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• 21 May, 2024

Market Research Companies in Los Angeles

When it comes to gathering valuable insights to drive business decisions, market research companies in Los Angeles play a crucial role. These firms offer a range of services tailored to meet the diverse needs of clients across various industries. They utilize advanced methodologies, cutting-edge technologies, and industry expertise to deliver actionable insights. Let’s explore the leading market research firms in Los Angeles and the diverse services they provide.

Leading Market Research Firms

Los Angeles is home to several top market research companies that excel in delivering high-quality research services. Some notable firms include InnovateMR, DISQO, LA Product Studio, Fuel Cycle, and TasteMakers Research Group ( Quirks ). These companies have established themselves as leaders in the industry, providing comprehensive market research solutions to clients.

Diverse Industry Services

Market research companies in Los Angeles offer an array of services designed to meet the specific needs of different industries and clients. Their services go beyond traditional market research and encompass a wide range of capabilities. These include:

Market Analysis: These firms conduct in-depth market analysis to provide insights into market trends, customer behavior, and competitive landscapes. By analyzing market data, they help clients identify growth opportunities and make informed business decisions.

Consumer Insights: Understanding consumer preferences and behaviors is crucial for developing successful products and marketing strategies. Market research companies in Los Angeles employ various research techniques to gather consumer insights, including focus groups, surveys, and ethnographic studies.

Competitive Intelligence: Staying ahead of the competition requires a deep understanding of the competitive landscape. These firms conduct thorough competitive intelligence research to provide clients with valuable information about their competitors’ strategies, strengths, and weaknesses.

Product Testing: Testing new products before launch is essential to ensure their success in the market. Market research companies offer product testing services, gathering feedback from target consumers to assess product performance, features, and overall satisfaction.

Feasibility Studies: Before investing in a new business venture or expansion, companies often require feasibility studies. Market research firms in Los Angeles conduct tailored feasibility studies to assess the viability and potential success of projects, providing valuable insights to guide decision-making.

By leveraging their expertise and utilizing advanced research methodologies, market research companies in Los Angeles help businesses gain a competitive edge in their respective industries. These firms deliver valuable insights that enable clients to make data-driven decisions, refine their strategies, and drive business growth.

Stay tuned for the next sections where we will explore specialized research services, technological advancements, notable market research companies in Los Angeles, industry-specific solutions, and the importance of consumer insights.

Specialized Research Services

Market research companies in Los Angeles offer specialized research services to cater to the unique needs of businesses and industries. These services include market analysis offerings and tailored feasibility studies.

Market Analysis Offerings

Market analysis is a crucial component of market research that helps businesses gain a comprehensive understanding of their target market, industry trends, and competitive landscape. Market research companies in Los Angeles employ various methodologies to conduct in-depth market analysis, gathering data on consumer behavior, market size, market segmentation, and more.

Through quantitative and qualitative research methods, market analysis provides valuable insights into consumer preferences, purchasing behaviors, and market dynamics. This information helps businesses identify market opportunities, develop effective marketing strategies, and make informed business decisions.

Tailored Feasibility Studies

Feasibility studies are an essential part of market research, especially for businesses considering new ventures or product launches. These studies assess the viability and potential success of a business idea or project. Market research companies in Los Angeles conduct tailored feasibility studies that take into account various factors such as market demand, competition, regulatory requirements, and financial considerations.

By conducting comprehensive feasibility studies, businesses can evaluate the feasibility and potential risks associated with their proposed ventures. These studies provide valuable insights into market potential, target audience, pricing, and potential obstacles. Armed with this information, businesses can make informed decisions and mitigate risks before investing significant resources.

Market research companies in Los Angeles leverage their expertise, industry knowledge, and advanced research techniques to deliver high-quality market analysis offerings and tailored feasibility studies. These specialized research services empower businesses to make data-driven decisions, minimize risks, and maximize their chances of success in a competitive market environment.

For more information on market research companies in Los Angeles and their services, explore our article on market research companies in Los Angeles .

Technological Advancements

In the dynamic field of market research, technological advancements play a crucial role in improving the accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness of consumer insights. Market research companies in Los Angeles leverage advanced technologies and analytical tools, such as data analytics and predictive modeling solutions, to extract actionable insights from complex datasets. These advancements enable clients to make informed decisions and drive business growth in a rapidly evolving market environment.

Data Analytics Tools

Data analytics has revolutionized the way market research is conducted. With the help of sophisticated data analytics tools, market research companies can analyze large volumes of data to uncover valuable insights. These tools utilize machine learning algorithms and statistical techniques to identify patterns, trends, and correlations within the data.

By harnessing the power of data analytics, market research companies can derive meaningful insights about consumer behavior, preferences, and purchasing patterns. This information allows product development teams to make data-driven decisions, optimize marketing strategies, and identify new market opportunities. Data analytics tools enable companies to delve deep into consumer sentiments, sentiment analysis, and social media analytics to gain a comprehensive understanding of target audiences.

Predictive Modeling Solutions

Predictive modeling is another technological advancement that has transformed the market research landscape. By leveraging machine learning algorithms and statistical modeling techniques, market research companies can forecast consumer behavior, market trends, and demand patterns with a high degree of accuracy.

Predictive modeling solutions enable companies to make informed predictions about future market scenarios. These models take into account various factors, such as historical data, market trends, consumer demographics, and economic indicators, to generate reliable forecasts. By understanding future market trends and consumer preferences, companies can proactively adapt their strategies and product offerings to stay ahead of the competition.

These technological advancements in data analytics and predictive modeling have become instrumental in helping companies gain a competitive edge in the market. By harnessing the power of advanced technologies, market research companies are able to provide their clients with valuable insights that drive innovation, optimize business strategies, and enhance customer experiences.

Market research companies in Los Angeles are at the forefront of utilizing these technological advancements to deliver impactful consumer insights. By leveraging data analytics tools and predictive modeling solutions, these companies empower product development teams to make informed decisions and stay ahead in today’s fast-paced business landscape.

Notable Market Research Companies

In the vibrant landscape of market research companies in Los Angeles, several notable firms stand out for their expertise and comprehensive services. These companies bring extensive experience and a deep understanding of consumer research to help product development teams make informed decisions. Let’s take a closer look at two of these prominent market research companies: InnovateMR and DISQO, as well as Fuel Cycle and TasteMakers Research Group.

InnovateMR and DISQO

InnovateMR and DISQO are highly regarded market research companies in Los Angeles, known for their innovative approaches and advanced methodologies. These companies have established themselves as trusted partners for businesses seeking valuable consumer insights.

InnovateMR offers a wide range of research solutions, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to provide accurate and timely data. Their expertise spans various industries, including entertainment, healthcare, technology, and more. With a focus on delivering high-quality data, InnovateMR helps clients gain a deep understanding of consumer behavior and preferences.

DISQO, on the other hand, specializes in providing consumer insights through their proprietary first-party data platform. They gather data directly from consumers and then analyze it to deliver actionable insights. With their extensive panel of engaged participants, DISQO offers a comprehensive understanding of consumer behaviors, attitudes, and opinions.

Fuel Cycle and TasteMakers Research Group

Fuel Cycle and TasteMakers Research Group are also prominent market research firms in Los Angeles, offering diverse services and industry expertise.

Fuel Cycle provides a comprehensive suite of research tools and technologies that enable businesses to gather and analyze data effectively. Their platform allows for seamless collaboration and engagement with consumers, ensuring that product development teams have the insights they need to make informed decisions.

TasteMakers Research Group specializes in the entertainment industry, offering tailored research solutions to help clients navigate the ever-changing landscape. Their expertise in media and entertainment research allows them to provide valuable insights into consumer preferences, trends, and audience behavior.

By partnering with these notable market research companies, product development teams can access valuable consumer insights that drive business growth. Whether it’s understanding consumer preferences, testing product feasibility, or gathering market intelligence, these companies offer the expertise and resources needed to make informed decisions.

For a comprehensive list of market research companies in Los Angeles, visit our article on market research companies in Los Angeles .

Industry-Specific Solutions

Market research companies in Los Angeles understand the importance of catering to the unique needs and challenges of different industries. They offer industry-specific solutions that are tailored to the requirements of sectors such as entertainment and technology, as well as healthcare and retail.

Entertainment and Technology

The entertainment and technology industries are known for their fast-paced and ever-changing nature. Market research companies in Los Angeles, such as InnovateMR and DISQO, specialize in providing research services that cater to these sectors. They have a deep understanding of the dynamics and trends within the entertainment and technology fields, allowing them to deliver valuable insights to their clients. These insights can help companies in these industries make informed decisions about product development, audience targeting, and market positioning. By utilizing advanced research methodologies and data analytics tools, these companies enable their clients to stay ahead of the competition and navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of the entertainment and technology sectors.

Healthcare and Retail Focus

Market research companies in Los Angeles also offer industry-specific solutions for the healthcare and retail sectors. Companies like Fuel Cycle and TasteMakers Research Group understand the unique challenges faced by these industries and provide tailored research services to address their specific needs. In the healthcare sector, research companies focus on patient insights, healthcare provider preferences, and market trends. They help healthcare organizations understand patient expectations, improve healthcare delivery, and develop effective marketing strategies. In the retail sector, research companies analyze consumer behavior, preferences, and shopping habits to assist retailers in making data-driven decisions, optimizing their product offerings, and enhancing the customer experience.

By specializing in these industries, market research companies in Los Angeles provide valuable expertise and insights to their clients. Their industry-specific knowledge, coupled with advanced research methodologies, allows them to deliver customized solutions that drive growth and success in the entertainment, technology, healthcare, and retail sectors.

Importance of Consumer Insights

In the competitive business landscape of Los Angeles, consumer insights play a vital role in driving business growth and ensuring success. By understanding the needs, preferences, and behaviors of consumers, companies can make informed decisions, develop effective strategies, and deliver products and services that truly resonate with their target audience. In this section, we will explore the importance of consumer insights in driving business growth and the significance of compliance and data protection.

Driving Business Growth

Consumer insights obtained through market research provide valuable information that can fuel business growth. Los Angeles market research companies leverage advanced technologies and analytical tools such as data analytics, machine learning, and predictive modeling to extract actionable insights from complex datasets ( Aviaan Accounting ). These insights enable companies to make informed decisions, identify market opportunities, and develop effective marketing and product strategies.

By conducting market research, businesses gain a deeper understanding of their target market, including market makeup, demand for products or services, and target consumer preferences ( Ready to Launch Research ). This knowledge allows companies to tailor their offerings to meet the specific needs and desires of their customers, increasing customer satisfaction, loyalty, and ultimately, business growth. Market research also helps in identifying emerging trends, spotting gaps in the market, and staying ahead of the competition.

Compliance and Data Protection

In the era of data-driven decision making, it is essential for market research companies to prioritize compliance and data protection. Consumer insights are derived from collecting and analyzing data, making data security and privacy critical considerations. Los Angeles market research companies adhere to strict ethical guidelines and regulatory requirements to ensure the protection of consumer data.

