The  who, what, where, when and why of consumer behaviour will be under the microscope at a marketing and retail event organised jointly by the Ulster Business School at the University of Ulster and the British Academy of Management (BAM) at the Belfast campus on Friday 4 March.

‘The Ever Changing Consumer – Implications for Theory and Practice’ brings together the worlds of academia and business to discuss the relevance and practical application of academic research.

Dr Karise Hutchinson (pictured), lecturer in the university’s Business and Management Research Institute and Chair of BAM’S Marketing and Retail Group, explains that the programme is designed to create connectivity between academic perspectives and practitioner priorities over the next decade.

“This cross-disciplinary event will illustrate how theory and practice can come together in a mutually beneficial way. It will explore the changing consumer and the implications of behavioural change for the retail supply chain, long-term customer relationships, and the impact of consumer behavioural research,” says Dr Hutchinson.

“Research can give retailers a valuable insight to consumer behaviour and an improved understanding of their markets, which in turn could highlight opportunities for business improvement but our research must be relevant to their needs.”

Following a keynote address by Professor Marie McHugh, Dean of Ulster Business School and BAM Vice President, each of the three sessions will be jointly led by practitioners and academics.

Speakers will include Stephen McCammon, Managing Director of Tempest who pioneered the new concept of young fashion department store in Northern Ireland; Professor Andrew Fearne, one of the academics behind an innovative data mining project with Tesco’s Loyalty cards; and Jon Goodchild, Director of Lloyds Banking Group.

Places are limited, but to book a place, please contact Dr Karise Hutchinson at kc.hutchinson@ulster.ac.uk.