Marketing Papers
Document Type
Working Paper
Date of this Version
2007
Abstract
When faced with the decision to adopt a product or service innovation consumers often need to forecast the long-run utility it will provide relative to incumbent goods. In this paper we review recent psychological research on the ability of people to forecast their own future preferences and discuss its implications for new product adoption decisions. We identify and review evidence for four distinct ways in which new product valuations may depart from those that would be prescribed by normative economic theory: projection biases, telescoping, emotional myopia, and loss framing. One of the implications of these biases is a predicted tendency for consumers to systematically overvalue and overbuy technology—at least under some conditions. We conclude with a discussion of the opportunities—and risks—these biases pose for managers seeking new ways to encourage consumer adoption of novel products and services.
Recommended Citation
Meyer, R. J., & Zhao, S. (2007). The Psychology of Intuitive Forecasts of New Product Utility. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/marketing_papers/326
Included in
Advertising and Promotion Management Commons, Behavioral Economics Commons, Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Business Intelligence Commons, Marketing Commons, Operations and Supply Chain Management Commons, Sales and Merchandising Commons, Technology and Innovation Commons
Date Posted: 15 June 2018
Comments
This is an unpublished manuscript.