Companies must obtain informed consent from participants, handle data securely, and anonymize or aggregate data to protect individual privacy. By doing so, market research companies build trust with their participants and clients, safeguarding the integrity of the research process. Compliance with data protection regulations, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), demonstrates a commitment to ethical practices and helps maintain a positive reputation in the industry.

Consumer insights are a valuable asset for businesses, shaping strategic decision-making, fostering innovation, and driving growth. By staying abreast of consumer preferences, market trends, and competitors, companies in Los Angeles can seize opportunities, meet customer demands, and stay ahead in a dynamic business environment. However, it is crucial to prioritize compliance and data protection to ensure the ethical collection and use of consumer data.

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Hi! We’re glad you’re here. Kelton Global is now Material and you can find more information about us at materialplus.io . While we offer the same services you may know from our days as Kelton, our capabilities have grown as well. We look forward to connecting to discuss more!

Kelton Global is a Los Angeles market research firm specializing in quantitative and qualitative research, brand consulting, communications, and design. As a top Los Angeles consumer research agency, we’re rooted in the belief that it takes a combination of insights and imagination to fundamentally transform brands. With a journalist’s eye for the human story, Kelton’s LA employees utilize the best consumer insights engine in the business to solve branding, marketing communications and innovation challenges for both local and international brands.

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Kelton’s Los Angeles office is our company headquarters. Located in Century City, our office is perfectly positioned as one of the top strategy consulting firms in Southern California. Our Los Angeles employees enjoy a collaborative and creative office environment that empowers them to do their best work. Just minutes away from the beach, our LA office is home to both native Californians and transplants attracted by the warm weather and relaxed atmosphere.

Meet the Los Angeles Team

Our people are everything. Get to know the incredible data-heads, strategists, innovators, and storytellers that make Kelton's Los Angeles team great.

Alison Servi

President, Los Angeles

Aniké Owoye

Manager, Qualitative Research, Los Angeles

Brenna Malta

Associate Director, Quantitative Research, Los Angeles

Christian Tobler

Data Processor, Los Angeles

Digital Research Operations Lead, Los Angeles

Emma Erion-Brewer

Marketing Manager, Operations & Analytics, Los Angeles

Erin Casement

Senior Director, Marketing, Los Angeles

Gareth Schweitzer

Co-Founder, Los Angeles

Jaclyn Jakucki

Senior Vice President, Insights & Strategy, Los Angeles

Jaime McMahon

Senior Director, Operations, Los Angeles

John Phillips

Senior Director, Design Research, Los Angeles

Kelsey Allen-Niesen

Mariana amespil.

Senior Manager, Finance & Accounting, Los Angeles

Max Branson

Director, Content Marketing, Los Angeles

Monica Orijel

Client Finance Manager, Finance & Accounting, Los Angeles

Samuel Chaikin

Analyst, Quantitative Research, Los Angeles

SVP, Insights & Strategy, Los Angeles

Susan Braun

COO, Material Action Division, Los Angeles

Zach Morgan

Manager, Quantitative Research, Los Angeles

Perspectives from the LA Team

Customer segmentation strategy: build market segmentations with real business impact, how to write a great market research rfp, brand tracking rfp tips: frame your ask, find the best partner, and get results, brand tracking: how to track brand awareness with convergent tracking, insights bootcamp - accelerate your consumer research, design research: beyond buzzwords, corporate social responsibility communication: getting credit while doing good, gen z research: the art of social self expression.

Our Clients Are Everything

“The customer journey completely rang true, and was absolutely validated by their feedback. Great work.”

“I’ve worked in NYC, London, the West Coast, and Chicago on both the agency and client side… and I have to say that the folks at Kelton are among the most intelligent, kind people I’ve had the chance to work with.”

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“This is the best and most comprehensive piece of research ever done in this space.”

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Our Approach

Qualitative and quantitative studies.

A lot of companies do qualitative and quantitative research. We do it differently. We apply a fresh approach to proven research methodologies to give you customer market research that is tailored to your needs.

Our qualitative work thrives at the intersection of art and science. Using an empathy-driven method allows us to discern why consumers do the things they do. We uncover culturally-relevant “aha” moments that are tangible, actionable, and communicated through powerful and engaging stories.

Drawing on our understanding of cultural context, trends, and industry landscape, we translate these conversations into game-changing insights for your organization.

Organizations must know what truly differentiates their product and brand from the rest of the crowd. We help clients get to the heart of what makes consumers fall in love with your products.

How we help, consumer research methods, qualitative consumer research, academic theories, emotional jobs, qualitative research for deeper customer understanding.

BrandIQ develops cutting-edge market research tools to uncover the emotional layers of consumer behavior that cannot be captured with quantitative methods alone.

Human behavior is influenced by psychological, social, and cultural factors that require context, conversation and active listening to decode. Understanding consumers’ emotions and motivations helps you position your brand and products distinctly and make deep connections with your customers.

Established academic theories applied creatively

Emotional “jobs” are the heart of your customers’ love for your brand.

We pair “Human Values Theory” to “Jobs Theory” for an effective approach to identify and measure consumers’ emotional and social connections to the category & brand landscape.

When we purchase a product or service, we essentially “hire” it to help us do a “job.” We use the technique of emotional laddering to uncover the functional, social and emotional jobs consumers need done in their lives.

If a product/brand does its job well, the next time we are confronted with the same job, we tend to hire that product again. These jobs compliment the functional benefits and create a deeper connection with your customer. Harvard Business Review article about “Jobs to Be Done”

Qualitative research specialties:

Go beyond describing data, quantitative consumer and customer research.

Quantitative research, the companion to qualitative, provides data that can animate and inspire, prove business cases, solve problems, and uncover opportunity.

BrandIQ’s research analysts go beyond simply describing the data. We explore the hidden relationships and patterns within data sets and interpret the results, painting multiple portraits of a landscape or a segment that are the truest to life, and the most actionable.

We use design thinking principles to ensure our consumer and customer research is asking questions that matter and delivering insights that will truly make a difference. Our human-centered, iterative approach to uncovering consumer’s thoughts, feelings and experiences allows us to build more accurate and mobile forward survey instruments with resonance.

Count on Us to Help

Grow your business, research data, integration, quantitative research, research data and analytics that uncover opportunities.

Trusting your gut in these times is not enough.

Partnering with you, we validate and better inform your ‘hunches’ by getting definitive answers from people that matter the most – your target audience and customers. We help you grow your business, innovate your offerings and delight your customers.

Our cross-disciplinary team keeps the big picture in focus while meticulously managing all the crucial details required in collecting high quality survey data and making data-driven decisions that translate into in-market success.

Integrating our Quantitative research with any relevant past research

Our philosophy is to bring as much context into your consumer and customer research initiatives as possible – whether we design a multi-phased research initiative or work with what you have already done.

We strive to bring qualitative learnings into our quantitative survey work and vice versa. The results: more actionable and impactful results, that all stakeholders can get behind.

We can also give you the tools to develop your annual research plan. We connect the dots that can result in a comprehensive decision framework that evolves over time, with your annual business needs.

Every survey is couture, not off the rack.

Our strategists take the time to understand your target consumer, to customize each survey, using cultural relevancy your audience understands.

Quantitative research specialties

Kind words from one of our clients.

“Your customer-centric, human values and motivations framework uncovered an emotional space to position our re-launches sedan lineup. Your integration between the qualitative and quantitative research will help bring in potential new buyers and of course current Cadillac loyalists. Thanks for your passion, creativity of approach, and flexibility.”

Philip Dauchy, Global Head of Brand Strategy & Research

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Top Companies Specializing in Marketing Research in Los Angeles California

The Los Angeles metropolitan area includes companies in (but not limited to) Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Irvine, Glendale.

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Jackson Adept Research Encino/Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

Jackson Adept Research - Beverly Hills

La product studio, facts ‘n figures, focus & testing, an insights center facility, 361 degrees consulting, inc., vital findings, tastemakers research group, talk shoppe, test america™, a division of crg global, inc. – los angeles, jolly road productions, c&c market research - los angeles, c&c market research -la palmdale, c&c market research - los angeles - northridge.

Top 9 market research companies in Los Angeles (LA) for customer insights

3. marketing maven, 4. bastion insights, 5. veridata insights, 6. antedote, 7. map & fire, 8. smashbrand, 9. ready to launch research.

When markets are as volatile as they currently are, it’s more important than ever that you make business decisions based on quality consumer insights, rather than guesswork. 

Working with a top-notch market research company is the key to getting the insights you need to give customers what they want and create success for your business. 

And if you’re based in Los Angeles, CA, you might want to know where to go for reliable market research and consumer insights. We’ve compiled a list of the top market research companies in LA—check them out below!

Attest is a market research platform that combines expert advice and support with a cutting-edge self-serve platform that delivers fast and reliable insights whenever you need them. 

With Attest, gathering reliable consumer insights becomes the easiest part of your job! You can reach 125 million people in 59 countries to carry out market research for customer profiling, branding, concept testing, and so much more.

You won’t need to wait around for an agency to deliver results—surveys with Attest close in 1 day 19 hours on average. And the intuitive results dashboard turns data into insights so that you can easily see the juiciest findings from your market research. 

But you’re not alone with Attest—the Customer Research Team is here to help ! If you’re new to market research, they’re here to give you advice on how to craft the perfect survey and get genuinely useful results. And if you’re a research pro, they’re your second pair of eyes to help you make sure your surveys hit the spot.

Attest has offices in New York City and London and has lots of top-brand customers in Los Angeles. 

• Number of employees : 160+
• Primary niche(s): Beauty, fintech, fashion, food and beverage, media, technology, and more!
• Use cases: Market analysis, creative testing, consumer profiling, brand tracking

Get reliable consumer insights FAST!

Make smarter decisions backed by consumer insights you can trust—with Attest! You also get designated advice on your surveys and results from our Customer Research Team.

Westat is a market research company focused on businesses operating in the education and healthcare industries. It’s a 100% employee-owned brand that delivers research services in social policy, health and education. Their specialties include survey research, technical assistance, and statistical sciences. 

By combining traditional quantitative strategy with science-based tools, Westat is able to help businesses uncover the right data and overcome a variety of business challenges. They use AI-assisted systems for interviews and machine learning to give companies actionable insights and help them grow. 

Their experience in the social sectors makes this agency a great market research partner for businesses operating in those spaces. 

• Number of employees: 3,300+
• Primary niche(s): Clinical research, education, public health
• Use cases: Custom research, surveys, and analytics, behavioral health research, biomedical science research, clinical trials

Marketing Maven is a full service communications and marketing agency. Based in both Los Angeles, CA, and New York, Marketing Maven has turned into a premier voice in social media relations and brand strategy, as well as in market research and event marketing. 

The agency offers full service market research as well as email marketing and public relations, making them a fantastic partner for a diverse range of clients. 

Their portfolio includes big clients like Kingston Technology, the National Women’s Business Council and Baby Trend. 

