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    • Consumer Behavior

    Consumer Behavior Courses Online

    Explore consumer behavior principles for understanding purchasing decisions. Learn about psychological, social, and cultural factors influencing consumer behavior.

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    Explore the Consumer Behavior Course Catalog

    • Status: New
      New
      I

      Illinois Tech

      Business Management Essentials

      Skills you'll gain: Process Improvement, Process Management, Global Marketing, Business Process, Business Process Management, Financial Statement Analysis, Process Analysis, Financial Statements, Brand Management, Leadership and Management, Financial Analysis, Marketing, Team Leadership, Strategic Marketing, Organizational Change, Decision Making, Cultural Diversity, Branding, Inventory Accounting, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)

      Build toward a degree

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      252 reviews

      Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • Status: Free
      Free
      T

      The University of Tokyo

      Words Spun Out of Images: Visual and Literary Culture in Nineteenth Century Japan

      Skills you'll gain: Photography, Art History, Culture, Aesthetics, Cultural Diversity, Writing

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      761 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • U

      University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

      Global Challenges in Business

      Skills you'll gain: Global Marketing, Virtual Teams, Diversity Marketing, Cultural Sensitivity, Cultural Diversity, Intercultural Competence, Consumer Behaviour, Business Strategy, Diversity and Inclusion, Marketing Planning, Culture, Team Management, Marketing, Strategic Marketing, International Relations, Advertising, Negotiation, Leadership and Management, Diversity Awareness, Strategic Decision-Making

      Build toward a degree

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      504 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • C

      CVS Health

      Interacting with Customers

      Skills you'll gain: De-escalation Techniques, Greeting Customers, Cross Selling, Retail Sales, Customer Service, Upselling, Conflict Management, Product Knowledge, Retail Store Operations, Customer Relationship Building, Transaction Processing, Customer Engagement, Professionalism, Company, Product, and Service Knowledge, Empathy, Verbal Communication Skills, Social Media

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      61 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free
      Free
      U

      University of Pennsylvania

      Microeconomics: When Markets Fail

      Skills you'll gain: Market Dynamics, Economics, Socioeconomics, Supply And Demand, Market Analysis, Market Share, Competitive Analysis, Public Policies, Policty Analysis, Research, and Development, Consumer Behaviour

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      650 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • I

      Institute for the Future

      Ready, Set, Future! Introduction to Futures Thinking

      Skills you'll gain: Forecasting, Innovation, Proactivity, Strategic Thinking, Creative Thinking, Optimism, Systems Thinking, Cognitive flexibility, Trend Analysis, Professional Development, Adaptability, Analysis

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      1.3K reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free
      Free
      S

      Stanford University

      Game Theory II: Advanced Applications

      Skills you'll gain: Game Theory, Bidding, Social Sciences, Resource Allocation, Political Sciences, Economics, Behavioral Economics, Mathematical Theory & Analysis, Probability & Statistics

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      641 reviews

      Advanced · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • E

      Emory University

      Meaningful Marketing Insights

      Skills you'll gain: Pivot Tables And Charts, Marketing Analytics, Descriptive Statistics, Microsoft Excel, Customer Insights, Regression Analysis, Data Analysis, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Marketing, Marketing Effectiveness, Exploratory Data Analysis, Consumer Behaviour, Statistical Analysis, Data Manipulation

      4.3
      Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
      ·
      284 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

      Digital Media and Marketing Principles

      Skills you'll gain: Online Advertising, Digital Media Strategy, Digital Advertising, Digital Marketing, Marketing Communications, Marketing Strategies, Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications, Electronic Media, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Media Planning, Mobile Banking, Communication, Emerging Technologies, Branding, Consumer Behaviour, Personalized Service

      Build toward a degree

      4.4
      Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
      ·
      2.9K reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • U

      University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

      Global Impact: Multiculturalism

      Skills you'll gain: Diversity Marketing, Cultural Diversity, Consumer Behaviour, Cultural Sensitivity, Global Marketing, Diversity and Inclusion, Marketing, Advertising, Advertising Campaigns, Team Leadership, Target Market, Marketing Communications, Language Interpretation, Translation, and Studies, Marketing Strategies

      Build toward a degree

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      6 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • L

      Lund University

      Cities and Consumption: Urban Sustainability and the Sharing Economy

      Skills you'll gain: Community Development, Governance, Economics, Policy, and Social Studies, Sustainability Reporting, Public Policies, Environment and Resource Management, Multimedia, Innovation, Stakeholder Engagement, Analysis

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      169 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of London

      Business and Marketing Strategies

      Skills you'll gain: Operations Management, Process Design, Operational Excellence, Business Operations, Marketing Planning, Strategic Marketing, Manufacturing Operations, Marketing Strategy and Techniques, Process Mapping, Consumer Behaviour, Competitive Analysis, Marketing, Business Ethics, Marketing Psychology, Global Marketing, Social Sciences, International Relations, Culture, Business Management, Marketing Analytics

