Does your last name influence how fast you buy stuff?

The Tyranny of the alphabet:

Carlson and Conard break new ground by measuring not the immediate but rather the long-term effect of having a surname at the alphabet's end, and how that, in turn, affects buying patterns. Their working hypothesis is that "[R]epeated delays imposed on children whose last names are late in the alphabet create in those individuals a chronic expediency motive that is automatically activated" by limited-time offers to buy stuff. In effect, Carlson and Conard believe the R-to-Z set will prove easier prey for "act now!" marketing pitches than the A-to-I set.

The conclusion, after a few experiments :

We must leave, then, for another day whether the childhood suffering entailed in having a name at the end of the alphabet makes you a stronger person better equipped to navigate a complex marketplace or a weaker person easily manipulated into acquiring stuff you don't need or even particularly want. Deep down, Carlson and Conard (who both rank high the A-I cohort) probably don't care. Their audience (apart from fellow academics) is marketing professionals, to whom the only relevant question is: Will targeting the R-Zs be more profitable? The answer, it seems, is "Yes."

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