Why People Buy is a seminal book to understanding why certain products have appeal in the markerplace.

Cheskin was one of the first marketers to use customer-centric methods, and to value direct customer input above marketers’ expectations or guesses about customers' needs.

Acknowledging the irrational elements of human behavior, Cheskin brought psychoanalysis and Gestalt theory to marketing. He gained fame for predicting the failure of the Edsel and berated researchers and executives who failed to use market research to drive product development and go to market strategies.