A new lab at Suffolk University is breaking ground in the study of consumer behavior.
Suffolk’s Sawyer Business School has launched its new X-Lab, which the university says is the first human behavior lab in Massachusetts dedicated to advancing academic research in this area and integrating it into a business school curriculum.
The university is working with Boston-based iMotions’ to furnish the on-campus lab with its biosensor technologies, including eye tracking, facial-expression analysis and skin conductance. The technology will help students study the influences, emotions and reasoning that occur in consumers’ non-conscious brains, and how this can be used to improve customer experiences.
“It’s no longer enough for marketers to know what decisions consumers made; they need to understand why those decisions were made — the reasoning, influences and motivations behind behavior that ultimately can unlock greater success,” Peter Hartzbeck, founder and CEO of iMotions, said in a statement. “Sawyer Business School is really putting itself at the forefront by developing a curriculum that provides students with access to the tools, technologies and information that will be central to success in business.”
The X-Lab will be open to students in the STEM-designated master’s in marketing program led by Mujde Yuksel, an associate professor and consumer behavior researcher focusing on digital consumption.
“Great marketing necessitates understanding the human condition on a deeper level, beyond just what people can tell or show you,” Yuksel said in a statement. “With X-Lab, we’re preparing the next generation of marketers and market researchers to look at the driving influences and emotions behind consumer’s decisions and actions. Without those insights, there remains a gap in our understanding for marketers to create meaningful consumer experiences.”
The university said the study of consumer behavior is increasingly placing value on non-conscious, physiological responses, which drive a significant portion of people’s decision making.
Using this new technology, research tools and methodologies, Suffolk students will build their own marketing campaigns and collaborate with local businesses on various marketing initiatives. The X-Lab aims to boost students’ in-classroom learning while also preparing them for the increasingly technical field of marketing post graduation.