• Number of employees: 49+
• Primary niche(s): Sports, baby, record management, security, finance
• Use cases: Market research, public relations, web design, creative branding

Working with brand giants such as Audi, CKE, Georgia Pacific, Toyota and Twitter, Bastion Insights is recognized for their research solutions and deep human understanding. Previously known as Bastion db5, the company customizes its research services based on your needs. 

Bastion Insights uses a rich portfolio of research methods with strength in pricing, copy testing, customer journey, segmentation and brand tracking. So far, they’ve conducted over a million interviews across 48 countries and conducted thousands of shop-alongs, ethnographic, and focus groups. 

• Primary niche(s): Insurance, cosmetics, wholesale, wine
• Use cases: Market segmentation, product and concept testing, advanced analytics, product viability, and brand tracking

Veridada Insights is a highly-rated market research company that analyzes complex data using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, such as surveys and online focus groups. The team aims to deliver budget-friendly, rapid services that take a holistic approach to market research, giving your business a competitive edge.

Veridata is one of the top market research companies offering B2B audience research and analytics, all presented in an easy-to-understand dashboard. They have a massive global reach for survey research requiring complex international audiences. 

• Number of employees: 26+
• Primary niche(s): Management, politics, education, non-profits, government, consultancy
• Use cases: Consumer research, survey programming, dashboards, analytics, online data collection

Antedote is a strategy consultancy company that delivers market research insights. It does so by combining high-tech, in-depth qualitative research, and a variety of quantitative market research methods. Antedote frequently uses next-generation technology, led by a collaborative and agile team of experts. 

Working with this market research company you can uncover data from various sources through user research, scenario planning, and cultural research. The company creates innovation roadmaps and helps with product and portfolio development. 

• Number of employees: 11+
• Primary niche(s): Food processing, pets, nutrition and hygiene, software and technology
• Use cases: Brand positioning, internal engagement programs, concept crafting, portfolio development

Map & Fire was ranked as one of the top branding and customer research agencies in Los Angeles and California by Clutch. With their help, you can get a complete brand strategy guide based on data collected through surveys, interviews, and other quantitative and qualitative market research methods.

Using a plethora of market analysis tools Map & Fire works to identify the needs and motivations of your consumers and craft unique messages to appeal to your audience. Their key clients include Emory University, Zengig, Microfiber Wholesale, Interlaced and Eleviant Technologies.

Map & Fire’s market research services are especially suited for small businesses looking to expand their reach in Los Angeles. 

• Number of employees: 9+
• Primary niche(s): Health beverages, career help, SaaS, digital transformation, cleaning companies 
• Use cases: Brand strategy, customer research

Our Los Angeles list would be incomplete without this renowned brand founded in 2009. SmashBrand is a known marketing partner trusted by companies like PayPal, Duracell and Walgreens. 

SmashBrand specializes in CPG market research and assists businesses with packaging design and testing. What do your consumers want to see on packaging? SmashBrand delivers these insights by running focus group testing at every decision-making junction and testing designs with real consumers.

For CPG market research, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an agency that delivers better results. 

• Primary niche(s): CPG , food and beverage, hemp extracts, convenience stores, energy drinks
• Use cases: Brand strategy, packaging design, package testing

Ready to Launch Research is a renowned market research agency that can help businesses optimize their strategies for the customer-led world of today. They serve a variety of industries with digital, quantitative and qualitative research strategies. 

Their services include surveys, creative testing, in-depth interviews, shop along, and focus groups to give you the data your business needs. Offering its services on the US market, Ready to Launch has moderated over 3,000 productive sessions at this point. 

This is a company that drills down on the basics of tried and tested methods, with the assistance of modern tools.

• Number of employees: 6+
• Primary niche(s): Marketing and advertising, electronics, education, non-profits, beauty
• Use cases: Online communities research services, mobile research, user experience testing, ethnography, interviews, focus group discussions

What makes a great market research company?

Top research companies offer more than just surveys. They’ll use various market research tools to gather strategic data, analyze insights in detail, and provide you with actionable next steps based on data—not assumptions.

Whether you are looking for market research agencies in New York , Los Angeles CA, or in other parts of the US, there are certain non-negotiables to take into consideration.

Get started with Attest

Start gathering insights you can trust—speak to Attest’s research experts to get your market research up and running fast!

Easy to work with

The purpose of using professionals to assist with market research is to give you better access, more actionable data, and of course, make things easier for your business. If using the agency is complicated and you need to jump through endless hoops to get the results you need, you haven’t made the right choice.

Expert advice and support

A good agency will bring a range of skills and expertise to the table that you’re currently lacking. You should be able to rely on them at every step to get the most out of your investment. With a versatile, quality company, you can get expert advice and support from an in-house team of consultants that will help you action the results to get your insights.

Global reach

A great market research company will give you access to a wide audience of consumers to collect data. 

It’s not just about the number of consumers that the agency uses to collect your data—it’s about versatility, too. Ideally, you need an agency that will give you a high representation of the group of people you want to access. This combined with in-platform demographic filters and qualifiers allows businesses to target their specific audience. 

Guaranteed data quality

Great market research companies will allow you to customize research demographics , giving you accurate information about your targeted audience. With quality brands using their services and a good reputation, you can rest assured that you’re getting high-quality, relevant data that will benefit your business. 

To make sure that the data is of high quality, companies need to conduct various checks. For example, Attest has 3 layers of quality control built into our approaches. We use machine learning as well as human insight to offer consistently reliable data.

Wide portfolio of services for business growth

It’s not just about creating and sending out a survey to gain some insights. A great market research company will provide you with much more than this – and be with your business every step of the way. 

If you use a highly-ranked market research company, you’ll benefit from the following services and features:

• Tracking your brand’s health and performance
• Consumer profiling to give you a better understanding of your audience
• Creative testing using qualitative and quantitative methods
• Scoping and new product development
• Market analysis

Fast and accurate insights

It’s super important to get your market research results back quickly so that you can make smart decisions when they really matter. And that’s something you should look for in the market research companies you look at.

A great market research company will have a global database of survey respondents and the means to process, organize and analyze data quickly .  

Choose the best partner for market research

There you have it—the top market research companies in Los Angeles serving diverse industries with vital consumer insights. Why wait to get started?

If you’re ready to transform your business, conducting powerful market research is now easier than ever with Attest’s easy-to-use platform and team of research experts . 

Get in touch with our research gurus today!

Get a cutting-edge survey platform + research advice when you need it

Start making smarter decisions informed by reliable consumer research with Attest!

The top market research companies in Los Angeles, CA based on all criteria, pricing, as well as reputation are Attest, Westat, and Marketing Maven. Get in touch with Attest’s market research experts for more info !

A market research company has the tools and expertise to uncover the most valuable data for your business. A good market research company will help you learn more about your customers and their habits, decide on your branding, learn more about the market and the competition, and determine the potential of your new products.

Market research companies have the main role of collecting data to help your business. They’ll help you run consumer profiling to learn more about your audience, creative testing to tell you if your branding resonates with the consumer, and market analysis to provide information about your industry and market.

Customer Research Lead 

Nick joined Attest in 2021, with more than 10 years' experience in market research and consumer insights on both agency and brand sides. As part of the Customer Research Team team, Nick takes a hands-on role supporting customers uncover insights and opportunities for growth.

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What is Consumer Behavior Research? Definition, Examples, Methods, and Questions

By Nick Jain

Published on: September 8, 2023

Table of Contents

What is Consumer Behavior Research?

Top 12 consumer behavior research examples, consumer behavior research methods, 12 consumer behavior research questions.

Consumer behavior research is defined as a field of study that focuses on understanding how and why individuals and groups of people make decisions related to the acquisition, use, and disposal of goods, services, ideas, or experiences. This research seeks to uncover the underlying factors and processes that influence consumers’ choices, preferences, and behaviors in the marketplace.

Key aspects of consumer behavior research include:

• Decision-Making Processes: Researchers investigate the steps consumers take when making purchasing decisions. This involves studying how consumers identify needs, gather information, evaluate options, and ultimately make choices.
• Psychological Factors: Understanding the psychological aspects of consumer behavior is crucial. This includes exploring concepts such as motivation, perception, learning, memory, and attitudes to determine how they affect consumer choices.
• Social and Cultural Influences: Consumer behavior is heavily influenced by social and cultural factors. Researchers examine how social groups, family, friends, and cultural norms impact purchasing decisions.
• Economic Factors: Economic theories and models are used to analyze how factors like income, price sensitivity, and budget constraints affect consumer choices.
• Marketing and Advertising Effects: Researchers study the impact of marketing strategies, advertising campaigns, branding, and promotions on consumer behavior. This includes assessing the effectiveness of various marketing techniques.
• Technology and Online Behavior: With the rise of e-commerce and digital technologies, understanding how consumers behave in online environments has become increasingly important. Research in this area focuses on online shopping behavior, website usability, and the influence of online reviews and social media.
• Consumer Segmentation: Consumer behavior researchers often segment the market to identify different consumer groups based on demographics, psychographics, and behavioral patterns. This assists businesses in customizing their marketing strategies for particular target demographics.
• Consumer Satisfaction and Loyalty: Researchers study post-purchase behavior, including customer satisfaction and loyalty. They examine what factors lead to repeat purchases and brand loyalty.
• Ethical and Sustainable Consumption: In recent years, there has been a growing interest in understanding how ethical and sustainable considerations influence consumer choices. Researchers investigate the factors that drive environmentally conscious and socially responsible consumption.
• Cross-Cultural Analysis: Given the globalization of markets, understanding consumer behavior in different cultural contexts is vital. Researchers analyze how cultural values and norms impact consumer preferences and decision-making.

Consumer behavior research is essential for businesses and marketers to develop effective marketing strategies, product design, pricing strategies, and customer experiences that resonate with their target audience. By gaining insights into consumer behavior, companies can better meet consumer needs and achieve their business objectives.

Consumer behavior research encompasses a wide range of topics and methodologies. Here are some examples of consumer behavior research studies and topics:

1. Product Packaging and Perception

Researchers might conduct studies to understand how the design and aesthetics of product packaging influence consumers’ perceptions and purchase decisions. For example, a study could examine how color, shape, and labeling affect consumers’ perceptions of a product’s quality and value.

2. Online Shopping Behavior

With the growth of e-commerce, research often explores various aspects of online shopping behavior. This can include studies on factors influencing shopping cart abandonment, the impact of website design on user experience, or the role of online reviews and ratings in purchase decisions.

3. Brand Loyalty and Customer Retention

Companies often conduct research to understand what factors contribute to brand loyalty and customer retention. This might involve surveys, customer feedback analysis , or loyalty program effectiveness studies.

4. Advertising Effectiveness

Researchers study how different types of advertisements, such as TV commercials, online banner ads, or influencer marketing, influence consumer attitudes and buying behavior. They may use techniques like eye-tracking to assess where consumers focus their attention in advertisements.

5. Price Sensitivity and Promotion Analysis

Research in this area aims to determine how consumers respond to pricing strategies, discounts, and promotions. It might involve experiments to assess the impact of price changes on sales or consumer surveys about their price sensitivity.

