Building Behavioural Science Capability Across Amazon EMEA

Creating a Shared Behavioural Science Language

The Challenge

Amazon wanted to embed behavioural science across its EMEA organisation.

Following earlier behavioural science work with Cowry, teams across the region had become excited about the potential of behavioural insights to improve customer experience and product design.

However, a major challenge remained.

Ideas and behavioural interventions developed centrally needed to be applied across multiple markets, languages and cultural contexts. Without a shared understanding of behavioural science principles, it was difficult to ensure that these ideas were implemented consistently and effectively across regions.

Amazon therefore partnered with Cowry to develop a programme that would build behavioural science capability and create a shared language across the organisation.

Our approach

Cowry designed and delivered an intensive week-long behavioural science programme for the Amazon EMEA team using content from the Cowry Academy.

Participants included team members from different markets across the region, enabling the programme to combine behavioural science expertise with local cultural insight.

The programme combined:

• behavioural science theory
• practical application
• collaborative workshops
• cross-market discussion

This allowed participants to explore how behavioural principles could be translated and applied across different cultural contexts.

Behavioural insight

A key barrier to scaling behavioural science in large organisations is the absence of a shared behavioural framework. Without a common language, teams often interpret behavioural insights differently or struggle to translate them into practical solutions.

This challenge becomes even greater across international organisations, where cultural differences influence how behavioural interventions are perceived and implemented. Creating a shared understanding of behavioural principles allows teams to:

The solution

Cowry delivered training through the Cowry Academy, an award-winning behavioural science learning programme delivered both virtually and in person.

The Academy combines structured learning with practical experimentation to help organisations apply behavioural science in real business contexts.

Core E-Learning: Designed for those new to behavioural science, the CPD-accredited Core programme introduces the key psychological principles that influence decision making and behaviour.

Expert Training: The Expert programme provides deeper training through a six-week programme combining virtual and classroom learning, enabling participants to apply behavioural science to real organisational challenges.

Practitioner Programme: The Practitioner programme supports organisations in running their own behavioural science experiments, providing coaching and practical guidance on designing and testing behavioural interventions.

Through this programme, Cowry trained Amazon employees from across EMEA to become behavioural science champions within their teams.

Impact:

The training programme created a shared behavioural science language across the Amazon EMEA organisation.

Teams were able to collaborate more effectively and apply behavioural science more consistently across different markets.

This led to:

• stronger behavioural briefs
• improved cross-market collaboration
• behavioural interventions designed with greater cultural understanding

As a result, behavioural nudges developed by the teams performed significantly better when implemented in local markets.