Beth Vallen, PhD
Professor of Marketing and Business Law | Villanova School of Business
Beth Vallen, PhD, is an expert on consumer behavior, with a focus on health-related decision making
Media
Fordham's Beth Vallen on Peer Pressure and Chowing Down
Beth Vallen, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing of the Schools of Business, researches how environments effect consumer food consumption.Areas of Expertise (5)
- Food Marketing
- Consumer Goals/Motivation
- Consumer Behavior
- Health-related Decision Making
- Business
Biography
Dr. Beth Vallen is Associate Professor of Marketing and Business Law at the Villanova School of Business. Her research focuses on issues related to consumer health, focusing more specifically on the manner in which consumers address health goals in the presence of various marketing stimuli related to these goals — such as nutrition labels, food menus, and food naming conventions. Her research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Business Research, the Journal of Consumer Psychology, and Appetite; it has been cited by the press in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Psychology Today. She was the recipient of the 2013 Marketing and Society Emerging Scholar award from the American Marketing Association. Beth currently serves on the editorial review board for the Journal of Consumer Marketing, the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing and the Journal of Consumer Affairs. She serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for a variety of journals in the fields of both marketing and public health and nutrition.
Education (3)
- Baruch College: PhD
- Baruch College: MBA
- Lehigh University: BS
Select Accomplishments (5)
Affiliations (4)
- American Marketing Association
- Association for Consumer Research
- Transformative Consumer Research (TCR) Advisory Committee
- MacDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education Advisory Committee Member
Select Media Appearances (7)
How to limit credit card usage during a pandemic
Finder.com
4/29/2020
What are ways that individuals can limit their credit card usage during quarantine? It’s difficult to limit usage as consumers are making more transactions in virtual environments. For example, many people are ordering essential items typically bought in physical stores like groceries, cleaning products, and personal items online. So while credit card purchases on these items might increase, consumers might also take efforts to delay non-essential purchases like clothing and entertainment items as budget constraints arise. One simple strategy involves keeping your wallet away from your workspace and not storing credit card information with online retailers. If you make purchasing more difficult while you are actively trying to save, it makes it less likely that you’ll succumb to temptation in making non-essential purchases. -- Beth Vallen Associate Professor, Marketing and Business Law Villanova School of Business
It's Pi Day, which means deals on pies, as well as on some geeky gear
NBC News
3/14/2018
"There's a natural link between pies and Pi Day, and that's always been the biggest promotional opportunity," Dr. Beth Vallen, associate professor at Villanova School of Business, told NBC News. "But the more interesting [opportunity] is for the businesses centered around brainy endeavors. They can use the day to run promotion that is really on brand."
A New Approach to Combat America’s Obesity Epidemic
Morning Consult
9/7/2017
Across the country, the obesity epidemic and related health issues affect more than 66 percent of the U.S. adult population and increase direct and indirect health care costs as much as 30 percent. To combat this epidemic, health professionals are increasingly turning to insights from behavioral science to guide clients and patients — focusing not only on what people eat, but behavioral strategies for navigating today’s food-rich environment.
Inside Amazon + Whole Foods: The first day
Food Dive
8/29/2017
“While consumers often bemoan the prices at Whole Foods, higher prices come with higher perceptions of quality,” Beth Vallen, associate professor of marketing and business law at Villanova School of Business, wrote in a note emailed to Food Dive. “It is interesting to consider what cutting prices will mean for consumer inferences related to the quality of items in their basket and, in turn, the Whole Foods brand.”
Cut down on food waste and save money in the process
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
3/22/2017
“Consumers aren’t great planners,” says Beth Vallen, an associate professor for marketing and business law at Villanova University. “We over-buy for a lot of reasons, and then are optimistic we’ll eat the foods we buy.” People don’t realize how much money they’re wasting because food goes in the trash a little here, a little there. But when you quantify the number to people, Vallen says, “they’re shocked.”
Beauty is skin deep, but ugly produce causes much deeper waste issues
Food Dive
1/12/2017
"We eat with our eyes,” Beth Vallen, associate professor of marketing and business law at Villanova University, told Food Dive. “When you’re looking at an ugly fruit, it just doesn’t have that aesthetic appeal.” allen and fellow researchers explored the evolutionary drivers behind this visual bias in the scientific study “The Squander Sequence: Understanding Food Waste at Each Stage of the Consumer Decision-Making Process.” The "squander sequence" refers to the points in the food supply chain where consumers cause waste, beginning with the grocery store point of sale.
9 Tips to Get Your Diet Back on Track During the Holidays
Cosmopolitan
11/27/2016
Those holiday cookies might look festive on the countertop, but they're more likely to tempt you if you can see them. The more accessible food is, the harder it is to resist, says Beth Vallen, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing at Villanova University and environmental food cues researcher. Your best bet is to keep food in the cupboard or fridge below eye level, so you don't see treats every time you walk by the kitchen or swing open the fridge door for a snack.
Select Academic Articles (6)
Shape- and Trait Congruency: Using Appearance-based Cues as a Basis for Product Recommendations
Journal of Consumer Psychology
2018
The Squander Sequence: Understanding Food Waste at Each Stage of the Consumer Decision Making Process
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
2016
The Impact of Holiday Eating Cues on Self-Regulatory Bolstering for Dieters and Non-Dieters
Psychology & Health
2014
Time of Day Effects on the Regulation of Food Consumption after Activation of Health Goals
Appetite
2013
Contact Beth Vallen, PhD