Consumer behaviour: From classroom concepts to real-world impact

Unpack what drives consumers to make choices by connecting behavioural theory and practice in marketing with Prof. Sukriti Sekhri, Assistant Professor of Marketing at SPJIMR.

Elaborating on the course that the marketing major participants take at SPJIMR, Prof. Sekhri shares that the course is designed to span the entirety of what is known from the discipline today, which includes consumer decision making, including various internal (beliefs, attitudes, motivation, personality) and external factors (how one’s family, culture and society impact decisions), heuristics and biases (the mental shortcuts we take without being aware of them), persuasion tactics, behavioural nudges, and tools of influence used by marketers, exploring consumer well-being and ethics, along with some recent trends and developments in the domain of consumer psychology.

Placing consumer behaviour in context outside the textbooks

Consumer behaviour may run the risk of being confined to only theoretical models in a business school. Prof. Sekhri disrupts this by infusing more real-world understanding into her teaching. She observes, “An oft-repeated complaint these days is that participants just can’t be bothered with real learning. They outsource their tasks to AI and put in minimal effort. But I like to believe that this is not the case. The onus of participant learning also lies on us as educators, as facilitators, to create and plan meaningful elements throughout our teaching that enable each participant to push themselves beyond their comfort zone. Because it is only when an experience gives us a little nudge to put ourselves out there that we grow and gain confidence in our own skills!”

Alongside the case study approach, which provides a flavour of what real-world decision-making is like, she invited guest speaker Mr. Prakash Sharma, Co-founder of the Bangalore-based consumer insights consultancy 1001 Stories, to conduct a masterclass on ‘decoding the consumer’. Sharma shared stimulating real-world examples – including a math counting app for children, a milk biscuit brand from rural India, and the psychological expectations from 10-minute delivery apps by consumers across different regions – to illustrate behavioural science applications across multiple products and domains.

In addition, he talked about interesting ideas, including the role of context in consumer psychology, and the ‘what the hell effect’, to show that consumers are prone to biases and inconsistent behaviour. The theoretical concepts being discussed in the course came to life through his talk, and it was gratifying to see the light in the participants’ eyes when they recognised the connection to real-world problems and managerial challenges.

From theory to practice: The #ConsumingBehaviour initiative

To cement concepts of behaviour through experiential learning, Prof. Sekhri gave her participants a unique assignment. Instead of the usual essay writing take-home assignment, she asked the participants to create a 90-second video submission. The participants had to highlight a consumer behaviour theory or concept they learnt about in the course and found fascinating, through a real-world example, bringing out a thought-provoking insight for their audience. The video submission had to be uploaded on the participant’s LinkedIn or other social media platforms (YouTube, WordPress, etc).

Prof. Sekhri shared, “It was heartening to see the participants slowly warming up to the idea of ‘putting themselves out there’, as sitting in front of the camera and making a video, explaining an idea, is not an easy ask! From their initial thought of the concept and example they wanted to explore, to conducting the necessary research, learning more about the theories they were studying in class, and examining their real-world applicability, the participants deeply engaged with their chosen topics as they crafted their videos and uploaded them online. You can search #ConsumingBehaviour–which is what we are calling this series—and see the posts of the class on various theories.”

PGPM participant Kumarjit Chakraborty’s LinkedIn post on the assignment illustrates how, with the right encouragement, participants push their boundaries and participate actively. Kumarjit comments:

“Cognitive dissonance theory, a concept introduced by psychologist Leon Festinger, describes that uncomfortable feeling when our actions don’t match our beliefs. Post-purchase dissonance is a classic example, like the guilt we sometimes feel after indulging in snacks that don’t fit our health goals. Think about craving ice cream, but then feeling guilty about the sugar. Or buying a cheap snack loaded with artificial ingredients, and regretting it afterwards?…. Honestly, I did fumble a few times in the video, but I promised myself to do this in one go! Special thanks to my Prof. Sukriti Sekhri, for teaching this brilliant concept.”

PGPM participant Shubham Kumar’s LinkedIn post on the assignment showcases how curiosity and classroom concepts turn into powerful insights. Shubham shares:

“When I joined SPJIMR, I had little idea about the depth and psychology that goes into marketing. Over time, I realised that companies don’t just sell products — they sell ideas, identities, and aspirations. One of the most eye-opening concepts for me has been Self-Congruity Theory — the idea that consumers choose brands that align with their own self-image or the self they aspire to be. I even created a short YouTube video to explain this in a simple, relatable way.”

In total, there were 42 unique ideas where the participants’ explored theories such as the idea of self-concept and ideal self, persuasion principles, consumer decision process model, cognitive dissonance theory, social proof theory, culture and subculture, elaboration likelihood model, loss aversion, attitude theory, self-congruity theory, attitude behaviour gap, social comparison theory, paradox of choice, and nudge marketing; to name a few.

Each participant explained their selected theory through interesting examples like how product placement works, how we are choosing between healthy snack options, presented case studies of CRED, Spotify, Sula, ChatGPT and its conditioning, Zepto’s user generated content ‘billboard’ campaign; looked at dupe culture, overconsumption, l makeup purchases, Netflix content fatigue, and even how the hook model could be applied to an offline context.

“Each participant positioned themselves as an expert and explained a consumer behaviour concept in a simplified manner. Creativity was encouraged, and many individuals used short skits, humour, and fun music to stand out”, explained Prof. Sekhri. “The fact that their output then had to be uploaded on a professional platform helped to ‘up the stakes’ on quality. I feel very happy to see that each of the 42 posts has garnered appreciation and engagement from the LinkedIn community, with peers and professionals sharing their views on the shared topic – the class’s hard work is visible!”

Type #ConsumingBehaviour to view the PGPM marketing cohorts’ assignment on LinkedIn, and make sure to share your thoughts and feedback with the participants!

Insights from peer learning with group assignments

Prof. Sekhri noted that while the #ConsumingBehaviour series was an individual project, the course also has a group assignment component, in which each group of participants are in the role of consumer behaviour consultants for a brand problem or a behaviour change issue of their choosing. The group would then have to come up with three key initiatives that they suggest the brand should undertake to resolve their problem (eg, a positioning refresh, or marketing to a new target audience) or to tackle the behaviour change issue (eg, social initiatives, changing consumption trends).

Participant Pragya Priyou shared her experience of the course:

“What made Prof. Sukriti’s Consumer Behaviour course stand out for the PGPM cohort was how she constantly went the extra mile to make learning exciting and relevant. The LinkedIn post assignment, where we had to apply a consumer behaviour theory or framework to a real-world example, really brought the subject alive. It pushed us to get creative, think like marketers, and share our insights with the outside world.

The in-class activities were just as impactful. They trained us to pick up on subtle consumer behavioural cues and start seeing everyday life through a marketing lens. By the end of the course, we weren’t just learning marketing; rather, we were speaking marketing.

Her pedagogy struck a rare balance between theory and creativity, and that is what made the course not just memorable, but transformational for us.”

Modern marketing requires more than demographic targeting and product positioning. It demands a deep understanding of how people think, feel, and behave. Prof. Sekhri’s classroom strategies, research, and field observations demonstrate that when marketers view consumers through a behavioural lens, they gain access to insights that drive not only better long-term results for brands, but also more human-centred brand building.

Reflections like these highlight how SPJIMR’s PGPM classroom goes beyond theory, encouraging participants to explore concepts deeply and apply them in creative, practical ways.