Measuring the Subconscious Shopper: How Dr. Hassan Aleem Brings Behavioral Science to Grocery Decisions

Episode notes

In this episode of The Curiosity Current, hosts Stephanie and Julie Myers talk with Dr. Hassan Aleem, Senior Consumer Insights Partner at Amazon, about how behavioral science can decode the messy world of grocery shopping. Drawing on his academic background in neuroaesthetics at Georgetown University and applied work in UX research and consulting, Hassan explains why grocery retail poses unique challenges for measurement and how researchers can combine methods like basket analysis, receipt-linked surveys, shop-alongs, and intercepts to capture subconscious drivers of behavior. He shares how the choice, preference loop shows that even one small decision can reshape future liking, why negative experiences can eliminate entire categories from consideration, and how an aesthetic mindset, shaped by abstract art or packaging design, can influence perceptions of quality and even alter taste. The discussion also explores the limits of translating in-store insights into online grocery, why experience design matters for reducing decision fatigue and building loyalty, and how longitudinal methods like diary studies can reveal the before-and-after context of consumer choices.