Expert in Digital, Consumer Behavior & E-Commerce

Even in today’s interconnected, digital world, location means everything. David R. Bell, an authority on consumer behavior and e-commerce, explains why.

A graduate of Stanford University and marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, David is an award-winning teacher. His studies focus on how we use the Internet and related technologies to search, shop and sell – a subject he delves deep into in his best-selling book – “Location is (Still) Everything” (New Harvest, July 2014).

David developed Wharton’s first course on digital marketing and e-commerce. His research articles have appeared in all major marketing journals – Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Marketing Science, Management Science – and his research has been recognized with the Frank M. Bass Outstanding Dissertation Award, three John D.C. Little Best Paper Finalist awards, two INFORMS Marketing Science Long-Term Impact Finalist Awards, and First Place Award in the 2014 Production and Operations Management Society Applied Research Challenge.

An active angel investor in and advisor to a variety of successful Internet startups, David’s current research homes in on theories and explanations for geographic variation in the performance of internet retail start-ups – including Bonobos.com, Diapers.com and WarbyParker.com. He also serves as an expert witness in consumer internet litigation.

A New Zealand citizen, David received his PhD from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.