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Utpal Dholakia Ph.D.

About

Utpal Dholakia is a professor of marketing and holds the George R. Brown Chair of Marketing at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He teaches pricing strategies and customer experience management to MBA students and conducts research on consumer welfare, digital marketing, and marketing strategy. He provides consulting and expert witness services to law firms, and financial services, technology, healthcare, and energy companies. Utpal’s popular blog on Psychology Today is called The Science Behind Behavior. You can learn more about him and his work and connect with him at utpaldholakia.com.

Books by Utpal Dholakia Ph.D.
Recent Posts
How Transparency Can Harm Consumers
Despite the idealistic view that more transparency is better, consumer disclosure can lead to exploitation. Contrarily, disclosures made strategically can mislead others.
The Psychology of Withholding Prices

Withholding prices can serve four distinct purposes, from increasing the customer's commitment to signaling exclusivity and guiding choice.

Withholding prices can serve four distinct purposes, from increasing the customer's commitment to signaling exclusivity and guiding choice.

Two Challenges With Quantifying Virtuous Consumer Behavior

Choosing the right measures to capture the consumer's gain and finding an appropriate comparison baseline are both significant issues when trying to measure virtuous consumer behavior.

Choosing the right measures to capture the consumer's gain and finding an appropriate comparison baseline are both significant issues when trying to measure virtuous consumer behavior.

8 Psychological Affordances of Price

Price has the ability to produce a range of specific effects on the consumer. They are predictable, influential, and actionable.

Price has the ability to produce a range of specific effects on the consumer. They are predictable, influential, and actionable.

Why Customers Hate Participating in Surveys

Customers want to give feedback but feel companies don’t care about their opinion. The trust and empathy gaps have created a vicious cycle, devaluing survey-based research.

Customers want to give feedback but feel companies don’t care about their opinion. The trust and empathy gaps have created a vicious cycle, devaluing survey-based research.

Why Does a Hermes Birkin Handbag Cost $40,000?

Its iconic status, sustained and carefully managed rarity and exclusivity, and consistent economic appreciation drive the price.

Its iconic status, sustained and carefully managed rarity and exclusivity, and consistent economic appreciation drive the price.

The Ethical Quandary of Default Opt-Ins

Manipulating people’s choices should raise concerns about boundaries, bias, and power, as well as a need to consider the ethical ramifications carefully.

Manipulating people’s choices should raise concerns about boundaries, bias, and power, as well as a need to consider the ethical ramifications carefully.