Virtual and augmented reality: Advancing research in consumer marketing

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies are having a profound impact on a variety of marketing practices and are attracting increasing attention from marketing researchers. In this article, we review developments in VR/AR applications and research in the area of consumer marketing. We propose a conceptual framework for VR/AR research in consumer marketing that centers around consumer experiences provided by VR/AR applications along the customer journey and the effectiveness of such applications, and delve into the key concepts and components of the framework. Next, we provide a comprehensive overview of VR/AR applications in current practices and extant research on VR/AR in consumer marketing. Finally, based on this framework, we offer an outlook for future developments of VR/AR technologies and applications, discuss managerial implications, and prescribe directions for research on consumer marketing.     

Strategic marketing planning guided by the quality-of-life (QOL) concept

An emerging ethical philosophy in marketing is developing. This philosophy is based on quality-of-life studies which are becoming an important topic of research in behavioral and social sciences (basic and applied research). This paper addresses the QOL orientation in marketing from a decision-making perspective. Specifically, this paper shows how marketers can engage in strategic marketing planning guided by the QOL concept. M. Joseph (Joe) Sirgy is social/consumer psychologist and a professor of marketing at Virginia Tech. He has written extensively about quality-of-life issues in business and society. He is presently serving as executive director of the newly formed International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies.     

Editorial introduction: Advances in theory and practice of digital marketing

This special issue of the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services aims to bring together a variety of disciplines and a scholarly community for the advancement of knowledge regarding practice and research related to digital and social media marketing. Accordingly, the special issue includes papers using a variety of theories, research methods, contexts, and conceptualizations to enrich our understanding of digital and social media marketing from consumer and practitioner perspectives. The thirteen articles accepted for inclusion in this special issue are summarised in this editorial introduction.     

Lessons learned from renewable electricity marketing attempts: A case study

The choice of subscribing to renewable electricity has been available to Australian households for more than a decade, yet consumer uptake remains low for some green marketers. This case study uses a retailer's perspective to examine the implementation of a green marketing program for a renewable electricity retailer. Based on interviews, internal company documentation, and secondary research, findings show that effective differentiation for renewable energy is required to increase consumer involvement levels and the likelihood of consideration. While consumers lack understanding of, and interest in, renewable energy, the marketing program relied on customers to seek information. It was apparent the success of green marketing programs depends on the integration of education into a carefully targeted marketing program emphasizing functional and emotional values to differentiate renewable energy and simplify consumer decision-making processes.     

Leveraging social media-based determinants to build customer-based brand equity of a retailer

ABSTRACT

Social media is all about consumer networks and consumer relations that challenge marketers to leverage social media as a means to develop and improve their connections with consumers. Though tremendous opportunities via social media are alluring, businesses are still finding it hard to penetrate the clique of consumer interactions that are largely personal in nature. Despite the opportunities available through social media marketing activities, understanding customers and their behavior, and incorporating that information in marketing strategy formulation is critical to successful strategy implementation. This study takes a significant leap forward in this direction. Theoretically grounded in diverse fields, this study demonstrates how retailers can build customer-based brand equity using social media-based brand determinants. Using seemingly unrelated regression technique, this study examines how retailer brands can leverage consumer characteristics on social media to successfully integrate and capitalize on social media marketing activities. This research study has important implications for both marketing theory and practice.     

Marketing tactics discouraging price search: Deception and competition

Retailers attempt to assure consumers that their deals are bargains using a variety of marketing tactics. Because consumers continue information and price searches until satisfied with the amount of the information to make a purchase, such bargain assurances (BAs) can change consumers' shopping behavior. This article identifies twelve common BAs and reviews extant marketing literature to derive evidence of how BAs affect consumers' purchasing behavior. It then examines how these practices are regulated to prevent consumer deception or a reduction in competition. This article concludes by offering three policy recommendations: BAs influence consumers and require regulation; the regulation of BAs demands a comprehensive rather than a piecemeal approach; and consumer policy should facilitate and encourage accurate price comparisons.     

Market similarity and market selection: Implications for international marketing strategy

International market selection patterns for a sample of 954 new products suggest that firms exhibit a significant preference for markets similar to the home market. Preferences for similar markets decline as firms gain experience in a variety of markets, however. This pattern suggests the importance of uncertainty and information in global market selection and marketing mix management. Alternative means of gathering information about foreign markets permit and support very different approaches to global marketing activity. More fundamentally, a global perspective on the relationship between market conditions, marketing policies and programs, and consumer response can be developed systematically to improve global marketing performance.     

