Audience attention spans are short but critical for content creators. Two factors determine if content can engage audiences: processing...

Businesses sometimes need horizontal referrals from suppliers. However, there is always the possibility of current suppliers giving an...

Low-income households are the most in need of savings strategies when buying goods and services, but liquidity constraints prevent them...

Apps that are launched as free versions can monetise through ads or subscriptions. However, ads come with issues of cost, privacy, user...

Fake reviews are now proliferating as their importance in boosting sales is getting recognised. However, more fake reviews can actually...

When consumers get bad reviews on peer-to-peer sharing economy platforms, they spread negative word of mouth about the platform even...

The effective retail selling strategy of “No Conversion, No Conversation” (NC²), i.e., disengaging from a prospect when a sale seems...

Companies send customers review reminders immediately or some days after the product experience. Comparing immediate versus delayed...

Gift-giving, a thriving industry even during the COVID-19 pandemic, reveals intriguing consumer behaviours. People often spend more on...

Companies incentivise employees’ continuing education through fee waivers and refunds. However, refunds are more effective in improving...

Incorporating the human touch into customer relationships can help online retailers increase buyer spending. A simple, inexpensive, and...

The need for meaning is as critical as the need for pleasure in making purchase decisions. Buyers pursuing meaning focus on a wide range...

Brands can find themselves dealing with negative events or crises. In the age of social media communication gaining constantly in...

Retailers use several tactics to encourage in-store purchasing but often neglect the importance of shopping cart design. A cart with...

Charity is universally lauded, yet charitable organisations often struggle to raise the amount of funds they need to meet their prosocial...

Traditionally, music artists have been advised to focus on a narrow selection of heavy listeners for marketing and earn revenues by...

Retirement planning is critical to avoid drastic changes in lifestyle post-retirement due to lack of income. Yet, a majority of people do...

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) is a convenient way to get credit. Unfortunately, its convenience leads weaker sections of society to make...

Buyers often depend on emotions to make purchase decisions. Omnichannel retailers should consider this fact while designing cross-channel...

Both choice deprivation and choice overload can reduce satisfaction. However, choice deprivation is found in more countries globally,...

Retailers offer discounts to offset lower consumption during a crisis. However, buyers might perceive them as profiteers if they do so....

Salespeople tend to score highly on Dark Triad traits of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. Salespeople with these traits...

Adaptive selling is necessary for B2B sales. One of the qualities that can lead to adaptive selling behaviours is having a quiet ego....

Industrial firms are increasingly turning to service innovations to stay ahead of the curve. They use monetary incentives to encourage...

Free gifts (or premiums) are a popular promotional tool, and these days retailers are offering buyers a choice between multiple gifts to...

Shopping is a social activity. When couples shop together, especially for joint consumption, they tend to buy more and spend more. This...

Scarcity can be a major driver of product sales. However, different types of scarcities push different types of products. Demand-based...

Salesperson training is critical for firms, especially onboarding, as it helps new employees assimilate and understand the firm. A...

Although over 80% of B2B customers are ad hoc, B2B firms face sales loss due to mistrust towards their sales representatives by these ad...

Sales promotions are an important tool for marketers and retailers. However, their effectiveness in boosting impulse purchases can be...

Promotional offers are often in the form of a “Good news/Bad news” statement with the offer or “good news” first and the restriction or...

Customers often choose flat-rate pricing plans for services over pay-per-use plans even though flat-rate plans cost more. Their choice is...

Retailers use words like “sale” and “clearance” in promotion communication widely and often interchangeably. However, buyers expect deep...

Knowledge diffusion from high-performing employees to other employees is key in ensuring a firm’s continued performance improvement. The...

Exaggerated reviews can hurt a brand since retailers depend on word-of-mouth as a marketing strategy. Certain behavioural traits drive...

Digital coupons have many advantages, but their redemption rates are extremely low. To address this issue, marketers need to focus on...

Online reviews are crucial for decision making by shoppers. However, online retailers need to advertise their products keeping in mind...

Managing information channels is critical for online retailers as buyers often gather information from multiple sources before making a...

Luxury retailers in the west offer markdowns to push sales, banking on the Sales effect. However, while determining whether to offer...

B2B companies are introducing loyalty programmes to improve customer retention. These programmes lead to higher sales when the frequency...

Shopping is often considered a social activity, so shopping companions often influence purchase choices. This is especially true for...

Push messaging is highly popular among retailers, and it can be effective in increasing spending and redemption in loyalty programmes. It...

Retailers are using themed super saver events to counter the threat from hard discounters, and research shows that higher footfalls and...

Value-based selling (VBS) is challenging but fruitful, so B2B companies are keen to implement it. To enable and motivate salespeople to...

Both online and offline retailers present buyers with sold-out product options. Buyers assume that the products’ quality is responsible...

As prices of raw materials increase, an increase in prices is inevitable. For B2B companies, renegotiating prices without damaging...

Price increases, especially cost-justified increases, are inevitable. But in a price-sensitive market like India, rising prices can lower...

Contests and sweepstakes are commonly used by marketers due to their ability to build awareness and cost-efficiency. New research...

Analytical skills are increasingly becoming essential for B2B salespeople as they help improve sales performance. Analytical skills in...

(In Oct 2021, Sreeram was approached by an ex-student for advice on a sales-related issue. Jointly written by the ex-student and Sreeram,...