6. Consumer Decision-Making Process

Studies on consumer decision-making delve into the steps consumers take when making purchasing decisions. Researchers might use qualitative methods like in-depth interviews to understand the thought processes behind consumer choices.

7. Social Media Influence

Given the prevalence of social media in consumers’ lives, researchers examine how social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok influence consumer behavior. They may investigate the role of social media in product discovery, brand engagement, and purchasing decisions.

8. Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior

Research in this area explores how cultural differences affect consumer preferences and behaviors. For example, a study might investigate how cultural values impact the perception of luxury brands or the acceptance of certain products.

9. Environmental and Sustainability Concerns

Researchers study how consumers’ environmental and sustainability values impact their purchasing decisions. This can include surveys to understand the willingness to pay more for eco-friendly products or the influence of eco-labels.

10. Consumer Satisfaction and Complaint Behavior

Companies often conduct research to assess customer satisfaction and understand how customers express dissatisfaction or complaints. This research can help improve customer service and product quality.

11. Impulse Buying Behavior

Some studies focus on the triggers and factors behind impulse buying, such as point-of-sale displays, limited-time offers, or product placement in stores.

12. Neuromarketing

This emerging field uses neuroscience techniques, such as brain imaging and eye-tracking, to study consumer responses to marketing stimuli, providing insights into subconscious reactions to advertisements and product design.

These are just a few examples of the diverse range of consumer behavior research topics. Researchers employ various research methods, including surveys, experiments, observational studies, and data analysis, to gain insights into consumer behavior and inform marketing strategies and business decisions.

Learn more: What is Consumer Research?

Consumer behavior research employs various methods and techniques to understand and analyze how consumers make decisions, form preferences, and behave in the marketplace. These methods help researchers gather data and insights that can be used to inform marketing strategies, product development, and business decisions. Here are some common consumer behavior research methods:

• Surveys and Questionnaires: Surveys are a popular method for collecting data on consumer preferences, attitudes, and behaviors. Researchers design structured questionnaires and distribute them to a sample of respondents, either in person, by mail, over the phone, or online. Survey responses are analyzed to identify trends and patterns.
• Observational Research: Observational research involves the systematic observation of consumer behavior in natural or controlled settings. Researchers may use techniques like video recording, field notes, or mystery shopping to observe how consumers interact with products, make purchase decisions, or navigate retail environments.
• Experiments: Experimental research allows researchers to manipulate variables and observe their effects on consumer behavior. Controlled experiments often take place in a lab setting, while field experiments occur in real-world contexts. Researchers can study the impact of factors like pricing changes, advertising messages, or product variations.
• Focus Groups: Focus groups involve gathering a small group of participants to engage in discussions about specific topics or products. These discussions are typically guided by a moderator who asks questions and facilitates conversation. Focus groups provide qualitative insights into consumer perceptions and opinions.
• In-Depth Interviews: Researchers conduct one-on-one interviews with consumers to gain a deeper understanding of their thoughts, motivations, and decision-making processes. In-depth interviews are flexible and allow researchers to probe into specific areas of interest.
• Ethnographic Research: Ethnography involves immersing researchers in the lives of consumers and studying their behavior within their natural environments. This method is particularly useful for gaining insights into culture, lifestyle, and the context of consumer decisions.
• Online Behavior Analysis: With the growth of e-commerce and digital marketing, researchers can collect data on consumer behavior from online sources. This includes analyzing website traffic, click-through rates, online reviews, and social media interactions to understand how consumers engage with brands and products online.
• Neuroscience and Eye-Tracking: Neuroscience techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and eye-tracking, can be used to study consumers’ neurological responses and eye movements when exposed to marketing stimuli, providing insights into subconscious reactions.
• Secondary Data Analysis: Researchers can analyze existing data sources, such as market reports, government statistics, and customer databases, to extract insights about consumer behavior. This method is cost-effective and often used for trend analysis.
• Big Data Analytics: Companies can leverage big data analytics to analyze vast amounts of data collected from online interactions, transactions, and social media to identify consumer patterns and trends.
• Psychological Experiments: Researchers may use psychological experiments to study cognitive processes, decision-making heuristics, and biases that influence consumer behavior. This can involve experiments on memory, perception, and motivation.
• Longitudinal Studies: Longitudinal studies involve tracking the same group of consumers over an extended period to understand how their behavior, preferences, and attitudes change over time.

The choice of research method depends on the research objectives, available resources, and the specific aspects of consumer behavior being studied. Often, a combination of methods is used to obtain a comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior.

Learn more: What is Customer Research?

Consumer behavior research often begins with the formulation of research questions that guide the study and help researchers explore specific aspects of consumer behavior. The choice of research questions depends on the goals of the study and the areas of interest. Here are some examples of consumer behavior research questions across various domains:

1. Product Preferences

• What factors influence consumers’ preferences for eco-friendly products?
• How do consumers prioritize price versus quality when choosing products in a competitive market?
• What are the key factors that influence consumers’ decisions to abandon their online shopping carts?
• How do the design and layout of an e-commerce website affect user engagement and conversion rates?

3. Brand Loyalty

• What strategies can companies use to build and maintain brand loyalty among their customers?
• How does consumers’ emotional attachment to a brand impact their purchasing decisions?
• How do different advertising channels (e.g., TV, social media, email) impact consumer brand recall and purchase intent?
• What role do emotions play in consumer responses to advertising messages?

5. Price Sensitivity and Promotion

• How do consumers respond to dynamic pricing strategies in the airline industry?
• What types of promotions are most effective in influencing consumer behavior during holiday shopping seasons?

6. Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior

• How do cultural differences in communication styles impact consumer reactions to advertising campaigns?
• What cultural factors affect consumers’ perceptions of luxury brands in different regions?

7. Sustainability and Ethical Consumption

• What motivates consumers to make sustainable and eco-friendly choices in their purchasing behavior?
• How does transparency in product sourcing and manufacturing impact consumers’ trust and willingness to buy?

8. Social Media Influence

• To what extent does social media content, such as influencer endorsements and user-generated content, influence consumer purchasing decisions?
• How do different social media platforms impact the discovery and evaluation of products and services?

9. Customer Satisfaction and Complaint Behavior

• What factors contribute to customer satisfaction and loyalty in the hospitality industry?
• How do consumers express their dissatisfaction with products or services, and how can companies effectively address these concerns?

10. Impulse Buying Behavior

• What situational factors trigger impulse purchases in physical retail stores?
• How do limited-time offers and flash sales influence online impulse buying?

11. Neuromarketing Insights

• What brain regions are activated when consumers view emotionally appealing advertisements?
• How does the placement of key visual elements in advertisements affect consumer attention and recall?

12. Generational Differences

• How do the shopping behaviors and preferences of Generation Z differ from those of Millennials?
• What marketing strategies are effective in targeting Baby Boomers for luxury products?

These research questions provide a starting point for investigating various aspects of consumer behavior. Researchers can tailor their inquiries to specific industries, products, or market segments to gain valuable insights into consumer decision-making processes and preferences.

Learn more: What is Customer Feedback Analysis?

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The past, present, and future of consumer research

• Published: 13 June 2020
• Volume 31 , pages 137–149, ( 2020 )

Cite this article

• Maayan S. Malter   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0383-7925 1 ,
• Morris B. Holbrook 1 ,
• Barbara E. Kahn 2 ,
• Jeffrey R. Parker 3 &
• Donald R. Lehmann 1  

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In this article, we document the evolution of research trends (concepts, methods, and aims) within the field of consumer behavior, from the time of its early development to the present day, as a multidisciplinary area of research within marketing. We describe current changes in retailing and real-world consumption and offer suggestions on how to use observations of consumption phenomena to generate new and interesting consumer behavior research questions. Consumption continues to change with technological advancements and shifts in consumers’ values and goals. We cannot know the exact shape of things to come, but we polled a sample of leading scholars and summarize their predictions on where the field may be headed in the next twenty years.

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1 Introduction

Beginning in the late 1950s, business schools shifted from descriptive and practitioner-focused studies to more theoretically driven and academically rigorous research (Dahl et al. 1959 ). As the field expanded from an applied form of economics to embrace theories and methodologies from psychology, sociology, anthropology, and statistics, there was an increased emphasis on understanding the thoughts, desires, and experiences of individual consumers. For academic marketing, this meant that research not only focused on the decisions and strategies of marketing managers but also on the decisions and thought processes on the other side of the market—customers.

Since then, the academic study of consumer behavior has evolved and incorporated concepts and methods, not only from marketing at large but also from related social science disciplines, and from the ever-changing landscape of real-world consumption behavior. Its position as an area of study within a larger discipline that comprises researchers from diverse theoretical backgrounds and methodological training has stirred debates over its identity. One article describes consumer behavior as a multidisciplinary subdiscipline of marketing “characterized by the study of people operating in a consumer role involving acquisition, consumption, and disposition of marketplace products, services, and experiences” (MacInnis and Folkes 2009 , p. 900).

This article reviews the evolution of the field of consumer behavior over the past half century, describes its current status, and predicts how it may evolve over the next twenty years. Our review is by no means a comprehensive history of the field (see Schumann et al. 2008 ; Rapp and Hill 2015 ; Wang et al. 2015 ; Wilkie and Moore 2003 , to name a few) but rather focuses on a few key thematic developments. Though we observe many major shifts during this period, certain questions and debates have persisted: Does consumer behavior research need to be relevant to marketing managers or is there intrinsic value from studying the consumer as a project pursued for its own sake? What counts as consumption: only consumption from traditional marketplace transactions or also consumption in a broader sense of non-marketplace interactions? Which are the most appropriate theoretical traditions and methodological tools for addressing questions in consumer behavior research?

2 A brief history of consumer research over the past sixty years—1960 to 2020

In 1969, the Association for Consumer Research was founded and a yearly conference to share marketing research specifically from the consumer’s perspective was instituted. This event marked the culmination of the growing interest in the topic by formalizing it as an area of research within marketing (consumer psychology had become a formalized branch of psychology within the APA in 1960). So, what was consumer behavior before 1969? Scanning current consumer-behavior doctoral seminar syllabi reveals few works predating 1969, with most of those coming from psychology and economics, namely Herbert Simon’s A Behavioral Model of Rational Choice (1955), Abraham Maslow’s A Theory of Human Motivation (1943), and Ernest Dichter’s Handbook of Consumer Motivations (1964). In short, research that illuminated and informed our understanding of consumer behavior prior to 1969 rarely focused on marketing-specific topics, much less consumers or consumption (Dichter’s handbook being a notable exception). Yet, these works were crucial to the rise of consumer behavior research because, in the decades after 1969, there was a shift within academic marketing to thinking about research from a behavioral or decision science perspective (Wilkie and Moore 2003 ). The following section details some ways in which this shift occurred. We draw on a framework proposed by the philosopher Larry Laudan ( 1986 ), who distinguished among three inter-related aspects of scientific inquiry—namely, concepts (the relevant ideas, theories, hypotheses, and constructs); methods (the techniques employed to test and validate these concepts); and aims (the purposes or goals that motivate the investigation).

