On the invitation of the Marketing Department, Professor Caglar Irmak from the University of Miami gave a research seminar titled, “Merely Available: Products May Be Effective without Actual Consumption” on Friday, April 3. This research shows that providing people with access to a relevant product, without them actually using it, can enhance their performance. For example, participants with access to coffee were faster at a reaction-time task than those without access to coffee. Professor Irmak suggests that the mere availability of outcome-relevant product can enhance people’s self-efficacy beliefs in coping with the situation at hand, reduce anxiety, and lead to better outcomes.

Caglar Irmak, is Associate Professor of Marketing at the School of Business Administration, University of Miami. He received a Ph.D. in Business with a specialization in Marketing from Baruch College, City University of New York. He has published in Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, and Marketing Letters.