IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v198y2025ics0148296325003157.html

From i-level to g-level to s-level change: New methods for a new mindset for consumer researchers

Author

Listed:
  • Grinstein, Amir
  • Bolderdijk, Jan Willem
  • Risselada, Hans

Abstract

To expedite urgently needed system-level changes, as consumer researchers, we need to better understand how individual-level interventions affect the likelihood of group-level changes over time, which ultimately can lead to system-level, societal changes. To help this mindset shift, we offer a conceptual framework, based on complexity theory, to guide this shift by focusing on the study of (1) consumers as elements in a wider system, (2) consumers as active agents of change, while also (3) accounting for the feedback loops among stakeholders in the system over time. We introduce two methods that can be applied by consumer researchers in the context of group-level change and be integrated into experimental work: coordination games and agent-based modeling. These methods can complement qualitative and conceptual consumer research that started to address the need in group- and system-level change by adding a quantitative approach and presenting ways in which experimental work can be applied.

Suggested Citation

  • Grinstein, Amir & Bolderdijk, Jan Willem & Risselada, Hans, 2025. "From i-level to g-level to s-level change: New methods for a new mindset for consumer researchers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:198:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325003157
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115492
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296325003157
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115492?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Žan Mlakar & Jan Willem Bolderdijk & Hans Risselada & Bob M. Fennis & Mengbin Ye & Lorenzo Zino & Ming Cao, 2024. "Social Tipping Games: Experimental Paradigms for Studying Consumer Movements," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 9(4), pages 427-440.
    2. Rand, William & Rust, Roland T., 2011. "Agent-based modeling in marketing: Guidelines for rigor," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 181-193.
    3. William Rand & Roland T. Rust & Min Kim, 2018. "Complex systems: marketing’s new frontier," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 8(3), pages 111-127, December.
    4. Simon J Blanchard & Jacob Goldenberg & Koen Pauwels & David A Schweidel, 2022. "Promoting Data Richness in Consumer Research: How to Develop and Evaluate Articles with Multiple Data Sources [The Critical Role of Methodological Pluralism for Policy-Relevant Empirical Marketing Research]," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 49(2), pages 359-372.
    5. Bryan Bollinger & Kenneth Gillingham & A. Justin Kirkpatrick & Steven Sexton, 2022. "Visibility and Peer Influence in Durable Good Adoption," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 41(3), pages 453-476, May.
    6. Ike Silver & Deborah A. Small, 2024. "Put Your Mouth Where Your Money Is: A Field Experiment Encouraging Donors to Share About Charity," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 43(2), pages 392-406, March.
    7. Mengbin Ye & Lorenzo Zino & Žan Mlakar & Jan Willem Bolderdijk & Hans Risselada & Bob M. Fennis & Ming Cao, 2021. "Collective patterns of social diffusion are shaped by individual inertia and trend-seeking," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, December.
    8. Karen Page Winterich & Rebecca Walker Reczek & Tamar Makov, 2024. "How lack of knowledge on emissions and psychological biases deter consumers from taking effective action to mitigate climate change," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 52(5), pages 1475-1494, October.
    9. James Andreoni & Nikos Nikiforakis & Simon Siegenthaler, 2021. "Predicting social tipping and norm change in controlled experiments," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 118(16), pages 2014893118-, April.
    10. Michael Hallsworth, 2023. "A manifesto for applying behavioural science," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 7(3), pages 310-322, March.
    11. Damon M. Centola, 2013. "Homophily, networks, and critical mass: Solving the start-up problem in large group collective action," Rationality and Society, , vol. 25(1), pages 3-40, February.
    12. Hongbin Cai & Yuyu Chen & Hanming Fang, 2009. "Observational Learning: Evidence from a Randomized Natural Field Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 99(3), pages 864-882, June.
    13. Kristian S. Nielsen & Kimberly A. Nicholas & Felix Creutzig & Thomas Dietz & Paul C. Stern, 2021. "The role of high-socioeconomic-status people in locking in or rapidly reducing energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 6(11), pages 1011-1016, November.
    14. Stephen L. Vargo & Linda Peters & Hans Kjellberg & Kaisa Koskela-Huotari & Suvi Nenonen & Francesco Polese & Debora Sarno & Claudia Vaughan, 2023. "Emergence in marketing: an institutional and ecosystem framework," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 2-22, January.
    15. Jacy Reese, 2020. "Institutional change and the limitations of consumer activism," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(1), pages 1-8, December.
    16. Johanna F Gollnhofer & Henri A Weijo & John W Schouten & Eileen FischerEditor & Linda L PriceEditor & Güliz GerAssociate Editor, 2019. "Consumer Movements and Value Regimes: Fighting Food Waste in Germany by Building Alternative Object Pathways," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 46(3), pages 460-482.
    17. Markus Giesler & Ela Veresiu, 2014. "Creating the Responsible Consumer: Moralistic Governance Regimes and Consumer Subjectivity," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(3), pages 840-857.
