Harnessing Customers - How to Increase Impulse Shopping in Supermarkets

"In this work, Zeeshan sets out to study the herding effect in supermarket and retail-store settings and the effect of technology to herding. He explores the possibility that an alternative sales model can be used to influence customer impulse purchasing while providing a valuable service to the customers themselves. Customers get to know about the shopping activities of others (in real time) and respond to these activities. Far from being the answer to all questions in the field, this work provides us with just some of the answers but, more importantly, it naturally opens our eyes to the possibilities that the herding theory can offer."

-Ronaldo Menezes

Associate Professor of Computer Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology

"Mr. Usmani's "swarm-moves" model appeals to supermarkets because it increases sales without the need to give people discounts. And it gives shoppers the satisfaction of knowing that they bought the "right" product-that is, the one everyone else bought."

-The Economist

"By calling attention to the interactions between consumers, this work suggests many new, fascinating research questions."

-Matthew J. Salganik

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Princeton University