The Neuromarketing Landscape in India: A Theoretical Review of Evolution, Methodologies and Ethical Frontiers

Abstract

Neuromarketing is fostering interdisciplinary research by integrating the fields of neuroscience, cognitive science, and psychology to uncover consumer decision-making in terms of brand recall, intention, loyalty, and consumer behaviour. It measures the consumer responses beyond the conscious self-report measures. The study employed a conceptual and theoretical research design based on secondary sources to disclose the historical evolution, key tools, applications, advantages, and limitations in contemporary research. The study classifies neuromarketing tools as neuroimaging, physiological, self-report, and behavioural techniques, and conceptually explains how such techniques can complement traditional methods that are limited in accessing the consumer's subconscious mind. The neuromarketing industry is slowly growing in India, but there is a clear theoretical gap exists in the practical context of neuromarketing. The study provides a structural framework to neuromarketing by connecting an affective, cognitive, and behavioural process with marketing applications such as branding, promotion, pricing, and new product development. The study clarifies the challenges, including ethics, privacy, high costs, and a limited methodological approach in the social science context. The paper provides a theoretical roadmap for future empirical researchers in emerging markets, particularly in India.