Publications

Peer-reviewed research from the field.

Award-winning papers and case studies that reflect our commitment to applying rigorous behavioural science to real-world challenges.

The Papers

Behavioural science in the wild.

Each paper documents an applied intervention — the hypothesis, the design, the evidence and what changed as a result.

GAABS Overall Award · 2024

Helping Customers Make Better Financial Decisions Through Choice Architecture

Shalia Naidoo & Adam Gottlich2024

Winner of the GAABS Overall Award 2024. This paper examines how choice architecture was used to reduce the reversal of valid insurance debit orders at Standard Bank during the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing widespread financial stress, customers were cancelling insurance policies — often unwittingly — by reversing debit orders for short-term cash relief. By applying behavioural science principles such as friction, salience, and reframing of consequences, the team redesigned the digital reversal journey on the banking app, significantly reducing harmful reversals and helping customers protect their long-term financial wellbeing.

Award-winning research

Applying Behavioural Science Techniques to Improve Employee and Client Outcomes: A Case Study on Deceased Estates Administration in South Africa

Adam Gottlich & Akira Panday2024

This award-winning paper explores how behavioural science was applied to transform the deceased estates administration process at Standard Bank during the COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with a 34% spike in the South African death rate, the team identified cognitive and behavioural bottlenecks contributing to client dissatisfaction. Using techniques such as linguistic concreteness, cognitive empathy, simplification, and the picture superiority effect, they redesigned client-facing communications — leading to happier clients, less stressed employees, and a more seamless administration process.

GAABS Overall Award · 2023

How Nudge Messaging Can Improve Product Take-Up: A Case Study on Funeral Insurance in South Africa

Adam Gottlich & Shalia Naidoo2023

Winner of the GAABS Overall Award 2023, published in the Behavioural Economics Guide 2023. This paper details a nudge messaging experiment designed to help customers who chose to take out funeral insurance follow through by paying their first premium. Leveraging commitment and consistency principles alongside social proofing, four message variants were tested three days before the first debit order. The results showed that making initial commitments salient and providing information on how other customers act in similar situations significantly increased payment rates — demonstrating an effective, low-cost approach to improving insurance take-up in South Africa.

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