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      347 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

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    In summary, here are 10 of our most popular consumer behavior courses

    • Business Management Essentials: Illinois Tech
    • Words Spun Out of Images: Visual and Literary Culture in Nineteenth Century Japan: The University of Tokyo
    • Global Challenges in Business: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    • Interacting with Customers: CVS Health
    • Microeconomics: When Markets Fail: University of Pennsylvania
    • Ready, Set, Future! Introduction to Futures Thinking: Institute for the Future
    • Game Theory II: Advanced Applications: Stanford University
    • Meaningful Marketing Insights: Emory University
    • Digital Media and Marketing Principles: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    • Global Impact: Multiculturalism: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

    Skills you can learn in Marketing

    Market (economics) (28)
    Social Media (15)
    Marketing Strategy (14)
    Analytics (13)
    Brand (13)
    Digital Marketing (13)
    Marketing Analytics (11)
    Plan (11)
    Advertising (9)
    Modeling (9)
    Social Media Marketing (9)
    Brand Management (7)

    Frequently Asked Questions about Consumer Behavior

    In marketing, consumer behavior is the study of how - and why - individuals and groups make purchasing decisions. These are the fundamental questions of the field of market research, as these important insights can drive business decisions into what products and services to sell as well as the best ways to sell them. And, while these questions aren’t new, researchers today have new tools to gain valuable insights into consumer behavior.

    The migration of so much of our buying behavior to online platforms, from product research to comparison shopping to purchase and post-purchase reviewing, has created vast amounts of information for data analysis. Sophisticated customer analytics can harness this data to describe consumer shopping habits in great detail - and, when combined with regression analysis and other statistical techniques, predictive analytics can be created to forecast and influence future purchasing decisions.

    The field of behavioral economics has also revolutionized the study of consumer behavior. This relatively new discipline combines economics with psychological insights into cognitive biases to better understand economic behaviors ranging from the decisions of individuals to global investment patterns. The emerging subfield of consumer neuroscience focuses on explaining buying behavior, creating opportunities for so-called neuromarketing approaches that leverage these insights to create more effective branding and advertising.‎

    The study of consumer behavior is the principal concern of market research analysts, who are responsible for understanding what products people want, who will buy them at what price, and what type of marketing strategy can reach them most effectively. While traditional market research approaches have relied heavily on consumer focus groups and surveys, the new world of marketing analytics is increasingly demanding a strong understanding of digital marketing tools and data analysis techniques as well.

    According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, market research analysts made a median annual salary of $63,790 as of 2019. These jobs are projected to grow much faster than the average across all occupations, as more and more industries and companies seek to gain a competitive edge by using data-driven market research approaches to better understand consumer behavior.‎

    Yes, you can. Coursera offers a number of courses and Specializations on consumer behavior and related topics, including cutting-edge customer analytics and neuromarketing approaches. These courses are offered by top-ranked business schools from all over the world, including the University of Pennsylvania, Copenhagen Business School, and IE Business School. By learning online with Coursera, you can get a high-quality education remotely at a significantly lower cost than on-campus students - a combination that makes for an easy purchasing decision for a growing number of students as well as mid-career professionals.‎

    The skills or experience you may need to already have before starting to learn consumer behavior include having a basic understanding of marketing strategies, the ability to grasp basic supply and demand concepts, and some knowledge about data analytics (consumer browsing and buying patterns, for example). You may also want to know a bit about how to develop spreadsheet modules to analyze data, evaluate risk, and optimize business decisions.‎

    The kind of person who is best suited to learn consumer behavior is one who is interested in understanding, analyzing, and dissecting customer browsing and buying patterns to use for business purposes. A person who may benefit from learning consumer behavior is interested in what psychologists call “heuristics,” which are the mental shortcuts we take to make the choices we do daily. Someone who would be best suited to learn consumer behavior may want to research, extract, organize, and describe data to support business decisions, product launches, and product sales. In addition, the type of person who may be well suited to learn consumer behavior is interested in the emerging fields of consumer neuroscience and neuromarketing and how it is used in businesses. A person who works, or plans to work in a corporate setting, or who plans to be an entrepreneur or product designer may be well suited to learn about consumer behavior and what makes consumers tick.‎

    Learning consumer behavior may be right for you if you want to continue on a career path in sales, if you want to understand the consumer decision-making process, or if you need to make managerial decisions by analyzing how consumers make choices. If you need to develop product marketing strategies such as viral marketing, develop a brand’s visual identity and benefits to customers, or learn to derive customer insights from sets of data, learning about consumer behavior may be right for you. In addition, if you would like to work in a global setting where you explore international markets and industries for new ideas or expansion, learning about consumer behavior may be beneficial for you.‎

    Online Consumer Behavior courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Consumer Behavior skills. Choose from a wide range of Consumer Behavior courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.‎

    When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Consumer Behavior, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here.‎

    This FAQ content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

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