    18. Noah J. Goldstein & Robert B. Cialdini & Vladas Griskevicius, 2008. "A Room with a Viewpoint: Using Social Norms to Motivate Environmental Conservation in Hotels," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 35(3), pages 472-482, March.
    19. Huber, Joel & Viscusi, W. Kip & Bell, Jason, 2020. "Dynamic relationships between social norms and pro-environmental behavior: evidence from household recycling," Behavioural Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(1), pages 1-25, March.
    20. Sönke Ehret & Sara M. Constantino & Elke U. Weber & Charles Efferson & Sonja Vogt, 2022. "Group identities can undermine social tipping after intervention," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(12), pages 1669-1679, December.
    21. Mina Ameri & Elisabeth Honka & Ying Xie, 2019. "Word of Mouth, Observed Adoptions, and Anime-Watching Decisions: The Role of the Personal vs. the Community Network," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 38(4), pages 567-583, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fanny Reniou & Elisa Monnot, 2023. "Consumer Discipline: A Safeguard to Maintain Sustainable Consumption Patterns," Thema Working Papers 2023-19, THEMA (Théorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), CY Cergy-Paris University, ESSEC and CNRS.
    2. Rhys Murrian & Paul A. Raschky & Klaus Ackermann, 2024. "Friends, Key Players and the Adoption and Use of Experience Goods," Monash Economics Working Papers 2024-17, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    3. Wang, Le & Luo, Xin (Robert) & Li, Han, 2022. "Envy or conformity? An empirical investigation of peer influence on the purchase of non-functional items in mobile free-to-play games," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 308-324.
    4. Syed Sibghatullah Shah & Zahid Asghar, 2024. "Individual attitudes towards environmentally friendly choices: a comprehensive analysis of the role of legal rules, religion, and confidence in government," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 14(4), pages 629-651, December.
    5. Varman, Rohit & Carrington, Michal & Chatzidakis, Andreas & Shaw, Deirdre, 2025. "Frames of consumer mobilization and modern slavery," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 768-787.
    6. Ghiassaleh, Arezou & Kocher, Bruno & Czellar, Sandor, 2020. "Best seller!? Unintended negative consequences of popularity signs on consumer choice behavior," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 805-820.
    7. Carattini, Stefano & Gillingham, Kenneth & Meng, Xiangyu & Yoeli, Erez, 2024. "Peer-to-peer solar and social rewards: Evidence from a field experiment," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 340-370.
    8. Karen Page Winterich & Rebecca Walker Reczek & Tamar Makov, 2024. "How lack of knowledge on emissions and psychological biases deter consumers from taking effective action to mitigate climate change," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 52(5), pages 1475-1494, October.
    9. Bonan, Jacopo & Battiston, Pietro & Bleck, Jaimie & LeMay-Boucher, Philippe & Pareglio, Stefano & Sarr, Bassirou & Tavoni, Massimo, 2021. "Social interaction and technology adoption: Experimental evidence from improved cookstoves in Mali," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    10. Nejad, Mohammad G. & Amini, Mehdi & Babakus, Emin, 2015. "Success Factors in Product Seeding: The Role of Homophily," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 68-88.
    11. Lucas Coffman & Clayton R. Featherstone & Judd B. Kessler, 2024. "A Model of Information Nudges," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 1077, Boston College Department of Economics.
    12. Lembregts, Christophe & Cadario, Romain, 2024. "Consumer-Driven Climate Mitigation: Exploring Barriers and Solutions in Studying Higher Mitigation Potential Behaviors," OSF Preprints ywus6, Center for Open Science.
    13. Rust, Roland T., 2020. "The future of marketing," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 15-26.
    14. Robin Bankel & Cecilia Solér, 2025. "Beyond governmentality: Towards a critical political economy perspective on responsible consumption," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 15(3), pages 435-453, December.
    15. Hans Jaich & Sarah Margaretha Jastram & Knut Blind, 2023. "Spillover of Social Norms at Work On Employees’ Self-Reported Private Sphere Pro-Environmental Behaviour: A Mixed Method Investigation," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 75(4), pages 519-547, December.
    16. Bing Han & David Hirshleifer & Johan Walden, 2023. "Visibility Bias in the Transmission of Consumption Beliefs and Undersaving," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 78(3), pages 1647-1704, June.
    17. Edward Bishop Smith & William Rand, 2018. "Simulating Macro-Level Effects from Micro-Level Observations," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(11), pages 5405-5421, November.
    18. Lilac Nachum & Stephan Manning & Sankar Sen, 2025. "Consumers as regulators of global value chains’ conduct? A consumer-inclusive framework of change," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(2), pages 172-193, June.
    19. Rasooly, Itzhak & Rozzi, Roberto, 2024. "Masks, cameras and social pressure," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    20. Carattini, Stefano & Blasch, Julia, 2024. "Nudging when the descriptive norm is low: Evidence from a carbon offsetting field experiment," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 110(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:198:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325003157. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.