2.1 Key concepts in the late - 1960s

During the late-1960s, we tended to view the buyer as a computer-like machine for processing information according to various formal rules that embody economic rationality to form a preference for one or another option in order to arrive at a purchase decision. This view tended to manifest itself in a couple of conspicuous ways. The first was a model of buyer behavior introduced by John Howard in 1963 in the second edition of his marketing textbook and quickly adopted by virtually every theorist working in our field—including, Howard and Sheth (of course), Engel-Kollat-&-Blackwell, Franco Nicosia, Alan Andreasen, Jim Bettman, and Joel Cohen. Howard’s great innovation—which he based on a scheme that he had found in the work of Plato (namely, the linkages among Cognition, Affect, and Conation)—took the form of a boxes-and-arrows formulation heavily influenced by the approach to organizational behavior theory that Howard (University of Pittsburgh) had picked up from Herbert Simon (Carnegie Melon University). The model represented a chain of events

where I = inputs of information (from advertising, word-of-mouth, brand features, etc.); C = cognitions (beliefs or perceptions about a brand); A = Affect (liking or preference for the brand); B = behavior (purchase of the brand); and S = satisfaction (post-purchase evaluation of the brand that feeds back onto earlier stages of the sequence, according to a learning model in which reinforced behavior tends to be repeated). This formulation lay at the heart of Howard’s work, which he updated, elaborated on, and streamlined over the remainder of his career. Importantly, it informed virtually every buyer-behavior model that blossomed forth during the last half of the twentieth century.

To represent the link between cognitions and affect, buyer-behavior researchers used various forms of the multi-attribute attitude model (MAAM), originally proposed by psychologists such as Fishbein and Rosenberg as part of what Fishbein and Ajzen ( 1975 ) called the theory of reasoned action. Under MAAM, cognitions (beliefs about brand attributes) are weighted by their importance and summed to create an explanation or prediction of affect (liking for a brand or preference for one brand versus another), which in turn determines behavior (choice of a brand or intention to purchase a brand). This took the work of economist Kelvin Lancaster (with whom Howard interacted), which assumed attitude was based on objective attributes, and extended it to include subjective ones (Lancaster 1966 ; Ratchford 1975 ). Overall, the set of concepts that prevailed in the late-1960s assumed the buyer exhibited economic rationality and acted as a computer-like information-processing machine when making purchase decisions.

2.2 Favored methods in the late-1960s

The methods favored during the late-1960s tended to be almost exclusively neo-positivistic in nature. That is, buyer-behavior research adopted the kinds of methodological rigor that we associate with the physical sciences and the hypothetico-deductive approaches advocated by the neo-positivistic philosophers of science.

Thus, the accepted approaches tended to be either experimental or survey based. For example, numerous laboratory studies tested variations of the MAAM and focused on questions about how to measure beliefs, how to weight the beliefs, how to combine the weighted beliefs, and so forth (e.g., Beckwith and Lehmann 1973 ). Here again, these assumed a rational economic decision-maker who processed information something like a computer.

Seeking rigor, buyer-behavior studies tended to be quantitative in their analyses, employing multivariate statistics, structural equation models, multidimensional scaling, conjoint analysis, and other mathematically sophisticated techniques. For example, various attempts to test the ICABS formulation developed simultaneous (now called structural) equation models such as those deployed by Farley and Ring ( 1970 , 1974 ) to test the Howard and Sheth ( 1969 ) model and by Beckwith and Lehmann ( 1973 ) to measure halo effects.

2.3 Aims in the late-1960s

During this time period, buyer-behavior research was still considered a subdivision of marketing research, the purpose of which was to provide insights useful to marketing managers in making strategic decisions. Essentially, every paper concluded with a section on “Implications for Marketing Managers.” Authors who failed to conform to this expectation could generally count on having their work rejected by leading journals such as the Journal of Marketing Research ( JMR ) and the Journal of Marketing ( JM ).

2.4 Summary—the three R’s in the late-1960s

Starting in the late-1960s to the early-1980s, virtually every buyer-behavior researcher followed the traditional approach to concepts, methods, and aims, now encapsulated under what we might call the three R’s —namely, rationality , rigor , and relevance . However, as we transitioned into the 1980s and beyond, that changed as some (though by no means all) consumer researchers began to expand their approaches and to evolve different perspectives.

2.5 Concepts after 1980

In some circles, the traditional emphasis on the buyer’s rationality—that is, a view of the buyer as a rational-economic, decision-oriented, information-processing, computer-like machine for making choices—began to evolve in at least two primary ways.

First, behavioral economics (originally studied in marketing under the label Behavioral Decision Theory)—developed in psychology by Kahneman and Tversky, in economics by Thaler, and applied in marketing by a number of forward-thinking theorists (e.g., Eric Johnson, Jim Bettman, John Payne, Itamar Simonson, Jay Russo, Joel Huber, and more recently, Dan Ariely)—challenged the rationality of consumers as decision-makers. It was shown that numerous commonly used decision heuristics depart from rational choice and are exceptions to the traditional assumptions of economic rationality. This trend shed light on understanding consumer financial decision-making (Prelec and Loewenstein 1998 ; Gourville 1998 ; Lynch Jr 2011 ) and how to develop “nudges” to help consumers make better decisions for their personal finances (summarized in Johnson et al. 2012 ).

Second, the emerging experiential view (anticipated by Alderson, Levy, and others; developed by Holbrook and Hirschman, and embellished by Schmitt, Pine, and Gilmore, and countless followers) regarded consumers as flesh-and-blood human beings (rather than as information-processing computer-like machines), focused on hedonic aspects of consumption, and expanded the concepts embodied by ICABS (Table 1 ).

2.6 Methods after 1980

The two burgeoning areas of research—behavioral economics and experiential theories—differed in their methodological approaches. The former relied on controlled randomized experiments with a focus on decision strategies and behavioral outcomes. For example, experiments tested the process by which consumers evaluate options using information display boards and “Mouselab” matrices of aspects and attributes (Payne et al. 1988 ). This school of thought also focused on behavioral dependent measures, such as choice (Huber et al. 1982 ; Simonson 1989 ; Iyengar and Lepper 2000 ).

The latter was influenced by post-positivistic philosophers of science—such as Thomas Kuhn, Paul Feyerabend, and Richard Rorty—and approaches expanded to include various qualitative techniques (interpretive, ethnographic, humanistic, and even introspective methods) not previously prominent in the field of consumer research. These included:

Interpretive approaches —such as those drawing on semiotics and hermeneutics—in an effort to gain a richer understanding of the symbolic meanings involved in consumption experiences;

Ethnographic approaches — borrowed from cultural anthropology—such as those illustrated by the influential Consumer Behavior Odyssey (Belk et al. 1989 ) and its discoveries about phenomena related to sacred aspects of consumption or the deep meanings of collections and other possessions;

Humanistic approaches —such as those borrowed from cultural studies or from literary criticism and more recently gathered together under the general heading of consumer culture theory ( CCT );

Introspective or autoethnographic approaches —such as those associated with a method called subjective personal introspection ( SPI ) that various consumer researchers like Sidney Levy and Steve Gould have pursued to gain insights based on their own private lives.

These qualitative approaches tended not to appear in the more traditional journals such as the Journal of Marketing , Journal of Marketing Research , or Marketing Science . However, newer journals such as Consumption, Markets, & Culture and Marketing Theory began to publish papers that drew on the various interpretive, ethnographic, humanistic, or introspective methods.

2.7 Aims after 1980

In 1974, consumer research finally got its own journal with the launch of the Journal of Consumer Research ( JCR ). The early editors of JCR —especially Bob Ferber, Hal Kassarjian, and Jim Bettman—held a rather divergent attitude about the importance or even the desirability of managerial relevance as a key goal of consumer studies. Under their influence, some researchers began to believe that consumer behavior is a phenomenon worthy of study in its own right—purely for the purpose of understanding it better. The journal incorporated articles from an array of methodologies: quantitative (both secondary data analysis and experimental techniques) and qualitative. The “right” balance between theoretical insight and substantive relevance—which are not in inherent conflict—is a matter of debate to this day and will likely continue to be debated well into the future.

2.8 Summary—the three I’s after 1980

In sum, beginning in the early-1980s, consumer research branched out. Much of the work in consumer studies remained within the earlier tradition of the three R’s—that is, rationality (an information-processing decision-oriented buyer), rigor (neo-positivistic experimental designs and quantitative techniques), and relevance (usefulness to marketing managers). Nonetheless, many studies embraced enlarged views of the three major aspects that might be called the three I’s —that is, irrationality (broadened perspectives that incorporate illogical, heuristic, experiential, or hedonic aspects of consumption), interpretation (various qualitative or “postmodern” approaches), and intrinsic motivation (the joy of pursuing a managerially irrelevant consumer study purely for the sake of satisfying one’s own curiosity, without concern for whether it does or does not help a marketing practitioner make a bigger profit).

3 The present—the consumer behavior field today

3.1 present concepts.

In recent years, technological changes have significantly influenced the nature of consumption as the customer journey has transitioned to include more interaction on digital platforms that complements interaction in physical stores. This shift poses a major conceptual challenge in understanding if and how these technological changes affect consumption. Does the medium through which consumption occurs fundamentally alter the psychological and social processes identified in earlier research? In addition, this shift allows us to collect more data at different stages of the customer journey, which further allows us to analyze behavior in ways that were not previously available.

Revisiting the ICABS framework, many of the previous concepts are still present, but we are now addressing them through a lens of technological change (Table 2 )

. In recent years, a number of concepts (e.g., identity, beliefs/lay theories, affect as information, self-control, time, psychological ownership, search for meaning and happiness, social belonging, creativity, and status) have emerged as integral factors that influence and are influenced by consumption. To better understand these concepts, a number of influential theories from social psychology have been adopted into consumer behavior research. Self-construal (Markus and Kitayama 1991 ), regulatory focus (Higgins 1998 ), construal level (Trope and Liberman 2010 ), and goal systems (Kruglanski et al. 2002 ) all provide social-cognition frameworks through which consumer behavior researchers study the psychological processes behind consumer behavior. This “adoption” of social psychological theories into consumer behavior is a symbiotic relationship that further enhances the theories. Tory Higgins happily stated that he learned more about his own theories from the work of marketing academics (he cited Angela Lee and Michel Pham) in further testing and extending them.

3.2 Present Methods

Not only have technological advancements changed the nature of consumption but they have also significantly influenced the methods used in consumer research by adding both new sources of data and improved analytical tools (Ding et al. 2020 ). Researchers continue to use traditional methods from psychology in empirical research (scale development, laboratory experiments, quantitative analyses, etc.) and interpretive approaches in qualitative research. Additionally, online experiments using participants from panels such as Amazon Mechanical Turk and Prolific have become commonplace in the last decade. While they raise concerns about the quality of the data and about the external validity of the results, these online experiments have greatly increased the speed and decreased the cost of collecting data, so researchers continue to use them, albeit with some caution. Reminiscent of the discussion in the 1970s and 1980s about the use of student subjects, the projectability of the online responses and of an increasingly conditioned “professional” group of online respondents (MTurkers) is a major concern.

