All empirical data and the resulting parameters are subject to error. In this paper we explicitly use the standard, but hardly profound, “model” <disp-formula>$$\hbox{Observed Value} = \hbox{True Score} + \hbox{Error}$$</disp-formula> as a lens for better viewing empirical studies in search of empirical generalizations...

Using a large dataset of automobile transaction prices, we find that offline African-American and Hispanic consumers pay approximately 2% more than do other offline consumers; however, we can explain 65% of this price premium with differences in observable traits such as income, education, and...

We investigate whether the first digit of an odometer reading is more salient to consumers than subsequent digits. We find that retail transaction prices and volumes of used vehicles drop discontinuously at 10,000-mile odometer thresholds, echoing effects found in the wholesale market by...

We develop a consumer response model to evaluate and plan pricing and promotions in durable-good markets. We discuss its implementation in the U.S. automotive industry, which “spends” about $45 billion each year in price promotions. The approach is based on a random effects multinomial...

Projection bias is the tendency to overpredict the degree to which one's future tastes will resemble one's current tastes. We test for evidence of projection bias in two of the largest and most important consumer markets - the car and housing markets. Using data for more than forty million...

We investigate whether the first digit of an odometer reading is more salient to consumers than subsequent digits. We find that retail transaction prices and volumes of used vehicles drop discontinuously at 10,000-mile odometer thresholds, echoing effects found in the wholesale market by...

When buying durable goods, consumers must forecast how much utility they will derive from future consumption, including consumption in different states of the world. This can be complicated for consumers because making intertemporal evaluations may expose them to a variety of psychological...