Consumer behavior touches numerous aspects of people’s lives. Buying, where consumers exchange their money for goods, services and experiences, is one prominent way that consumer behavior enters into people’s lives. While useful in studying the economic aspect of the consumer, the notion of buying does not, at times, fully capture the rich and complex set of behaviors consumer researchers study — nor that consumer behavior touches. ACR 2025 seeks to highlight this richness in consumer research. Thus, we welcome all topics relevant to consumers: hence, the conference’s moniker, “Buying and Beyond.”

In addition to decisions related to buying, we invite submissions that explore other behaviors like when, where, and how people consume time, technology, food, or other resources. Similarly, we encourage submissions that focus on specific domains where buying might not be at the forefront, such as political, healthcare, and social relationships. We hope that this more expansive and inclusive focus will offer the opportunity to add both theoretical and substantive insight for consumer policy and practice.

ACR 2025 will take place in Washington D.C., a central hub for prominent international organizations, policy agencies, and industry and non-profit associations. With this in mind, we also encourage submissions that showcase the impact of our work beyond academia, including speakers and discussants that might not come from a traditional ACR background.