Technology has also changed research methodology. Currently, there is a large increase in the use of secondary data thanks to the availability of Big Data about online and offline behavior. Methods in computer science have advanced our ability to analyze large corpuses of unstructured data (text, voice, visual images) in an efficient and rigorous way and, thus, to tap into a wealth of nuanced thoughts, feelings, and behaviors heretofore only accessible to qualitative researchers through laboriously conducted content analyses. There are also new neuro-marketing techniques like eye-tracking, fMRI’s, body arousal measures (e.g., heart rate, sweat), and emotion detectors that allow us to measure automatic responses. Lastly, there has been an increase in large-scale field experiments that can be run in online B2C marketplaces.

3.3 Present Aims

Along with a focus on real-world observations and data, there is a renewed emphasis on managerial relevance. Countless conference addresses and editorials in JCR , JCP , and other journals have emphasized the importance of making consumer research useful outside of academia—that is, to help companies, policy makers, and consumers. For instance, understanding how the “new” consumer interacts over time with other consumers and companies in the current marketplace is a key area for future research. As global and social concerns become more salient in all aspects of life, issues of long-term sustainability, social equality, and ethical business practices have also become more central research topics. Fortunately, despite this emphasis on relevance, theoretical contributions and novel ideas are still highly valued. An appropriate balance of theory and practice has become the holy grail of consumer research.

The effects of the current trends in real-world consumption will increase in magnitude with time as more consumers are digitally native. Therefore, a better understanding of current consumer behavior can give us insights and help predict how it will continue to evolve in the years to come.

4 The future—the consumer behavior field in 2040

The other papers use 2030 as a target year but we asked our survey respondents to make predictions for 2040 and thus we have a different future target year.

Niels Bohr once said, “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” Indeed, it would be a fool’s errand for a single person to hazard a guess about the state of the consumer behavior field twenty years from now. Therefore, predictions from 34 active consumer researchers were collected to address this task. Here, we briefly summarize those predictions.

4.1 Future Concepts

While few respondents proffered guesses regarding specific concepts that would be of interest twenty years from now, many suggested broad topics and trends they expected to see in the field. Expectations for topics could largely be grouped into three main areas. Many suspected that we will be examining essentially the same core topics, perhaps at a finer-grained level, from different perspectives or in ways that we currently cannot utilize due to methodological limitations (more on methods below). A second contingent predicted that much research would center on the impending crises the world faces today, most mentioning environmental and social issues (the COVID-19 pandemic had not yet begun when these predictions were collected and, unsurprisingly, was not anticipated by any of our respondents). The last group, citing the widely expected profound impact of AI on consumers’ lives, argued that AI and other technology-related topics will be dominant subjects in consumer research circa 2040.

While the topic of technology is likely to be focal in the field, our current expectations for the impact of technology on consumers’ lives are narrower than it should be. Rather than merely offering innumerable conveniences and experiences, it seems likely that technology will begin to be integrated into consumers’ thoughts, identities, and personal relationships—probably sooner than we collectively expect. The integration of machines into humans’ bodies and lives will present the field with an expanding list of research questions that do not exist today. For example, how will the concepts of the self, identity, privacy, and goal pursuit change when web-connected technology seamlessly integrates with human consciousness and cognition? Major questions will also need to be answered regarding philosophy of mind, ethics, and social inequality. We suspect that the impact of technology on consumers and consumer research will be far broader than most consumer-behavior researchers anticipate.

As for broader trends within consumer research, there were two camps: (1) those who expect (or hope) that dominant theories (both current and yet to be developed) will become more integrated and comprehensive and (2) those who expect theoretical contributions to become smaller and smaller, to the point of becoming trivial. Both groups felt that current researchers are filling smaller cracks than before, but disagreed on how this would ultimately be resolved.

4.2 Future Methods

As was the case with concepts, respondents’ expectations regarding consumer-research methodologies in 2030 can also be divided into three broad baskets. Unsurprisingly, many indicated that we would be using many technologies not currently available or in wide use. Perhaps more surprising was that most cited the use of technology such as AI, machine-learning algorithms, and robots in designing—as opposed to executing or analyzing—experiments. (Some did point to the use of technologies such as virtual reality in the actual execution of experiments.) The second camp indicated that a focus on reliable and replicable results (discussed further below) will encourage a greater tendency for pre-registering studies, more use of “Big Data,” and a demand for more studies per paper (versus more papers per topic, which some believe is a more fruitful direction). Finally, the third lot indicated that “real data” would be in high demand, thereby necessitating the use of incentive-compatible, consequential dependent variables and a greater prevalence of field studies in consumer research.

As a result, young scholars would benefit from developing a “toolkit” of methodologies for collecting and analyzing the abundant new data of interest to the field. This includes (but is not limited to) a deep understanding of designing and implementing field studies (Gerber and Green 2012 ), data analysis software (R, Python, etc.), text mining and analysis (Humphreys and Wang 2018 ), and analytical tools for other unstructured forms of data such as image and sound. The replication crisis in experimental research means that future scholars will also need to take a more critical approach to validity (internal, external, construct), statistical power, and significance in their work.

4.3 Future Aims

While there was an air of existential concern about the future of the field, most agreed that the trend will be toward increasing the relevance and reliability of consumer research. Specifically, echoing calls from journals and thought leaders, the respondents felt that papers will need to offer more actionable implications for consumers, managers, or policy makers. However, few thought that this increased focus would come at the expense of theoretical insights, suggesting a more demanding overall standard for consumer research in 2040. Likewise, most felt that methodological transparency, open access to data and materials, and study pre-registration will become the norm as the field seeks to allay concerns about the reliability and meaningfulness of its research findings.

4.4 Summary - Future research questions and directions

Despite some well-justified pessimism, the future of consumer research is as bright as ever. As we revised this paper amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it was clear that many aspects of marketplace behavior, consumption, and life in general will change as a result of this unprecedented global crisis. Given this, and the radical technological, social, and environmental changes that loom on the horizon, consumer researchers will have a treasure trove of topics to tackle in the next ten years, many of which will carry profound substantive importance. While research approaches will evolve, the core goals will remain consistent—namely, to generate theoretically insightful, empirically supported, and substantively impactful research (Table 3 ).

5 Conclusion

At any given moment in time, the focal concepts, methods, and aims of consumer-behavior scholarship reflect both the prior development of the field and trends in the larger scientific community. However, despite shifting trends, the core of the field has remained constant—namely, to understand the motivations, thought processes, and experiences of individuals as they consume goods, services, information, and other offerings, and to use these insights to develop interventions to improve both marketing strategy for firms and consumer welfare for individuals and groups. Amidst the excitement of new technologies, social trends, and consumption experiences, it is important to look back and remind ourselves of the insights the field has already generated. Effectively integrating these past findings with new observations and fresh research will help the field advance our understanding of consumer behavior.

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Malter, M.S., Holbrook, M.B., Kahn, B.E. et al. The past, present, and future of consumer research. Mark Lett 31 , 137–149 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-020-09526-8

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How Consumer Research Took La Croix on a Ride to the Top

A quantitative eye tracking study on La Croix’s branding success

by Joey Goldberg

Marketing Manager at Tobii Pro

Few beverage brands have experienced a meteoric rise to ubiquity as quickly and extensively as La Croix sparkling water. A deliciously refreshing, zero calorie beverage that comes in a plethora of flavors, it provides welcome respite from a crowded beverage market full of sugary drinks and diet sodas that are quickly losing their appeal with health conscious youth . While La Croix is undeniably delicious and guilt-free (I personally drink 2-3 per day), there are many brands in the space that offer a similar beverage experience. So what is it about La Croix that helped it rise above the rest?

According to Meridianai Associates Inc, a consulting firm that helped with La Croix’s relaunch in the early 1990’s , La Croix’s packaging was essential in creating an approachable and accessible brand to contrast it with Perrier’s fancier image. It turns out that through their research with consumers, the eccentric label design liked least by executives was liked most by consumers and therefore selected. A great deal of La Croix’s success is attributed to its ability to stand out on the shelf from other brands, resulting in a huge win for La Croix and for consumer research (yay!).

Consumer research teams use the Sticky by Tobii Pro platform to run quick, quantitative eye tracking studies to evaluate new and existing package designs within a larger rebrand effort. Eye tracking provides valuable insight into shopper behavior and how to successfully position and design products in order to capture consumers’ attention. If they don’t see it, they can’t buy it. After reading about La Croix’s success, we asked ourselves, “Would the results of a 1-hour eye tracking study support the findings that came out of La Croix’s in-depth consumer research?”. To find out, we decided to run our own study on the Sticky platform.

Using our randomized shelf tool, we created a study comparing La Croix to 11 beverage competitors. 100 general population, opt-in participants were sent the study on their computers and their eye tracking sessions were recorded via their webcams. Each participant was exposed to the randomized shelf of 12 sparkling water and soda brands for 10 seconds, once with no direction and once directed to find La Croix. After fielding for an hour, the results were in and we were pleasantly surprised with what we found!

84% of participants saw the La Croix cans on the shelf, more than any other brand on the shelf. It took participants only 2.4 seconds to find La Croix, faster than every other brand except for Topo Chico (2.3 seconds). In the survey portion, 17% of the total participants found La Croix to be the most visually appealing packaging, the highest of all the brands on the shelf. La Croix had the 4th highest brand recall at 37% only behind three of the most recognizable soda brands: Coke, Pepsi, and Sprite.

Using our quantitative eye tracking data, we were able to conclude that our study not only reinforces La Croix’s initial qualitative findings but bolsters them: La Croix is by far the most visually engaging package among its competitors. No wonder they’re crushing it, way to go La Croix!

Joey Goldberg

The views, opinions, data, and methodologies expressed above are those of the contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official policies, positions, or beliefs of Greenbook.

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Hackers may have stolen your Social Security number in a massive breach. Here's what to know.

By Aimee Picchi

Edited By Anne Marie Lee

Updated on: August 19, 2024 / 9:51 AM EDT / CBS News

A new lawsuit is claiming hackers have gained access to the personal information of "billions of individuals," including their Social Security numbers, current and past addresses and the names of siblings and parents — personal data that could allow fraudsters to infiltrate financial accounts or take out loans in their names. 

The allegation arose in a lawsuit filed earlier this month by Christopher Hofmann, a California resident who claims his identity theft protection service alerted him that his personal information had been leaked to the dark web by the "nationalpublicdata.com" breach. The lawsuit was earlier reported by Bloomberg Law.

The breach allegedly occurred around April 2024, with a hacker group called USDoD exfiltrating the unencrypted personal information of billions of individuals from a company called National Public Data (NPD), a background check company, according to the lawsuit. Earlier this month, a hacker leaked a version of the stolen NPD data for free on a hacking forum, tech site Bleeping Computer reported . 

