Marketing Science Lab

From Hospital Beds to Zoom Threads: The Rise of Patient-Centered Care

Source: McColl-Kennedy, J.R., Witell, L., Frow, P., Cheung, L., Payne, A. and Govind, R. (2025), "Patient-centered care in practice: hospital and online primary care settings", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 39 No. 10, pp. 15-31. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-07-2024-0353 [https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-07-2024-0353] Patient-Centered Care (PCC) is fast becoming what the world thinks of as the top standard in healthcare. It is designed to center on patient preferences—on what patients themselves desire, require, and value at every step of their medical experience. This essay looks at how PCC functions in different environments, specifically, in typical hospital settings and in modern online primary care (think telehealth). It looks closely at the four key tenets that characterize patient-centered care and explores elements such as multidisciplinary teams, patient empowerment and self-advocacy, and support from family and friends. The article looks closely at all of these elements because they can have a significant impact on not just patient contentment but also overall health and well-being.

Power Dynamics & Paychecks: Why Some Couples Splurge After Financial Wins

Source: Nikolova, H., & Nenkov, G. Y. (2022). We Succeeded Together, Now What: Relationship Power and Sequential Decisions in Couples’ Joint Goal Pursuits. Journal of Marketing Research, 59(2), 271-289. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222437211034513 [https://doi.org/10.1177/00222437211034513] Ever wondered why, upon accomplishing a common objective, one partner might treat themselves to an extravagant timepiece, while the other diligently continues to utilize money-saving coupons? It’s not simply a question of diverging personalities; it's about the nuances of power dynamics within relationships! This week, we're examining research from the Journal of Marketing Research that illuminates how progress on shared objectives—such as saving for a home—influences individual spending choices in couples, and why grasping power is the key for marketers and couples equally. Core Findings: * Joint Goal Progress Paradox: Couples achieving notable strides toward common financial goals undergo a distinctive psychological transition. * Power Plays a Role: This transition varies; it's significantly shaped by the dynamics of power within the relationship—who holds more influence in decisions. * High-Power = High Indulgence (Maybe): When one partner has more power in the relationship, they are more apt to indulge themselves upon achieving a collective milestone, perceiving it as an individual triumph. * Low-Power = Staying the Course: A partner who perceives that they have less power tends to continue focusing on the joint goal, even if some significant milestone in the goal has been reached. * Relational Self-Concept Boost: This has everything to do with a bump in a partner's idea of themselves; feeling like a "great partner" makes it easy to spend money on personal indulgences without the guilt. * Interventions Work: interventions centered on what the partner has contributed can influence even high-power partners to persist in keeping with the goals of the couple. Actionable Takeaways: * Financial marketers may use insights gleaned from the study by customizing messages to the relationship dynamics of the intended audience. For shared products, emphasize how each partner contributes to and draws benefit from using it—especially for parts of the market where there may be some disparities in who holds the power. * Couples ought to know that post-goal spending tendencies may be impacted by a feeling of individual contribution that is inflated by the disparity in the balance of power. For marketers attempting to target couples, a critical piece to bear in mind is that communication and giving shared credit can mitigate those negative effects. * Valentine's Day Angle: Consider a case when the attainment of a post-Valentine's goal is achieved. In this situation, expect one partner (usually the individual with more power in making decisions) to move more easily than the other toward some self-treats. Understanding how making headway on joint goals connects with relational power offers vital insights for marketers and illuminates day-to-day interactions for couples. It's not only about what goals couples agree to achieve; it's also about how the power of one partner to influence influences both partners' actions following attainment. With knowledge, the correct approaches to conversation, and a commitment to acting as a unit rather than two individuals, couples can move past potential obstacles and toward the long-term economic benefits of staying on track and acting in sync.

Mirror, Mirror on My Feed: Future Self-Images and Consumer Choice in the Digital Age

Source: Taylor, A. and Carlson, J. (2025), Comparing Who We Are to Who We Could Be: How Future Self-Images Influence Consumer Choices. Psychology & Marketing.https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.22196 [https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.22196] Ever clicked through your old snapshots on your mobile device and were struck by a wave of nostalgia, a moment of pride, a spark of hope, or, alas, even a twinge of deep regret? Consider that the act of judging past and current versions of yourself is known as "temporal comparison." Now consider this: What occurs if we turn that act around to create a world in which "then" (past) and "now" (present) meet and mix with that ever-elusive time called "the future," where your aspirational self not only beckons but starts "influencing" your consumer behaviors, especially in this curated society where your future self is already "living" and well online? This week, we will extract some lessons for ourselves and lessons, perhaps, for marketers. In fact, we will share with you how that image may well be more powerful—and more lucrative—than some reality that might not arrive until tomorrow.

