Kelly Goldsmith

Media Appearances

• How Elections Affect Our Shopping

  Cash is a resource — and for most of us, it’s the most fungible one we have. If we’re feeling as if we’re on unsolid ground, it’s no surprise that we would be reluctant to part with it. Kelly Goldsmith, a behavioral scientist and marketing professor at Vanderbilt University, studies the psychology of uncertainty and scarcity. She put it this way: “If the world starts to fall apart, you benefit from having a bunch of money in your mattress, right?”

  October 20th, 2024

• From ‘romantasy’ to reality TV, why we love guilty pleasures so much

  Kelly Goldsmith, a professor of marketing at Vanderbilt University, did a series of studies in 2012 testing people’s associations between guilt and pleasure. And she found experiencing guilt about something might make people enjoy that thing even more.

  June 15th, 2024

• Why stores and brands are shrinking product options

  "I think in the average American grocery store, we've probably been suffering a bit under the weight of these large assortments," Kelly Goldsmith, a marketing professor at Vanderbilt University, told Axios.

  March 3rd, 2024

• You don’t need everything you want

  “There is always a trade-off, because money is a zero-sum game. If you’re spending it on X, you’re not spending it on Y,” said Kelly Goldsmith, a marketing professor at Vanderbilt University who studies consumer psychology and behavioral science. “Unless you’re increasing the pie,” she added, which isn’t guaranteed.

  January 4th, 2024

• Returning to the Office Is Killing My Budget

  In some sense, having to quickly put my spending under a microscope has been a good thing, causing me to reassess what is important and what is frivolous. The pandemic pause in spending “is psychologically beneficial,” says Kelly Goldsmith, a behavioral scientist and professor at Vanderbilt University. “Rather than jumping back in with both feet and being delighted that we can go into our old lives, what about our old lives wasn’t bringing us much joy but did, in fact, have a high price tag?”

  May 20th, 2023

• Q&A: How peanut butter can be an economic indicator

  As an economic downturn is on everyone’s mind, we wondered how that affects how we spend. So, we talked with Kelly Goldsmith, a Vanderbilt University professor who studies consumer psychology, for her take on consumer spending in an unsure time.

  March 9th, 2023

• The McRib ‘Farewell Tour’ is McDonald’s latest attempt to cash in on nostalgia

  It’s a strategy that’s designed to create a sense of urgency for customers, according to Vanderbilt University marketing professor Kelly Goldsmith. “McDonald’s is leaning hard on the scarcity marketing tactics right now,” Goldsmith says. “We see it with the McRib, we see it with their adult Happy Meals which had limited-edition toys. McDonald’s is putting scarcity marketing everywhere they possibly can.”

  October 26th, 2022

• Pumpkin spice foods cost up to 160% more than regular version

  "If there is no shortage of pumpkin spice, you're better served upcharging products you know will be in high demand and hope customers will be insensitive to the price increases," said Kelly Goldsmith, a professor of marketing at Vanderbilt University and an expert on scarcity. "They're taking advantage of the fact that they have an active and excited base of people willing to pay."

  October 24th, 2022

• Stores clearing out pandemic overstock with clearance sales, sometimes huge markdowns

  Marketing professor Kelly Goldsmith of Vanderbilt University says it's easy for shoppers to get excited about deals, but make sure you're not buying things you already have. "Now the caveat here is, it's only a good deal if you need it," she explained. "The reason these things are on sale is often because so many people don't need them, and if you're one of those people that's doesn't need them, don't buy it."

  June 29th, 2022

• Despite pipeline restart, thousands of gas stations remain dry

  “There is not data showing that the gasoline shortage will worsen due to supply-side issues,” said Kelly Goldsmith, associate professor of marketing at Vanderbilt University, in an email. “And demand-side issues are under our control – we do not have to hoard gasoline.”

  May 12th, 2021