That hacker claimed the stolen files include 2.7 billion records, with each listing a person's full name, address, date of birth, Social Security number and phone number, Bleeping Computer said. While it's unclear how many people that includes, it's likely "that everyone with a Social Security number was impacted," said Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at The National Cybersecurity Alliance, a nonprofit that promotes online safety.

"It's a reminder of the importance of protecting yourself, because clearly companies and the government aren't doing it for us," Steinhauer told CBS MoneyWatch.

In a statement posted to its website, NPD said the breach involved a "third-party bad actor that was trying to hack into data in late December 2023, with potential leaks of certain data in April 2024 and summer 2024."

The company added that it is working with law enforcement and government investigators. NPD said it "will try to notify you if there are further significant developments applicable to you."

Here's what to know about the alleged hack. 

What is National Public Data? 

National Public Data is a data company based in Coral Springs, Florida, that provides background checks for employers, investigators and other businesses that want to check people's backgrounds. Its searches include criminal records, vital records, SSN traces and more information, its website says.

There are many similar companies that scrape public data to create files on consumers, which they then sell to other businesses, Steinhauer said.

"They are data brokers that collect and sell data about people, sometimes for background check purposes," he said. "It's because there's no national privacy law in the U.S. — there is no law against them collecting this data against our consent."

What happened with the USDoD hack?

According to the new lawsuit, USDoD on April 8 posted a database called "National Public Data" on the dark web, claiming to have records for about 2.9 billion individuals. It was asking for a purchase price of $3.5 million, the lawsuit claims. 

However, Bleeping Computer reported that the file was later leaked for free on a hacker forum, as noted above. 

How many people have been impacted?

The number of people impacted by the breach is unclear. Although the lawsuit claims "billions of individuals" had their data stolen, the total population of the U.S. stands at about 330 million. The lawsuit also alleges that the data includes personal information of deceased individuals.

Bleeping Computer reports that the hacked data involves 2.7 billion records, with individuals having multiple records in the database. In other words, one individual could have separate records for each address where they've lived, which means the number of impacted people may be far lower than the lawsuit claims, the site noted.

The data may reach back at least three decades, according to law firm Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe, which said on Monday it is investigating the breach.

Did NPD alert individuals about the hack? 

It's unclear, although the lawsuit claims that NPD "has still not provided any notice or warning" to Hoffman or other people affected by the breach. 

"In fact, upon information and belief, the vast majority of Class Members were unaware that their sensitive [personal information] had been compromised, and that they were, and continue to be, at significant risk of identity theft and various other forms of personal, social, and financial harm," the lawsuit claims. 

Information security company McAfee reported that it hasn't found any filings with state attorneys general. Some states require companies that have experienced data breaches to file reports with their AG offices. 

However, NPD posted an alert about the breach on its website, stating that it believes the information breached includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers and mailing addresses.

Can you find out if your data was part of the hack?

There are tools available that will monitor what information about you is available on the dark web, noted Michael Blair, managing director of cybersecurity firm NukuDo. Commonly breached data includes your personal addresses, passwords and email, he added.

One such service is how Hofmann, who filed the lawsuit, found out that his information has been leaked as part of NPD breach.

"Make sure to use reputable companies to look that up," Blair said. 

What should I do to protect my information?

Security experts recommend that consumers put freezes on their credit files at the three big credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Freezing your credit is free, and will stop bad actors from taking out loans or opening credit cards in your name. 

"The biggest thing is to freeze your credit report, so it can't be used to open new accounts in your name and commit other fraud in your name," Steinhauer said. 

In its statement, NPD also urged people to put free fraud alerts on their accounts, which "tells creditors to contact you before they open any new accounts or change your existing accounts," it said. You'll have to contact just one of the three credit bureaus to create a fraud alert, and that agency will alert the others.

Steinhauer recommends consumers take several additional steps to protect their data and finances:

• Make sure your passwords are at least 16 characters in length, and are complex. 
• Use a password manager to save those long, complex passwords.
• Enable multifactor authentication, which Steinhauer calls "critical," because simply using a single password to access your accounts isn't enough protection against hackers. 
• Be on alert for phishing and other scams. One red flag is that the scammers will try to create a sense of urgency to manipulate their victims.
• Keep your security software updated on your computer and other devices. For instance, make sure you download the latest security updates from Microsoft or Apple onto your apps and devices. 

You can also get a tracking service that will alert you if your data appears on the dark web. 

"You should assume you have been compromised and act accordingly," Steinhauer said. 

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Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.

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Published August 8 th 2024

The Best Moments and Personalities from the Summer Games

Let's dive into the Summer Games.

Let’s take a look at some of the best moments and most popular athletes of the 2024 Summer Games – according to social media. 

Disclaimer: This report is provided for informational purposes only. Brandwatch is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or the Olympic Games. All data and insights presented are based on independent analysis and are not intended to imply any formal relationship with the Olympic entities.

This year’s 2024 Summer Games have dominated social media. With athletes sharing everything from secret behind-the-scenes videos about their living quarters, to winning gold medals, fans can’t get enough.

Let’s take a look at which athletes have seen the biggest engagement on social, plus we’ll dive into some of the most positive moments. 

For more insights on consumer outlook and viewers' first impressions towards the event, you can read our previous blog on the 2024 Summer Games here.

The most positive moments

We used Brandwatch Consumer Research to find some of the most positive social media posts about the Summer Games that have gained traction among fans.

Camaraderie in gymnastics triumphs on social 

A moment of pure sportsmanship got millions of fans talking on social media.

A post from the official @Olympics account went viral in hours, depicting Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowing to Rebeca Andrade after she won gold in the women's floor gymnastics final.

This is everything. pic.twitter.com/FrXz7wWtQg — The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 5, 2024

The incredible display of sportsmanship sparked plenty of joy on X, with the post gaining over 180k retweets and over 40 million views.

Many were happy to see the values of the Summer Games being exemplified on social. 

The opening ceremony gets people talking

The opening ceremony is always a defining moment. And this year was no exception. Plenty of people took to social media to share their thoughts on the ceremony – and opinions were mixed. 

With some scenes in the ceremony depicting the Last Supper in a controversial light , many took to social media to express their distaste towards the portrayal.

That said, the ceremony sparked a lot of positivity and plenty enjoyed the extravagance of the ceremony, sharing their delight online. 

The Olympics Opening Ceremony was amazing! 🏛️🍷🥳 We watched in a bar about 3 blocks from the Seine. With each boat, the bar would chant the country name and/or sing the national anthem 👏👏👏 Felt special to be a part of 🥰 pic.twitter.com/w5EGgtwxaR — Traveltirement™ aka Tommy Sikes, CFP® (@wander_wealth) July 28, 2024

You can read more about the discussion surrounding the opening ceremony in our previous blog on the 2024 Summer Games here .

One gymnast’s reaction to her fellow medalists goes viral

A post showing Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin’s reaction to two Italian gymnast’s podium celebrations has garnered over 16 million views and 400k likes.

Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin reaction to the Italian gymnast podium celebrations pic.twitter.com/GAtHFdt1hs — NO CONTEXT OLYMPICS (@OlympicsContext) August 7, 2024

Zhou noticed her fellow medalists were biting their medals for a photo – and decided to join in. 

This innocent display of joint celebration enthralled fans on social media, who couldn’t get enough of the small gesture. 

An unexpected visitor joins the surfing tournament 

A whale was spotted during the coverage of the surfing event this year, and a combination of posts sharing videos of the spectacle went viral – gathering millions of views.

OLYMPIC SURFING HAS WHALES NOW? pic.twitter.com/LmC5yF87xx — Chris Deeley (@ThatChris1209) August 5, 2024

The surprise factor was a key contributor to the video gathering attention, with many saying the whale deserves its very own medal.  

The most popular athletes 

Using Brandwatch Influence , we discovered athletes competing at the Summer Games that are receiving impressive engagement on Instagram.  

Rayssa Leal

16-year-old Brazilian skateboarder Rayssa Leal is causing a storm over on Instagram. As one of the youngest people to earn a medal, she is being celebrated for her impressive skills – earning 548,000 average engagements per post. 

One of her recent posts about the 2024 Summer Games has seen almost 2.5 million likes.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rayssa Leal (@rayssalealsk8)

Brazilian fans are keen to support Rayssa through her journey in sports as she continues to excel. 

Logan Martin 

BMX rider Logan Martin ’s Instagram is a hub for action shots, cool content, and videos of him cycling. 2024 marks Logan’s second ever participation in the Summer Games, and he’s become a fan favorite. 

One of Logan’s most popular posts showcases him sharing his love for BMX riding with his children. His kids show how there’s no age limit to start something new. 

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Logan Martin OAM (@loganmartinbmx)

Lorrane Oliveira 

Lorrane Oliveira is a Brazilian artistic gymnastic and medalist. With an average engagement of 325,000 on her posts, Lorrane’s fanbase is thriving.

Her posts range from celebrating her teammates to showing how she braids her hair , and her fans are keen to see how she fairs both in her sporting career and out of it. 

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lorrane Oliveira (@loloo_santos)

Simone Biles

Artistic gymnast Simone Biles is a huge fan favorite when it comes to the Summer Games. Her unmatched athletic ability, training regime, and work ethic is inspiring fans across the globe.

The Gold medalist isn’t new to the Summer Games – she’s been competing since 2016. She’s renowned in the sporting world, and her lovability has helped her climb to fame on social media too.

With her posts gaining an average engagement of 312,000, it’s safe to say she’s a popular pick among fans.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Simone Biles (@simonebiles)

Jonathan Hilbert 

German racewalker and Silver medalist Jonathan Hilbert has received plenty of engagement on Instagram over the last 6 months.

With a staggering engagement rate of over 900%, his Instagram reels showcasing the speed that racewalkers travel at has attracted millions of people’s attention.

For example, the video below has received almost half a million likes. 

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jonathan Hilbert OLY (@hilbert_jonathan)

The Summer Games is an event that inspires worldwide. Whether you prefer gymnastics or BMX riding, there’s always something for everyone to enjoy. And that enjoyment is widely shared on social.  

By tracking the mentions online, we can discover which moments and personalities are the most celebrated by consumers. The key to making such positive waves on social? Whether it’s a small gesture of camaraderie or a huge whale showing up, it’s the unexpected moments that are met with love and playfulness that have risen above the rest this summer. 

We’ve been covering the 2024 Summer Games on our social media accounts too, so make sure to give us a follow on Instagram for all the latest . 

Disclaimer: This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not imply any affiliation with, endorsement by, or official connection to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or the Olympic Games. 

Emily Smith

Content Marketing Manager

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Hackers may have stolen the Social Security numbers of every American. Here’s how to protect yourself

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About four months after a notorious hacking group claimed to have stolen an extraordinary amount of sensitive personal information from a major data broker, a member of the group has reportedly released most of it for free on an online marketplace for stolen personal data.

