Research

Research Summary

My research connects to who I am. I study consumer decision making under vulnerability. I lead research that critically examines wicked problems for consumers and the marketplace, including choice overload (deficit of capacity), prosocial and pro-environmental behaviour (deficit of other-regard), and consumer loneliness (deficit of connection). This curiosity about consumers whose vulnerability is most acute underpins my human-centred values and shapes how I supervise, lead and teach.

Research interests/keywords: consumer behaviour, choice overload, consumer wellbeing, sustainability, loneliness

My work has been published in Annals of Tourism Research, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Macromarketing, Australasian Marketing Journal, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality (formerly known as International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research), Anatolia, and Journal of Marketing Education.

Research-related Awards and Honours

2026: Named International Collaborator, Universitas Brawijaya (Indonesia) grant schemes (~$8000)
2026: ASB Small Grant ($2000)
2025: BAL Internal Research Grant Scheme ($2952)
2024: Special Studies Program (SSP)/Sabbatical Leave
2023: EMCR Enabling Grant ($3000)
2021: RITA Grant ($19488), University of Wollongong
2018: Start-up Grant ($5000) and Small Research Grant ($8554), Faculty of Business, University of Wollongong
2016: Best Paper Award, 9th Consumer Behaviour in Tourism Symposium, The Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
2015: Arch G. Woodside Best Paper Award, 9th Consumer Psychology of Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure Symposium, University of Namur, Belgium

HDR/PhD Supervisions

Quynh (Kelis) N. X. Nguyen (completed in Dec 2025). Thesis title: "A multi-dimensional exploration of consumer wisdom: Implications for sustainable consumption"
Ngan Hanh Pham (completed in Feb 2026). Thesis title: "Designing for Impact: Aligning Policy and Consumer Behaviour in Climate"
Ying Zhu (2025 – present)

Journal Articles

Nguyen, Q. N. X., Zainuddin, N., Thai, N. T., & Reynolds, N. (2026). Conceptualising wise and unwise consumption decisions. European Journal of Marketing, ahead-of-print. [DOI] [PDF]

Nguyen, Q. N., Thai, N. T., Heffernan, T. W., Reynolds, N., & Zainuddin, N. (2025). A consumer wisdom-informed conceptualization for understanding prosocial behaviors. Journal of Business Research, 192, 115293. [DOI] [PDF]

Thongmun, S., Soonsan, N., & Thai, N. T. (2025). The best of both worlds: can smart hotels promote guests’ sustainable behaviours? Anatolia, 36(3), 618–633. [DOI] [PDF]

Thai, N. T., Yüksel, Ü., & Peck, J. (2024). The effects of types of touch and haptic cues on choice overload. Psychology & Marketing, 41(9), 2013-2032. [DOI] [PDF]

Deo, S., Hinchcliff, M., Thai, N. T., Papakosmas, M., Chad, P., Heffernan, T., & Gibbons, B. (2024). Educating for the sustainable future: A conceptual process for mapping the United Nations sustainable development goals in marketing teaching using Bloom’s taxonomy. Journal of Marketing Education, 46(2), 84-96. [DOI] [PDF]

Pham, H. N., Thai, N. T., Heffernan, T. W., & Reynolds, N. (2024). Environmental policies and the promotion of pro-environmental consumer behavior: A systematic literature review. Journal of Macromarketing, 44(1), 30-58. [DOI] [PDF]

Highlighted in SAGE's curated collection of impactful research that supports SDG-13 Climate Action

Thai, N. T., & Yuksel, U. (2023). Feasible versus desirable market offerings: the role of choice set size. European Journal of Marketing, 57(1), 258-282. [DOI] [PDF]

Septianto, F., Thai, N. T., & Kemper, J. A. (2022). Lay beliefs about the world affect preferences for sustainable hotel offerings. Australasian Marketing Journal, 30(3), 246-257. [DOI] [PDF]

Septianto, F., Chiew, T. M., & Thai, N. T. (2020). The congruence effect between product emotional appeal and country-based emotion: The moderating role of country-of-origin. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 52, 101916.[DOI] [PDF]

Yuksel, U., Thai, N. T., & Lee, M. S. (2020). Boycott them! No, boycott this! Do choice overload and small‐agent rationalization inhibit the signing of anti‐consumption petitions?. Psychology & Marketing, 37(2), 340-354.[DOI] [PDF]

Thai, N. T., & Yuksel, U. (2017). Choice overload in holiday destination choices. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 11(1), 53-66.[DOI] [PDF]

Thai, N. T., & Yuksel, U. (2017). Too many destinations to visit: Tourists’ dilemma?. Annals of Tourism Research, 62, 38-53..[DOI] [PDF]

Editorial roles

Anatolia, Associate Editor (2026 - )
European Journal of Marketing, Editorial Review Board member
Psychology & Marketing, Editorial Review Board member

Ad-hoc Review for Journals

Annals of Tourism Research
European Journal of Marketing
Psychology & Marketing
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
Journal of Consumer Behaviour
Australasian Marketing Journal
Journal of Strategic Marketing
Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics
Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing
Journal of Destination Marketing and Management
International Journal of Tourism Research
Anatolia
Journal of Financial Services Marketing

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