Recommended Readings

Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture
Ellen Ruppel Shell

Shell, Editor and Correspondent for The Atlantic, explains how the discount culture in America has a variety of negative effects, to which many people are blind. While the premise of big box retailers and discount stores – to provide products to the masses at affordable prices – seems to be for the greater good, Shell argues cheap goods take a toll on wages and accessibility in the market place. Ultimately consumption of cheap goods lowers quality of life for the people they intend to help. In addition to a history of the major developments in retail, Shell explores how psychological tactics are used to exploit consumer behavior and lead people towards impulse decisions.  Comments, such as “I would drive an extra mile to save a few pennies a gallon on gasoline but wouldn’t dream of driving any distance to retrieve a fallen quarter from the sidewalk,” invite the reader to think more carefully about their daily choices.

Cheap provided us with a foundation for our thesis and has been an inspiration to our project. It is our intent to build off of her research to provide support for consumers to make better-informed decisions.

Conquering Consumerspace: Marketing Strategies for a Branded World
Michael R. Solomon

In an age of online forums, social media and increased significance in the social meaning of products, businesses are constantly looking for new ways to connect with their users and one-up the competition. Conquering Consumerspace provides insight into how the world of marketing has changed from a discipline centered on top-down hard-pitched sales to one where consumers help spread the word. Solomon, Marketing Professor and Director of Center for Consumer Research at Saint Joseph’s University, points out that consumers trust their peers’ opinions. In an internet-based world, he argues businesses that work with consumers to develop their brand will be most successful. Additionally, Solomon analyzes the relationship between consumer and product and how the meanings associated with goods influence purchasing decisions.

We have had the pleasure to meet with Dr. Solomon to expand on these topics and how they could apply to our project. His expertise will be most beneficial when we begin our prototype phase. While we are advocates of co-design ourselves, we plan to use suggestions outlined by Dr. Solomon to further understand and connect with consumers.