Dr Thomas Rudolph

Dr Rudolph investigates the development of purchasing behaviour in foodstuffs, clothing, furniture, electronics and sports. He also looks at trends like shopping tourism.

Thomas Rudolph studied business administration at the University of Mannheim. Since 2000, he teaches and researches as a full professor at the University of St.Gallen. His research focus is on Consumer Behavior; Digital Marketing; E-Commerce; Strategic Retail Management. In 2006, he founded the Retail Lab, a partnership program between the University of St.Gallen and numerous international retailers, at the Institute for Marketing and Retail.

Since 2009, he manages and directs the Institute of Retail Management, which includes the Gottlieb Duttweiler Chair for International Retail Management and the Retail Lab. Various research projects and studies on current issues such as Cross-Channel Management, E-Commerce, Food Consumption, Customer Inspiration etc. have contributed to the prominence of the research center. By now, 30 retailers have joined our partnership programs (e.g., Aldi, Carrefour,Continental, Ikea, Migros, Nestlé, Swarovski etc.). Each year numerous Research workshops, executive certificate programms (in St.Gallen, Oxford and Barcelona) and Board summits take place as part of this program.

Thomas Rudolph has been teaching as a visiting Professor at the Brigham Young University in Utah in 1998, at the University of Florida in 2006 and at the Massey University in Auckland in 2008.