Prepare yourself for a career in the growing field of consumer research and marketing by selecting Consumer Psychology as your special area of interest. Study theories of consumer behavior and learn to use an arsenal of tools and methodologies-- including focus groups, statistical polling data, and trend analysis--to maximize the success of unique marketing initiatives. Your skills at developing winning marketing strategies will put you in demand regardless of the economic outlook.

Classes in Consumer Psychology as a part of your Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology program will prepare you to:

• Create a brand image that inspires consumer trust and loyalty
• Optimize the in-store experience to secure repeat sales
• Increase sales volume utilizing point-of-sale (POS) techniques
• Refine the total customer experience to generate buzz and create word-of-mouth advertising

Consumer Psychology Courses

IO 561 Consumer Motivation (3 credits)

Consumers today are bombarded by fast-paced, technologically savvy inducements to make spontaneous purchases across media. This course helps students make sense of how potential buyers sort through the stimulus overload. Students learn how to design point-of-sale displays; improve visual merchandising; maintain the integrity of a brand image; and attract and retain customers over time. Individually tailored project work centers on the participant's own work challenges. Learning outcomes include:

• Understanding the basic motivations underlying consumer purchasing behavior
• Identifying how consumers perceive and respond to product variety and assortment, as well as how individuals vary in their responses to these choices
• Applying techniques and methods for measuring customer satisfaction, or the degree to which consumers are satisfied or delighted
• Leveraging how customer goals and identities motivate their buying experiences and preferences
• Using this information as advertisers, marketers, buyers, merchandisers, and store managers to create increase customer retention and the frequency of unplanned purchases

IO 573 Reaching the Target Market: Qualitative Research Methods (3 credits)

Reaching a specific target market and building market share requires identifying the characteristics of the people in that group, as well as what they look for in products or services that will make them loyal customers. Techniques for collecting and analyzing data covered in this course include:

• An overview of qualitative research techniques
• Designing, conducting, and managing in-depth interviews; focus groups (on-site, telephone, web) and online bulletin boards
• Ethnographic research
• Hybrid models that combine interviews and focus groups
• Preventing, avoiding, and dealing with products associated with qualitative research
• How to report research findings

IO 574 Understanding Customer Perceptions: Quantitative Research Methods (3 credits)
Quantitative (survey) research is crucial to an organization's customer awareness strategy. Surveys make it possible to focus on a specific target market, improve customer satisfaction, and build a brand's image by understanding the public perception of products and services. Learning objectives in this course include:

• When to use survey research
• Designing, conducting, and managing quantitative research
• How to ask survey questions that get the information you need
• How to conduct mail, web, and telephone surveys
• How to manage, analyze, and interpret survey data
• How to choose the right types of analysis
• The impact of sampling techniques and sample size
• How to report survey findings

Find out more about how you can tailor your Industrial/Organizational Psychology studies by choosing Consumer Psychology as your special area of interest: Call 866-907-4209 and speak directly to one of our admission counselors or apply online today.