Consumer attitude toward virtual stores and its correlates

Supported by the growth of information technology, the virtual stores have increased their importance in the modern marketing environment. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationships between consumer attitude toward virtual stores and its correlates. A conceptual model with four postulated hypotheses is proposed and verified by empirical data. Our study results show that consumer risk averseness is negatively related to consumer attitude, whereas consumer convenience orientation and the impulse tendency are both positively related with consumer attitude toward virtual stores. Implications for practitioners and suggestions for further research are also provided.     

Changing Times

The study focused on the impact of marketing information (direct information) on consumer buying behavior in a matured marketing environment. The respondents responded to queries related to the influence of marketing information (product, price, promotion, place, etc.) on their purchase of passenger cars. Simple linear regression and multiple liner regression methods have been used to test the consistency and impact and the results suggest that (a) all marketing information has an impact on consumer buying behavior and (b) Product and Place/Distribution information have high impact and price and promotion information have low influence over consumer purchase.     

Product information and consumer choice confidence in multi-item sales promotions

This research augments efforts to produce a richer understanding of the drivers of consumer choice confidence. It examines the interplay between two marketing interventions that consumers encounter in retail marketplaces, diagnostic product information and multi-item sales promotions. Results indicate that the influence of product information varies as a function of sales promotion format. The information effect is weaker when consumers are allowed to select the products that will be included in the promotion. Perception of information adequacy is revealed as a mediator of the information diagnosticity effect. The implications for marketing theory and promotional strategy are discussed.     

Developing a distinctive consumer marketing organization

Marketing excellence is a key success factor in virtually any industry or company focused on consumer products or services. Defining what marketing excellence really means and how to mobilize the organization to achieve that goal, however, can be extremely challenging. This article examines the changing nature of the relationship between consumer and marketer and identifies the characteristics of excellent consumer marketing companies. While there is clearly no single right answer in designing marketing organizations, a number of companies in a variety of consumer industries have begun experimenting with promising results. While the solutions are different in each case, a number of common themes—including a clear linkage between strategy and marketing skills, seamless integration across the business system, and a clear marketing culture—are beginning to emerge.     

Identification of Marketing Needs and Means of Communication of Romanian Marketing Companies in the Context of the Knowledge Society

A few decades ago, academics and economic pundits used to say that information is the main source of power. However, in the Knowledge Society, as we experience it today, information is readily available for everyone, and the real challenge is to master modern and complex information analysis tools, which can make sense of the information overflow of modern society, thus constituting the true competitive advantages of major economic players. For a competent analyst, data generated by a survey, for instance, can reveal paramount information about consumer behavior, competitive strategies, or any other economic and social environment-related aspect deemed important. The marketing needs of Romanian marketing companies are very diversified, commencing with the research of the needs and demand on the target market, going down to the 4Ps (Product, Price, Promotion, and Placement) and their components. The present marketing research was performed using seven categories of information sources: specialized publications in marketing; specialized publications in economics; information provided by specialized institutions in consultancy and marketing research; information provided by individual marketing specialists; information provided by advertising agencies; information provided by the economic sections of the daily newspapers; and job Websites.     

The changing consumer in the Netherlands : Recent changes in environmental variables and their consequences for future consumption and marketing

Changes in many environmental (exogenous) factors during the eighties and early nineties affect marketing management and consumer behaviour in the Netherlands. Some of these factors relate to the effects of the economic recessions in the early eighties and the early nineties. Other factors are autonomous trends in a number of economic, demographic, and cultural factors. These factors determine a “macro marketing mix” for marketing management decisions of companies. In this article, we discuss the changing consumer environment and its impact on production and retailing of consumer goods and services in the Netherlands for the last decade of this century. This information on the Netherlands, as well as on the other nations of the European Community, is relevant for marketers operating in, or considering entering, the Dutch market. For governmental decision makers and scientists this information on future consumption and marketing is relevant for their policy and research.     