Ghost Carts & Chill: Unlocking Millennial Shopping Cart Abandonment

Source: Sharma, K. and Srivastava, S. (2025), "Shopping cart abandonment among young consumers: a moderated mediation study", Young Consumers, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-09-2024-2240 Online shopping is the new normal, right? But why do so many filled carts end up abandoned in the digital aisles? This episode, we crack open a fascinating study focused on Millennials and their cart-ditching habits. Spoiler: it’s less about price and more about vibes. Get ready for evidence-based insights, real-world examples, and maybe a little bit of retail therapy, Marketing Science Lab style. * Core Findings: * Risk Perception: The Silent Cart Killer: Millennials are savvy shoppers, but they're also risk-aware. Concerns about data security, dodgy websites, and hidden fees are MAJOR drivers of cart abandonment. The study confirms – perceived risk acts like a silent checkout saboteur. * Choice Process Satisfaction (CPS): Your Secret Weapon: Here’s the game-changer: A satisfying, seamless online shopping experience dramatically weakens the negative impact of perceived risk. When the browsing, selection, and checkout are smooth and even enjoyable, risk becomes a minor speed bump, not a deal-breaker. Think ‘retail flow state’. * Self-Efficacy? Surprisingly…Secondary: Tech skills matter, but they're not the full story. The study reveals that shopper confidence with tech (self-efficacy) doesn’t significantly change the risk-abandonment dynamic. It's the overall feel of the process that truly counts. * Moderated Mediation Magic (Explained Simply): Perceived risk mediates the path from intention to abandonment, BUT, Choice Process Satisfaction moderates this mediation. Translation: Risk drives abandonment, unless satisfaction steps in and weakens that risk’s power. Satisfaction is the moderator – like a volume control for risk's influence. * Actionable Takeaways (More Specific): * Fortify Trust Signals: Aggressively build trust. Implement highly visible security badges (Norton, McAfee etc.), offer crystal-clear privacy policies (linked prominently), secure payment gateways (think Stripe, PayPal). A/B test trust seals for optimal placement. * Hyper-Optimize the Choice Journey: Conduct a UX audit focused specifically on choice satisfaction. Is navigation intuitive? Are filters effective (and working)? Is product information comprehensive and easy to find? A/B test different filter layouts, product display formats, and checkout flows. Streamline everything. * Elevate the Entire Experience: Think beyond basic functionality. Inject delight into the process. Consider interactive product finders, engaging content, progress bars during checkout (gamification-lite). Focus on creating a positive emotional connection, not just a transaction. * Real-World Examples (Sharper & More Current): * Pop Culture: Think of dating apps again – swiping right = intention. Then you land on a profile that screams "AI generated image" or "suspiciously vague bio" (perceived risk). Swipe left, cart abandoned! OR think about trying to buy concert tickets from Ticketmaster - initial excitement turns to frustration with queues, crashes and hidden fees. * Trending Case: Fast fashion giants like SHEIN and Temu thrive on low prices, drawing in young shoppers. However, concerns about ethical sourcing and data privacy linger (perceived risk). They combat this by aggressive influencer marketing and app gamification to boost ‘choice satisfaction’ (whether ethically sound or not is another debate!). * Relatable Story: Imagine excitedly adding items for a home makeover on Wayfair or IKEA online. But then the website lags, images load slowly, finding similar items is a nightmare – frustration city! Cart… meet digital trash can.

Social Media Gospel or Marketing Fact? Untangling Brand Benefits in the Digital Age

Source: Mathai, S., Kumar, S., Sreen, N. and Jeswani, S. (2025), "Are social media marketing activities reaping benefits for brands? The moderating role of education", Marketing Intelligence & Planning https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-02-2024-0137 [https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-02-2024-0137] Show notes: https://www.marketingsciencelab.org/p/does-social-media-work [https://www.marketingsciencelab.org/p/does-social-media-work] Social media is everywhere these days, but what effect does it have on brands? This recent research digs into that very question, exploring whether social media marketing (SMM) actually boosts brands by analyzing consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) and continued usage intentions. The study also investigates how educational levels influence the ways consumers respond to brand activities in social media. It’s quite timely work, given the exponential growth of social media in our marketing world.