Consumer Psychologists You Need To Know (2024)

Why do people buy things? Understanding customer behaviour plays a pivotal role in brand growth and revenue. Customer experience is at the heart of every business strategy, and due to the dynamic nature of customer behaviour, insights of a consumer psychologist are now vital. From retail and tech giants to every small and medium-sized enterprises […]

Why do people buy things? Understanding customer behaviour plays a pivotal role in brand growth and revenue. Customer experience is at the heart of every business strategy, and due to the dynamic nature of customer behaviour, insights of a consumer psychologist are now vital. From retail and tech giants to every small and medium-sized enterprises (SMBs) looking to race ahead with high conversion rates, consumer psychologist consultations are in high demand. Here is our pick of the Top 10 consumer psychologists.

Adam Ferrier

With a clinical psychology degree, Adam Ferrier worked in maximum-security prisons before entering the business industry. When he joined Saatchi & Saatchi as a strategic planner, he invested in a psychological board game, The Analyst. In 2004, he co-founded the award-winning company Naked Communications, APAC. After selling Naked, launched creative PR agency Thinkerbell. Ferrier has authored two books, The Advertising Effect: How to change behaviour​ in 2015, and Stop Listening to The Customer in 2020. He is also a regular panellist on TV shows such as The Project, Your Money and Sunrise.

Bart Schutz

With a data-driven and evidence-everything approach, Bart Schutz has been the Chief Inspirational Officer of Online Dialogue for 12 years. The Tilbert University graduate assists companies with customer intelligence and helps with digital, psychological experiments. Schutz is a member of the Advisory board at Team CRO, and a member of the Task Force Internet and Psychology, European Federation of the Psychologists’ Association (EFPA). Specialising in how to influence online consumer behaviour, Schutz also created Wheel of Persuasion that offers courses, tactics, and training for customer persuasion.

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Brent co*ker

As a culmination of a seven-year study on consumer psychology and a decade studying Viral Marketing, Brent co*ker authored the WH Smith Heathrow winning book Going Viral. In 2012, he invented the first web application that could detect website dissatisfaction. A lecturer at the University of Melbourne, many of his research studies have been published in scientific journals, including Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and Journal of Economic Psychology. He is also the content producer of a Masterclass series Virology that explains the science behind word-of-mouth and the psychology of consumer engagement.

Dr Cathrine Jansson-Boyd

A Reader at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, Dr Cathrine Jansson-Boyd is particularly interested in the role of touch in product evaluation and tactile aesthetics and multi-sensory perception. She has published two books: Consumer Psychology and Consumption Matters: A Psychological Perspective. Jansson-Boyd is also the co-editor of the International Handbook of Consumer Psychology. She has worked with a number of organisations such as Disney, Unilever, and Coutts retail communications. She has also held academic positions at the London Metropolitan University and London School of Economics.

Dr Dimitrios Tsivrikos

Specialising in consumer branding, and occupational psychology, Dr Dimitrios Tsivrikos is an academic at University College London (UCL). He has held several international research fellowships and is a published writer on psychology and business oriented subjects. An avid commentator on consumer psychology, he is a frequent guest on the BBC, and has been a consultant for several global organisations including Volvo, Samsung, Goldman Sachs, and Salesforce. Tsivrikos and his PhD student co-led a research hub that won the Gold Green Impact Award for excellence in understanding people’s eco-friendly choices.

Gareth Harvey

With an MBA and a PhD in consumer psychology, Gareth Harvey has been a lecturer of consumer psychology at HEG, Bangor University, and Glyndwr University. A Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol), Harvey is a member of the Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists as well. Specialising in how environmental cues, such as lighting, music and aromas influence shoppers, he has helped design many supermarket store layouts around Europe. In the business industry, Gareth has designed psychology- inspired marketing strategies for companies such as Procter and Gamble, Unilever, and Mondelez.

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Kate Nightingale (aka Kasia Slowikowska)

A consumer psychology lecturer at Regent’s University, ELLE Education, and London College of Fashion, Kate Nightingale is also the Chief Behavioural Officer at Adaptista. She founded Style Psychology Ltd, a human experience consultancy. The human brands expert works across brand strategy, insight, customer experience, retail design, and innovation. For instance, Nightingale has worked with Swarovski on their new store concept introduced in Europe and advised retailer Dowsing & Reynolds. A keynote speaker, she has delivered workshops for Desigual, Natwest, NPD Group and Disney.

Kit Yarrow

A recognised authority on the psychology of consumers, Kit Yarrow is the author of the bestseller Decoding the New Consumer Mind, and the co-author of Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings are Revolutionising Retail. A Money magazine contributor, Yarrow’s unique ability to apply clinical psychology to business issues has won her four endowed research professorships and recognition as the 2012 Outstanding Scholar of Golden Gate University. She has taught consumer behaviour at universities worldwide — from The Helsinki School of Economics to UC Berkeley.

Patrick fa*gan

Patrick fa*gan has authored a book on the psychology of effective communication, Hooked, and has also co-authored papers on various subjects like facial expressions. A part-time marketing lecturer of consumer behaviours and psychology at multiple universities in London, fa*gan is a consumer psychology consultant for brands such as eBay, Vodafone, and Trainline. fa*gan was also the lead psychologist at Cambridge Analytica until the company went into administration. He co-founded Capuchin Behavioural Science that offers strategies to complement existing brand capabilities for better commercial results.

Dr Rachel Lawes

One of the founders of semiotics in the UK, Rachel Lawes is the author of a definitive how-to guide, Using Semiotics in Marketing. A regular conference speaker, she has convened the MRS Advanced Qualitative Methods course for more than ten years. She is the author of some of the most well-known methods papers and case studies in semiotics, including Demystifying Semiotics, Futurology Through Semiotics, and Rebranding Charmin. Putting her academic prowess to use, Lawes established Lawes Consultancy Ltd to help brands rejuvenate with innovative products and services.