数据库营销的基础条件分析

本文对数据库营销应用的基础条件进行了分析,指出由于消费者购买习惯的转变、企业信息化水平的提高和管理理念的转变,在客户、技术和管理三个环节的基础条件已经具备。     

Modelling real-time online information needs: A new research approach for complex consumer behaviour

Abstract

A major challenge for online vendor website operations is serving information that meets visitor needs at a given point in their purchase process. The problem arises from the complexity of human behaviour, as well as changing needs with the evolution of consumer knowledge and skills through the purchase process. The most difficult element, however, is determining the effects of information provided on the site, as well as from other sources that the consumer may access, and anticipating resulting consumer needs. This paper discusses the contributions and limitations of current modelling techniques and utility studies of online consumer information to model consumer needs in real time. An alternative basis for real-time customer need appraisal is proposed using clickstream and customer input data combined with online information utility to enable more effective information serving. This requires further academic research and changes in practitioner online marketing operations.     

How (not) to market socially responsible products: A critical research evaluation

Growing awareness of their obligations towards society leads an increasing number of companies to produce socially responsible products (SRPs). In order to develop suitable marketing and communication strategies, it is essential to have a realistic picture of consumer priorities, and in the light of these findings, of the viability of classical academic marketing approaches, such as Kotler's societal marketing concept. This study provides a qualitative evaluation of the contradictory research literature on consumer interest in SRP and an assessment of the usability of classical marketing approaches. It contributes essential insights to the ongoing academic debate about a conceptualisation of SRP marketing approaches. Also, it will allow practitioners more ease of access to this debate. Findings show that a majority of consumers prioritise conventional product features and demonstrate low interest in SRP. Consumer research which states otherwise is revealed as methodologically flawed. Most classical marketing approaches are shown to be unsuitable for SRP marketing and communication since they fail to take into account the widespread lack of consumer interest and/or focus on consumer features irrelevant to marketing SRP. Directions for future research on SRP marketing and communication strategies are outlined.     

Why do public policy-makers ignore marketing and consumer research? A case study of policy-making for alcohol advertising

Public policy-makers have been noted to sometimes ignore marketing/consumer research, even when the policy issue clearly pertains to consumption markets. We embark to identify factors that may explain policy-makers’ limited attention to marketing/consumer research, especially in cases related to consumer affairs that may have public health implications. Empirically, we focus on policy-making around the advertising of alcohol products. Having been involved in this policy-making process in Finland, we elucidate the case through an introspective narrative. We find that the factors explaining policy-makers’ limited attention to marketing/consumer research range from the decision-making characteristics of policy-makers, through inconsistent definitions for key terminology, to the fear of over-generalizing certain theories of marketing/consumer research. Regarding the latter, a key issue in the present case was that public policy-makers were unconvinced about the generic marketing theory stating that in mature markets, advertising will not increase the total consumption demand of a product category.     

闻“香”而悦便会因“情”而买?——消费者涉入的调节作用

嗅觉器官是人类接收外界信息的重要器官,已有大量研究证明在顾客的消费过程中利用环境气味刺激个体的嗅觉能够积极影响消费者对于产品的购买意愿或所在环境的评价。文章基于精细加工可能性模型,通过实验研究方法引入消费者涉入作为调节变量,验证环境气味对消费者情绪的影响以及探讨情绪机制的边界条件。实验结果显示:环境气味能够提升消费者购买意愿,情绪在环境气味和购买意愿之间起中介作用;情绪的中介效应被消费者涉入调节,对同一产品而言,涉入度低时,消费者购买意愿显著增强,涉入度高时,消费者购买意愿差异不显著。本研究对于拓展感官营销的适用边界具有一定的理论意义,也对企业有效采取气味营销、提升感官营销效果具有重要的实践意义。     

Twenty-five years of consumer vulnerability research: Critical insights and future directions

Consumer vulnerability is gaining increasing attention from researchers and practitioners as a social phenomenon in modern consumption-driven societies. In an attempt to conduct a comprehensive review using credible published research materials on the topic, this study applies a big data analytics approach to analyze scholarly research with a pool of 859 articles covering the last 25 years of post-modern marketing practices that have been a precursor to market-driven vulnerability. This paper identifies the most influential articles, as well as the top contributing journals and authors, along with their affiliations. In addition, this study reveals four major themes of research in consumer vulnerability, namely marketing, fraud and consumers, consumer vulnerability and well-being, ethics and vulnerable consumers, and consumption, disability and gender. These integrative perspectives will serve as a critical starting point to encourage focused theme-based exploration in the field.