Insegnamento a.a. 2025-2026

The course is structured around interactive lecture sessions and case/incident discussions where students can apply and solidify their learning.

In the first half of the class, the course will focus on what consumer behavior is and on the internal factors that influence consumer behavior, including their processing of both physical and digital stimuli.

In the second half of the course, the focus shifts to the external factors that shape consumer behavior and to how companies can embrace a customer-centric approach to effectively achieve their objectives. Emphasis is placed on understanding and enhancing the perceived value of their brands.

In summary, the main topics covered during the course are the following:

• What is consumer behavior?
• How do we understand consumer behavior?
• Internal and external factors that influence consumer behavior.
• Attention, Knowledge and Motivation.
• Attitudes and Emotions.
• Value for Customer and Customer life value
• Customer centricity.

• Understand the strategic role of knowing customers’ needs for the success of companies.
• Identify internal and external factors that influence the way consumers think, feel, and behave.
• Learn how digitization affected consumer behavior and companies’ ability to measure and understand it.

• Get insights and analyze perceptional, motivational, emotional, and social influences on consumer behavior.
• Evaluate the company’s positioning in the consumer’s mind and identify the areas of strengthening the value proposition.
• Simulate the impact of some cognitive (e.g., framing effect) and affective (e.g., emotions) effects on consumer decisions.
• Consider how data-driven companies can leverage their deep knowledge of consumers.
• Develop specific recommendations and action plans to satisfy target customers’ needs and wants

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Practical Exercises
• Individual works / Assignments
• Collaborative Works / Assignments
• Interaction/Gamification

The course involves in-class exercises, case study discussions, and interactive class activities for the students to be able to apply frameworks and tools that they learn during the course for analyzing target customers’ decision making process. These tools help students to develop specific recommendations and action plans to satisfy target customers’ needs and wants.

Lectures

The majority of the sessions will be in the format of lectures that will provide students with knowledge on key concepts and framework(s) to understand how a particular factor might influence the consumer buying behavior. The lectures will be in an interactive format,

Case discussions, Exercises, Assignments

Some sessions will be in the format of case study , exercises an/or assignments discussions. These discussions will help students to apply what they learn in class to real world managerial issues. By developing specific recommendations and action plans for companies, students will be able to strategically use knowledge about consumer buying behavior in marketing strategies. Students  are expected to read each case thoroughly and come to class ready to contribute to the discussions.

• Assignment: students work individually or in groups on exercises, brief cases or projects.. More information on these activities  will be given in class.
• Exam: There will be one final exam. The exam may include a mix of open-ended questions, short answers, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple-choice questions. The exam will be a written exam. The exam will be based on the material taught in class, including the lectures, discussions, slides, case studies, guest lectures, and any other material covered in the lessons.

Exam (100%): There will be one final written exam. The exam will only include questions on the teaching materials (see below). 

For both attending and non-attending students, the teaching materials are currently being finalized. Further details will be provided at the beginning of the course

For both attending and non-attending students, the teaching materials are currently being finalized. Further details will be provided at the beginning of the course