Improving societal benefit through transformative consumer research: A descriptive review

Technological Forecasting and Social Change

This paper assesses the societal benefit of transformative consumer research (TCR) through a descriptive review of articles published in the special issues associated with the TCR conferences, held every two years from 2009 to 2021. Frequency analysis and directed content analysis reveal (1) various societal benefits (knowledge, enhanced awareness, capacity building, and recommendations for improvement or redirection), (2) facilitators and barriers for solution implementation (e.g., definition of a problem-solving orientation to research problems, collaboration with practitioners, and testing and refining of solutions), and (3) well-being issues over time (e.g., climate change and sustainability education, food wastage reduction, healthy food consumption and production, and vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic). This research contributes to the literature in four ways by (1) synthesizing the types and natures of societal benefits of TCR, (2) identifying the most discussed consumer well-being issues over time, (3) assessing the barriers and facilitators for the implementation of solutions that influence societal benefits, and (4) providing a research agenda for improving consumer well-being and enhancing societal benefit.