helped me lose – and keep off – 20 pounds

42% of Americans say they’ve gained weight during COVID, with 1 in 7 saying they’ve packed on 10 pounds or more – yet nearly half also say diets have not been successful for them. If you’re one of those who struggle with managing and maintaining your weight, consider these “System 1”-inspired strategies.

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Tests on Data Quality in the COVID-19 Environment

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We have published several Free Covid-19 Tracking reports to help you understand how consumers are responding to the crisis, and what to expect in the future. To provide you with the best research leadership possible, we have also analyzed historical results in prior crises, re-fielded tests, analyzed our studies in the field, talked to sample providers, and monitored competitive/industry learning. The bottom line is that research continues to deliver insights reliably in this environment.

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Free Report #10 – Holiday Safety, Vaccine Trends, and School Concerns

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To close out 2020, our final waves of research for the year focus on holiday plans and precautions, parents’ concerns about current learning models for their children, and evolving trends related to economic and emotional impact as well as vaccination and coping strategies.

Click "Read More" to download.

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Free Report #9 – News Sources, Politics, and Workplace Changes

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This most recent wave of our pandemic tracking digs deeper into how the American workplace is changing – perhaps permanently – and looks at consumer opinions of different news sources and their correlation with political leanings.

Click "Read More" to download.

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Free Report #8 – Safety Measures, Schools, and Coping through Food, Faith, and Alcohol

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Our most recent COVID-related ACUPULSE surveys focus on consumers’ coping strategies, degree of adherence to safety measures, and the back-to-school decisions/challenges being faced by parents – in addition to tracking unemployment, shopping/spending habits, and personal priorities.

Click "Read More" to download.

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Free Report #7 – Psychological Insights into Consumers’ COVID Reactions

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Waves 13–14 of our ongoing tracking focus on the underlying psychology of attitudes toward mask-wearing and other crisis-related behaviors.

Click "Read More" to download.

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Free Report #6B – Re-Start Reactions, Commerce & Controversy (Quirk's Edition)

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This Special Report for Quirk’s Media Subscribers captures Waves 10–12 tracking of peoples’ everyday lives, hearts, and minds since March 18 across more than 15,000 consumers.

Click "Read More" to download.

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Free Report #6 – Re-Start Reactions, Commerce & Controversy

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While many consumers have resumed normal activities, or plan to as soon as restrictions are lifted, up to 40% continue to say they will wait until they feel safe doing so. Many also hope to continue some of the new (positive) behaviors they’ve adopted during the lock-down. Still, patience is wearing thin, and the social landscape has become increasingly complex amid recent protests.

Click "Read More" to download waves 10 & 11 of this research.

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Free Report #5 – Snacks, Masks, and Economic Impacts

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It’s no surprise that consumers have been cooking and eating more during this time, which presents opportunities for Brands to meet a variety of needs regarding nutrition as well as convenience. Our most recent surveys looked to uncover these insights, as well as to understand differing opinions and expectations around safety restrictions, business re-openings, and income recovery.

Click "Read More" to download waves 8 & 9 of this research.

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Free Report #4 – Opening Up

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Government restrictions have little to do with consumers’ decisions about getting back into public life – personal perceptions of safety are what matter. Therefore, providing reassurance will be paramount to regaining business.

Click "Read More" to download waves 6 & 7 of this research.

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Free Report #3 – Consumer Expectations

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Recognizing that the world will be fundamentally changed following the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers share how their priorities and behaviors are shifting, as well as what they hope to see from companies as “the new normal” unfolds.

Click "Read More" to download waves 4 & 5 of this research.

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Free Report #2 – Looking Ahead to Post-Crisis

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Because the situation is rapidly evolving, we are updating our learning periodically to keep you informed on trends related to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it’s affecting behaviors of American consumers.

Click "Read More" to download wave 3 of this research.

And click here to read the feature news article on this report!

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Free Report #1 – Questions No One is Asking about the COVID-19 Consumer

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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, affecting daily life for virtually all Americans, ACUPOLL seeks to provide a window into the hearts, minds, and evolving behaviors of consumers by posing questions we haven’t seen anyone else ask about it.

Click "Read More" to download the first two waves of this research.

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Research On Research: Methods Matter

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Everyone knows the questions are important – but so are the answers! In this head-to-head comparison, we assessed two research scales to see which performs better.