The Surprising Influence of the Real World on How We Search, Shop, and Sell in the Virtual One
Presented by David R. Bell, Xinmei Zhang and Yongge Dai Professor, The Wharton School
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Hanover Manor, East Hanover, NJ
Conventional wisdom holds that the Internet makes the world flat and reduces friction by erasing the impact of the physical world on our buying habits.
But Wharton professor and marketing expert David R. Bell argues that the way we use the Internet is still largely shaped by the physical world that we inhabit. Anyone can go online and buy a pair of jeans—but the likelihood that we would do so depends to a significant degree on where we live, the presence of stores nearby, trendy and friendly neighbors, and local sales taxes, among other factors.
Bell offers a fascinating, in-depth look at online commerce and retailing through his years of research and investing and advising experience. His unique GRAVITY framework is a powerful and practical tool that explains how the real and virtual worlds connect and what Internet sellers must consider in order to succeed. His book, Location Is (Still) Everything, and this presentation will give entrepreneurs, managers and investors the key to understanding how and why we use the Internet to search shop and sell.
Speaker: David R. Bell
Professor Bell is an expert in consumer shopping behavior. His current research focuses on theories and explanations for geographic variation in the performance of Internet retail startups. Startups studied include Bonobos.com, Diapers.com, and WarbyParker.com. Other projects and articles focused on traditional retail settings explore unplanned and impulse buying, consumer store choice among retailers with different pricing strategies, and the effect of structural factors (e.g., dwelling size) on consumer shopping strategies.
Professor Bell’s research is published in all of the premier academic marketing journals, some of which include Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, and Journal of Marketing Research. He has won several teaching and research awards, including the MBA Core Curriculum Award, Miller-Sherrerd MBA Core Teaching Award, and the MBA for Executives Excellence in Teaching Award, among others.
Professor Bell teaches Marketing Management in the Wharton MBA and MBA for Executives Programs and Empirical Modeling in the PhD program. He also teaches an elective course Digital Marketing and Electronic Commerce. He is also the Academic Director for Wharton’s Advanced Management Program.
Professor Bell is on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Retailing, and Marketing Science. He holds a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University, an MS in Statistics from Stanford University, an MA (Honorary) from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.Com (1st Class Honors) and B.Com from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Agenda:
The evening's agenda will include:
6:00 pm - 7:15 pm: Cocktails, Dining & Open Networking
7:15 pm - 7:30 pm: Introductions
7:30 pm - 8:45 pm: Presentation and Q&A
8:45 pm - 9:00 pm: Dessert and More Open Networking
Hardcover copies of Prof. Bell’s book will be available for purchase at the event for $20 (approximately 23% below the cover price of $26).
Pricing:
Now –June 9th: Members - $44.95, Non-members - $54.95
June 10th/Walk-in: Members - $59.95, Non-members - $74.95
Location and Directions:
Hanover Manor
16 Eagle Rock Avenue
East Hanover, NJ 07936
(973) 887-2682