Question

Topic: Customer Behavior

Post-grad Programs, Consumer Behavior/psychology

Posted by Anonymous on 9/24/2012 at 12:50 PM ET 50 Points
Hey there,
I graduated in May 2010 with a Bachelor of Commerce Honors (Co-operative). I concentrated in Marketing and my program was quite good given Canadian standards and I am lucky to live in a province where University tuition is the lowest.

I loved learning and after working in marketing jobs over the past few years, I'm an itching to go back to school and learn more about what I love - consumer behavior. None of my jobs thus far have had any concentration in the topic and I'm really yearning to learn more.

There was only one CB course available in my program and once I enrolled, I knew I had found my area of passion. My question is regarding post-graduate programs specifically for the field of consumer behavior.

I live in Canada so I'd like to hear about some programs in my home country but I'd be open to hearing about other areas too... it is just harder to study internationally as the tuition and living expenses are incredibly high.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 9/24/2012 at 2:26 PM Moderator
    While I deal in consumer behavior issues constantly, and I've taught in business schools (marketing, market research and strategy), I'm not aware of specific programs in Consumer Behavior.

    Even market research, which is a first cousin to consumer behavior, isn't always taught as a separate stand-alone subject.

    What you may need to do is create a program for yourself, reading everything you can get your hands on and hiring a qualified private tutor or mentor.

    Also keep in mind that consumer behavior covers a broad range of sub-topics, since consumers for industrial chemicals, automobiles and ice cream are very different from each other. You might want to narrow your definition of "consumer" somewhat.

    Finally, you might want to see if you can find a few people who are actually doing what you think you'd like to do and ask them how they got there, what kinds of courses they took, and what books they'd recommend. That will help you focus on the discipline you want to pursue for yourself.
  • Posted on 9/24/2012 at 2:43 PM Author
    Thanks for your input; lots of good ideas there! More specifically, I am interested in retail buying behaviour.
  • Posted on 9/25/2012 at 9:14 AM Accepted
    So talk with folks who are in retail businesses. Pick their brains. Ask them hard questions, and see how they respond. Watch great retail salespeople work with customers. You'll be amazed how much you can learn by observing and asking questions. Of course, the learning is not all in asking the right questions; most of it comes with listening carefully to the answers.

    Side benefit: Take really good notes on your learning journey. You may end up with a paper or a book on the subject, and that will really give you credibility when you are looking for a job in the field.
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