A practical review of electroencephalography’s value to consumer research

Abstract

Electroencephalography (EEG) offers insights into the neural responses of consumers to marketing stimuli which can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of such stimuli in directing favorable consumer behavior in real-world settings. This practical review provides guidelines for using EEG in consumer and marketing research. It provides recommendations for how EEG may effectively be employed in neuromarketing in the future. EEG requires careful experimental design, and as such, we outline current recommendations for the collection, processing, analysis, and interpretation of EEG evoked potentials (i.e., event related potentials; ERP) and spectral content (i.e., EEG frequency). By providing an introductory overview of EEG measures in marketing and consumer research, this practical review extends previous literature that is primarily focused on other neuroimaging techniques (e.g., functional magnetic resonance imaging) and other disciplines (e.g., economics and organizational behaviour). Furthermore, by reviewing how EEG has been used throughout psychophysiological and neuromarketing research, we provide recommendations on how EEG can be used to measure marketing-related outcomes. These include processes relating to perception, attention, memory, emotion, and cognitive load, demonstrating the unique value of considering the neural responses captured by EEG in understanding and predicting consumer behavior.