Consumer behavior about new products or product categories are often hard to anticipate for many reasons, but one that is often overlooked is social factors. According to author Briana Brownell, the success of some new products heavily depends on social factors which are often undetectable during concept-testing. Failure to recognize these factors may blindside companies, causing unnecessary overspending on advertising or inventory.

However, not all products are equally influenced by social effects. So, as market researchers, how do we know when these factors do play an important role? Brownell says…