More than 70% of small and medium-sized enterprises in Switzerland have failed to make use of behavioural economic findings and methods up to now, or have only done so to a limited extent. The main reasons for this are a lack of knowledge and experience, as well as of awareness of the subject within companies. At the same time, around 80% of respondents believe that behavioural economics offers medium to high potential for their companies and their marketing activities. This is shown by a study by the ZHAW School of Management and Law based on interviews and on a survey of executives and marketing managers in Swiss companies.

The field of behavioural economics looks at human behaviour in an economic context. In particular, it investigates people’s actual decision-making behaviour and analyses which factors have an effect. «Especially in the English-speaking world, governments and also NGOs and companies rely on the expertise of behavioural economists. They use this knowledge to gain a better understanding of the behaviour of citizens, employees or customers or to set incentives to promote a desired behavioural trait,» explains Kurt Ackermann, the main author of the study and deputy head of «Behavioral Marketing Unit» at the ZHAW School of Management and Law. Scientific studies indicate that the use of knowledge from the field of behavioural economics can generate significant competitive advantages for companies, including increased sales growth. It can, for example, be advantageous for a provider to present three product variants in an online shop (e.g. small, medium and large) in order to guide consumers towards opting for the medium variant and thus to promote its sales.