Consumer Experience Management Minor

Program Overview

The Consumer Experience Management minor explores the consumer journey, from product discovery to disposal. Through six theory-based courses, students develop a comprehensive understanding of consumer engagement, global consumer behavior, and data analytics. The minor prepares students to design innovative solutions, optimize consumer experiences, and make strategic decisions for consumer-facing businesses across diverse industries.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Consumer Experience Management (CEXM) minor examines the consumer's experience in the journey of search, acquisition, use and disposal of products and services. Through six distinct courses, students gain a comprehensive theory-based understanding of the consumer journey as it is applied through a global perspective, social networks, strategies, analytics, and applications. The minor prepares students to provide innovative solutions to consumer-facing businesses by optimizing consumer experience through strategic decision making, data analytics, and developing seamless experience across different channels.

Outline:

The minor requires 18 credit hours and can be completed in 2-3 semesters. The program consists of six courses:

• Consumer Engagement in Digital Channels (3 hrs): Students examine emerging digital technologies and their impact on the consumer experience.
Emphasis is on exploration of new technologies and critical evaluation of their influence on merchandising and hospitality management strategies.
• Consumers in a Global Market (3 hrs): Cross-cultural comparisons using systems, human needs, and consumer behavior frameworks are integrated with critical, empirical and creative thinking processes to develop a global perspective that is sensitive to diverse consumers’ needs and preferences for products and services in a global market.
This class helps students gather the tools necessary for full engagement in the undergraduate experience by having them examine their own value systems and compare and contrast them with other cultures’ in a consumption context. Requires students to think critically, articulate views, cultivate self-awareness, balance and an openness to change, and engage with others in thoughtful and well-crafted communication.
• Consumer Studies (3 hrs): Exploration of motivations influencing consumer purchase and use of products and services.
A comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge base is used to investigate various individual and environmental factors as they relate to the consumer purchase process and its outcomes.
• Consumer Analytics and Data Visualization (3 hrs): Examination of various consumer research methodologies including descriptive and predictive analysis.
Application of analytical techniques in developing effective business strategies using analytics tools and data visualization programs.
• Creating Consumer Experiences (3 hrs): Exploration of the dynamic merging of retail merchandising, hospitality, and entertainment industries to create total consumer experiences.
Topics include evolution of consumption, symbolic consumption, ritual consumption, sensory consumption, consumer efficiency; entertainment, thematic, lifestyle and value experiences; branding, brand extension and strategic alliance; and global experiential retailing.

Careers:

The minor supports interdisciplinary applications across many fields of study including apparel, home, fashion, beauty, retail, hospitality, tourism, travel, information, entertainment, recreation, automotive, health care, finance, sports management, gaming, business, decision science, computer science, engineering, and public health.

Other:

The minor highlights include:

• Learn motivations influencing consumer purchase and use of products and services.
• Make use of emerging digital technologies and their impact on the consumer experience.
• Apply analytical techniques in developing effective business strategies using analytics tools and data visualization programs.
• Develop seamless, personalized consumer experiences.
• Develop strategies that optimize consumer experiences.
• Get a better understanding of global perspective sensitive to diverse consumers’ needs and preferences for products and services in a global market.