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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: 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, Negotiation, Mathematical Theory & Analysis, Probability & Statistics

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      641 reviews

      Advanced · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • 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
      ·
      649 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • J

      Johns Hopkins University

      Diagnosing Health Behaviors for Global Health Programs

      Skills you'll gain: Behavioral Health, Mental and Behavioral Health, Cultural Sensitivity, Public Health, Health Policy, Sociology, Community Health, Social Sciences, Program Evaluation, Learning Theory

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      93 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • A

      American Psychological Association

      Disorders Due to Substance Use and Addictive Behaviors

      Skills you'll gain: Mental and Behavioral Health, Mental Health Diseases and Disorders, Psychiatry, Behavioral Health, Clinical Psychology, Epidemiology, Pharmacology, Neurology, Demography, Mental Health, Psychotherapy, Psychology, Cultural Diversity

      4.9
      Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
      ·
      43 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free
      Free
      C

      Coursera Instructor Network

      Digital Marketing Trends

      Skills you'll gain: Digital Advertising, Campaign Management, Brand Management, Marketing Strategies, Brand Awareness, Digital Media Strategy, MarTech, Customer Engagement, Social Media Marketing, Marketing, Digital Marketing, Consumer Behaviour, Content Creation, Market Trend, Social Media Management

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      79 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • A

      Amazon Ads

      Foundations of Retail Media

      Skills you'll gain: Digital Advertising, Online Advertising, Campaign Management, Paid media, Advertising, Advertising Campaigns, Brand Loyalty, Digital Marketing, Retail Sales, Promotional Strategies, Brand Awareness, Bidding, Performance Analysis, Target Audience

      4.9
      Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
      ·
      10 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      Introduction to Public Relations and the Media

      Skills you'll gain: Press Releases, Strategic Communication, Media Relations, Public Relations, Marketing and Public Relations, Crisis Management, Corporate Communications, Marketing Communications, Communication Strategies, Corporate Sustainability, Brand Strategy, Branding, Brand Management, Storytelling, Business Ethics, Social Media, Persuasive Communication, Professional Networking, Writing, Research

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      662 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • L

      Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)

      Advanced Competitive Strategy

      Skills you'll gain: Mergers & Acquisitions, Customer Retention, Business Strategy, Growth Strategies, Compliance Management, Competitive Analysis, Strategic Partnership, Product Strategy, New Business Development, Market Dynamics, Market Analysis

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      871 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of Colorado System

      Providing Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Special Education Services in School

      Skills you'll gain: Individualized Education Programs (IEP), Special Education, School Psychology, School Counseling, Student Support and Services, Social and Human Services, Mental Health, Preventative Care, Behavior Management, Positive Behavior Support, Mental and Behavioral Health, Crisis Intervention, Trauma Care, Data Collection

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      873 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • E

      ESSEC Business School

      The Fundamentals of Revenue Management: The Cornerstone of Revenue Strategy

      Skills you'll gain: Revenue Management, Forecasting, Budgeting, Hospitality, Financial Forecasting, Hotel Operations, Strategic Marketing, Target Market, Market Dynamics, Consumer Behaviour, Competitive Analysis, Data-Driven Decision-Making

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      1.1K reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • U

      University of Michigan

      High Stakes Leadership: Leading in Times of Crisis

      Skills you'll gain: Crisis Management, Leadership, Strategic Communication, Resilience, Stakeholder Management, Business Continuity, Organizational Change, Dealing With Ambiguity, Proactivity, Communication Strategies, Business Risk Management, Adaptability, Decision Making

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      439 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      The Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

      Skills you'll gain: Self-Awareness, Personal Development, Program Evaluation, School Psychology, Empowerment, Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness, Teaching, Social Justice, Social Skills, Adult Education, Behavior Management, Childhood Education and Development, Advocacy, Higher Education, Cultural Responsiveness, Education and Training, Diversity Equity and Inclusion Initiatives, Curriculum Planning, Empathy

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      894 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

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

    • Game Theory II: Advanced Applications: Stanford University
    • Microeconomics: When Markets Fail: University of Pennsylvania
    • Diagnosing Health Behaviors for Global Health Programs: Johns Hopkins University
    • Disorders Due to Substance Use and Addictive Behaviors: American Psychological Association
    • Digital Marketing Trends: Coursera Instructor Network
    • Foundations of Retail Media: Amazon Ads
    • Introduction to Public Relations and the Media: University of Colorado Boulder
    • Advanced Competitive Strategy: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
    • Providing Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Special Education Services in School: University of Colorado System
    • The Fundamentals of Revenue Management: The Cornerstone of Revenue Strategy: ESSEC Business School

    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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