Introduction: Marketing and the Illusion of Choice

The field of marketing has evolved and empowered consumers’ opportunities to have an abundance of products and services for living. The marketing and competitions have allowed free will and autonomy to customers to choose the products, services, and things from a large variety of options. The digital technology has further enabled marketers and consumers to efficiently and effectively create and exchange value with mutually beneficial terms. The AI and data-driven marketing has enabled marketers to understand customer needs and offer customised solutions and customised marketing campaigns. This chapter explores the concepts of customer needs, wants, and autonomy of choice. The chapter discusses the paradox of customer needs and the abundance of choices. The research has shown that market researchers use customer biases to limit customer autonomy and manipulate customer decisions in their favour. The chapter also discusses the need for mindful and conscious consumption and marketing. The second part of this introduction chapter presents the key points from other chapters and the structure of the book and highlighting the key themes and issues that have been explored, analysed, and discussed in this book.