366. IJRM. The Power of Anticipation.
June 5, 2025
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In this episode, Adrian Palmer, professor of marketing at Henley Business School, discusses his research, published in IJRM, on anticipation in consumer behavior. He focuses on the often-overlooked period between the moment of purchase and the experience of the product or service. This "anticipation effect" plays a significant role in shaping customer satisfaction and overall perception. Palmer shares insights into the cognitive and emotional processes at play during this time and explains how marketers can strategically leverage anticipation to enhance the customer experience.
Highlights include:
This research examines the period of time between purchasing and consuming, an area often overlooked in marketing literature.
Anticipation can involve cognitive preparation, like planning, and affective responses, like excitement or daydreaming.
The intensity of anticipation can impact satisfaction with the eventual consumption experience, both immediately and in the weeks following.
Managing expectations is crucial for brands; high anticipation can lead to disappointment if the experience doesn't meet those expectations.
Marketers can use information and communication to guide the anticipation period and prepare customers for a positive experience, especially for services or bespoke products.
Click here for the Research Article
The Up Next podcast’s access to this content is courtesy of the International Journal of Research in Marketing, an international, double-blind peer-reviewed journal for marketing academics and practitioners. IJRM aims to contribute to the marketing discipline by providing high-quality, original research which advances marketing knowledge and techniques. As marketers increasingly draw on diverse and sophisticated methods, IJRM‘s target audience is comprised of marketing scholars, practitioners (e.g., marketing research and consulting professionals) and policymakers.
IJRM aims to be at the forefront of the marketing field with a particular emphasis on bringing timely ideas to market. The journal embraces innovative research with the potential to spur future research and influence practice. Hence, it welcomes contributions in various aspects of marketing. The editors, while accepting a wide array of scholarly contributions from different disciplinary approaches, especially encourage research that is novel, visionary or path breaking.
Interviewed Guest
Adrian Palmer is Professor of Marketing at Henley Business School, UK. His research in services buying behavior and customer loyalty is informed by previous management experience in the travel and tourism sector. Since joining academia, he has researched and published extensively on the subject of services buyer behavior. His book “Principles of Services Marketing”, now in its seventh edition, and recently translated into Chinese, is widely used throughout the world to provide a grounding in the challenges and opportunities of marketing services. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has taught executive programs in Europe and Asia. He recently joined the College of Experts advisory body appointed by the UK Government's Department of Culture, Media and Sports.
Co-Authors
Claire-Lise Ackermann
Tunyaporn Vichiengior
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International Journal of Research in Marketing
Adrian Palmer
Claire-Lise Ackermann
Tunyaporn Vichiengior