The breach, which includes Social Security numbers and other sensitive data, could power a raft of identity theft, fraud and other crimes, said Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

For the record:

2:39 p.m. Aug. 15, 2024 A previous version of this article identified Teresa Murray as the consumer watchdog director for the U.S. Public Information Research Group. She works for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

“If this in fact is pretty much the whole dossier on all of us, it certainly is much more concerning” than prior breaches, Murray said in an interview. “And if people weren’t taking precautions in the past, which they should have been doing, this should be a five-alarm wake-up call for them.”

According to a class-action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the hacking group USDoD claimed in April to have stolen personal records of 2.9 billion people from National Public Data, which offers personal information to employers, private investigators, staffing agencies and others doing background checks. The group offered in a forum for hackers to sell the data, which included records from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, for $3.5 million , a cybersecurity expert said in a post on X.

The lawsuit was reported by Bloomberg Law .

Last week, a purported member of USDoD identified only as Felice told the hacking forum that they were offering “ the full NPD database ,” according to a screenshot taken by BleepingComputer. The information consists of about 2.7 billion records, each of which includes a person’s full name, address, date of birth, Social Security number and phone number, along with alternate names and birth dates, Felice claimed.

Data of nearly all AT&T customers downloaded in security breach

Information on nearly all customers of the telecommunications giant AT&T was downloaded to a third-party platform in a 2022 security breach.

July 12, 2024

National Public Data didn’t respond to a request for comment, nor has it formally notified people about the alleged breach. It has, however, been telling people who contacted it via email that “we are aware of certain third-party claims about consumer data and are investigating these issues.”

In that email, the company also said that it had “purged the entire database, as a whole, of any and all entries, essentially opting everyone out.” As a result, it said, it has deleted any “non-public personal information” about people, although it added, “We may be required to retain certain records to comply with legal obligations.”

Several news outlets that focus on cybersecurity have looked at portions of the data Felice offered and said they appear to be real people’s actual information. If the leaked material is what it’s claimed to be, here are some of the risks posed and the steps you can take to protect yourself.

The threat of ID theft

The leak purports to provide much of the information that banks, insurance companies and service providers seek when creating accounts — and when granting a request to change the password on an existing account.

A few key pieces appeared to be missing from the hackers’ haul. One is email addresses, which many people use to log on to services. Another is driver’s license or passport photos, which some governmental agencies rely on to verify identities.

Still, Murray of PIRG said that bad actors could do “all kinds of things” with the leaked information, the most worrisome probably being to try to take over someone’s accounts — including those associated with their bank, investments, insurance policies and email. With your name, Social Security number, date of birth and mailing address, a fraudster could create fake accounts in your name or try to talk someone into resetting the password on one of your existing accounts.

“For somebody who’s really suave at it,” Murray said, “the possibilities are really endless.”

It’s also possible that criminals could use information from previous data breaches to add email addresses to the data from the reported National Public Data leak. Armed with all that, Murray said, “you can cause all kinds of chaos, commit all kinds of crimes, steal all kinds of money.”

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How to protect yourself

Data breaches have been so common over the years, some security experts say sensitive information about you is almost certainly available in the dark corners of the internet. And there are a lot of people capable of finding it; VPNRanks, a website that rates virtual private network services, estimates that 5 million people a day will access the dark web through the anonymizing TOR browser, although only a portion of them will be up to no good.

If you suspect that your Social Security number or other important identifying information about you has been leaked, experts say you should put a freeze on your credit files at the three major credit bureaus, Experian , Equifax and TransUnion . You can do so for free, and it will prevent criminals from taking out loans, signing up for credit cards and opening financial accounts under your name. The catch is that you’ll need to remember to lift the freeze temporarily if you are obtaining or applying for something that requires a credit check.

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Placing a freeze can be done online or by phone, working with each credit bureau individually. PIRG cautions never to do so in response to an unsolicited email or text purporting to be from one of the credit agencies — such a message is probably the work of a scammer trying to dupe you into revealing sensitive personal information.

For more details, check out PIRG’s step-by-step guide to credit freezes .

You can also sign up for a service that monitors your accounts and the dark web to guard against identity theft, typically for a fee. If your data is exposed in a breach, the company whose network was breached will often provide one of these services for free for a year or more.

If you want to know whether you have something to worry about, multiple websites and service providers such as Google and Experian can scan the dark web for your information to see whether it’s out there. But those aren’t specific to the reported National Public Data breach. For that information, try a free tool from the cybersecurity company Pentester that offers to search for your information in the breached National Public Data files . Along with the search results, Pentester displays links to the sites where you can freeze your credit reports.

Atlas Privacy, a company that helps people remove their personal information from data brokers, also offers a way to check whether your info was breached in the National Public Data hack.

As important as these steps are to stop people from opening new accounts in your name, they aren’t much help protecting your existing accounts. Oddly enough, those accounts are especially vulnerable to identity thieves if you haven’t signed up for online access to them, Murray said — that’s because it’s easier for thieves to create a login and password while pretending to be you than it is for them to crack your existing login and password.

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Of course, having strong passwords that are different for every service and changed periodically helps. Password manager apps offer a simple way to create and keep track of passwords by storing them in the cloud, essentially requiring you to remember one master password instead of dozens of long and unpronounceable ones. These are available both for free (such as Apple’s iCloud Keychain) and for a fee .

Beyond that, experts say it’s extremely important to sign up for two-factor authentication. That adds another layer of security on top of your login and password. The second factor is usually something sent or linked to your phone, such as a text message; a more secure approach is to use an authenticator app, which will keep you secure even if your phone number is hijacked by scammers .

Yes, scammers can hijack your phone number through techniques called SIM swaps and port-out fraud , causing more identity-theft nightmares. To protect you on that front, AT&T allows you to create a passcode restricting access to your account; T-Mobile offers optional protection against your phone number being switched to a new device, and Verizon automatically blocks SIM swaps by shutting down both the new device and the existing one until the account holder weighs in with the existing device.

Your worst enemy may be you

As much or more than hacked data, scammers also rely on people to reveal sensitive information about themselves. One common tactic is to pose as your bank, employer, phone company or other service provider with whom you’ve done business and then try to hook you with a text or email message.

Banks, for example, routinely tell customers that they will not ask for their account information by phone. Nevertheless, scammers have coaxed victims into providing their account numbers, logins and passwords by posing as bank security officers trying to stop an unauthorized withdrawal or some other supposedly urgent threat.

People may even get an official-looking email purportedly from National Public Data, offering to help them deal with the reported leak, Murray said. “It’s not going to be NPD trying to help. It’s going to be some bad guy overseas” trying to con them out of sensitive information, she said.

It’s a good rule of thumb never to click on a link or call a phone number in an unsolicited text or email. If the message warns about fraud on your account and you don’t want to simply ignore it, look up the phone number for that company’s fraud department (it’s on the back of your debit and credit cards) and call for guidance.

“These bad guys, this is what they do for a living,” Murray said. They might send out tens of thousands of queries and get only one response, but that response could net them $10,000 from an unwitting victim. “Ten thousand dollars in one day for having one hit with one victim, that’s a pretty good return on investment,” she said. “That’s what motivates them.”

More to Read

Massive data breach that includes Social Security numbers may be even worse than suspected

Aug. 19, 2024

Editorial: A ransomware attack closed L.A. courts for two days. The public deserves a full accounting

Aug. 13, 2024

Column: Why hugely profitable corporations won’t spend enough to keep hackers from stealing your private info

July 17, 2024

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Retail | Perdue recalls chicken nuggets after consumers…

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Retail | Perdue recalls chicken nuggets after consumers find metal wire

167,171 pounds of chicken tenders and nuggets may be contaminated..

According to Perdue and the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the recall covers select lots of three products: Perdue Breaded Chicken Tenders, Butcher Box Organic Chicken Breast Nuggets and Perdue Simply Smart Organics Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets.

FSIS and Perdue determined that some 167,171 pounds of these products may be contaminated with a foreign material after receiving an unspecified number of customer complaints. In a Friday announcement, Maryland-based Perdue said that the material was “identified in a limited number of consumer packages.”

The company later “determined the material to be a very thin strand of metal wire that was inadvertently introduced into the manufacturing process,” Jeff Shaw, Perdue’s senior vice president of food safety and quality, said in a prepared statement. Shaw added that Perdue decided to recall all impacted packages “out of an abundance of caution.”

There are no confirmed injuries or adverse reactions tied to eating these products to date, according to FSIS and Perdue. Still, FSIS is concerned that the products may be in consumers’ freezers.

The now-recalled tenders and nuggets can be identified by product codes listed on both Perdue and FSIS’s online notices . All three impacted products have a best if used by date of March 23, 2025, and establishment number “P-33944” on the back of the package. They were sold at retailers nationwide.

Consumers who have the recalled chicken are urged to throw it away or return the product to its place of purchase. Perdue is offering full refunds to impacted consumers who can call the company at 866-866-3703.

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Horses can plan and strategise, new study shows

You can lead a horse to water and, it turns out, convince it to drink if the reward is great enough, researchers have found.

A new study has suggested horses are more intelligent than previously thought, having been observed to quickly adapt to a treat-based game with changing rules.

Researchers from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) said they were surprised by how the horses quickly grasped the game, busting previous theories that equine brains respond only to immediate stimuli and are not complex enough to strategise.

The new findings could lead to more humane horse training regimes and improvements to their welfare, researchers said.

The study involved 20 horses, who first were rewarded with a treat for touching a piece of card with their nose.

In the second stage, a "stop light" was introduced, and the rule was changed so that the reward was only given if they touched the card while the light was off.

This did not alter the behaviour of the horses, as they were observed touching the card regardless of the status of the light. That is, until the rules changed for a third time.

In the final stage, researchers introduced a penalty of a 10-second timeout for touching the card while the stop light was on.

The team observed a rapid adjustment to the horses' behaviour now there was a cost to getting it wrong, all of them quickly learning to play by the rules to avoid the timeout, researchers said.

"We were expecting horses' performance to improve when we introduced the time-out, but were surprised by how immediate and significant the improvement was," lead researcher Louise Evans said.

The researchers believe the fact the horses adapted so quickly indicates they understood the rule of the stop light the entire time, but had no reason to follow the rule when there was no consequence for getting it wrong.

The study, published in the Applied Animal Behaviour Science journal shows that horses are more cognitively advanced than they are given credit for, Dr Carrie Ijichi, a senior equine researcher at NTU said.

"This teaches us that we shouldn't make assumptions about animal intelligence or sentience based on whether they are 'built' just like us," she said.

Walmart boosts sales outlook, shares surge to record

• Medium Text
• Annual adjusted profit per share forecast between $2.35 and $2.43
• Full-year consolidated net sales forecast to grow 3.75%-4.75%, up from 3%-4%
• Average transactions rose 3.6% in second quarter, online sales up 22%
• Quarterly earnings of 67 cents per share beat expectations
• Stock up 8%, hits record high of $74.44

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Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in New York and Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Rod Nickel

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S&P 500 hunting cloud nine

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