UN 418 - IJRM. Habit: Loyalty v. Autopilot.

Ryan Webb, associate professor at the Rotman School of Management and director of the Management Data Analytics Lab, has spent years studying why consumer behavior is so hard to change, and why marketers are often measuring the wrong thing. His research, co-authored with experts across neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics, and published in the IJRM - International Journal of Research in Marketing, argues that what looks like brand loyalty in scanner data may be something else entirely: automated behavior that bypasses conscious choice. This conversation covers what habit means, why disruption backfires on market leaders, and how platforms and loyalty programs fit into the picture.