How voice retailers can predict customer mood and how they can use that information

In two studies we investigate how voice shopping may provide access to meaningful data on customer mood and how retailers may use such data. In Study 1 we explores the use of a machine learning approach to predict customer mood based on customer commands in the voice shopping process. We compare it to a heuristic approach to customer mood prediction based on situational correlates of mood that that a smart speaker can access (weather, music choice, day of week, and daylight). In Study 2 we explore how a voice retailer could use the potential capability to predict customer mood. Our results provide evidence that a customer’s good mood is associated with purchases of higher-priced premium brands. In addition, retailers can use mood prediction to adapt the presentation of product information to fit customer mood, thus helping customers optimize their decisions. In a sensitivity analysis, we examine what accuracy of mood prediction could enable retailers to use the explored effects.     

The impact of shopper mood and retail salesperson credibility on shopper attitudes and behaviour

This paper examines the effect of shopper mood and salesperson credibility in a retailing context. It predicts that shoppers in good moods will respond positively to a high-credibility salesperson but not a low-credibility one. Using a three-way full-factorial experimental design, this notion is supported. Credible salespeople are found to have a positive effect on shoppers in good moods, but not bad moods, with respect to salesperson evaluations, to purchase intentions and to intentions to seek out the salesperson in subsequent shopping.     

The effects of salesperson mood, shopper behavior, and store type on customer service

This paper proposes that salesperson mood, shopper behavior, and store type have significant effects on the level of customer service provided by a store. Results from a laboratory experiment reveal that salespeople enjoy unpleasant shoppers less but serve them more. Salespeople in a good mood are more uniform in their delivery of customer service, while those in a bad mood are more likely to provide poor service to pleasant than to unpleasant customers. The study also reveals that department-store salespeople provide a more uniform level of customer service than discount-store salespeople. Conclusions and management implications are discussed.     

The impact of customer-specific marketing expenses on customer retention and customer profitability

We study the effects of customer-specific marketing expenses on customer retention and customer profitability in a business-to-business setting. Using data from a company providing hygiene services, we look at the impact of a hitherto unstudied type of expense targeted at individual customer relationships: the offering of free equipment to customers. The data allow tracking the activities performed in more than 4,500 customer relationships over a period of 4 years. Retention rates are higher for customers targeted with free equipment, but this effect results from an interaction with customer size. First-order dynamic panel data analyses show that the impact of targeted marketing expenses on customer dollar profit is positive for large customers, but there is no effect for smaller customers. Thus, targeted marketing expenses seem to be a tool for relationship maintenance rather than customer development: they help in retaining large customers that generate more profit, but they do not seem to work in developing new customers into larger, more profitable ones.     

Pre- and post-purchase stage in impulse buying: The role of mood and satisfaction

The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of impulse buying tendency and pre-purchase mood on impulse buying. The study further considers the effect of impulse buying on post-purchase mood. In this context, this research examines how pre-purchase mood affects post-purchase mood, with customer satisfaction as a mediating variable. The results reveal that consumer impulse buying tendency and pre-purchase mood encourage impulse buying positively. In addition, it is found that impulse buying has no influence on post-purchase mood. Moreover, satisfaction has a partial mediator role between pre-purchase mood and post-purchase mood.     

Do promotion and prevention focus influence impulse buying: The role of mood regulation,shopping values,and impulse buying tendency

Earlier researchers have observed that an individual consumer's mood plays a significant role in increasing the impulsiveness, which leads to impulsive buying. The literature on shoppers' motivational traits has profoundly acknowledged the impact of these traits and mood regulation constructs on individual shopping values. The present study is a pioneer attempt proposing a comprehensive model, which incorporates three main antecedents (motivation, mood and value) of buying behaviour that influence the consumer purchasing decision. The paper empirically explores the liaison between the regulatory focus (promotion-focused and prevention-focused motivations), mood regulation (mood monitoring, mood clarity and mood repair), shopping values (hedonic and utilitarian), and impulsive buying behaviour. The outcomes suggest that two regulatory focus motives influence mood clarity. Mood repairing and mood monitoring impact hedonic shopping values, which has a substantial impact on consumers' impulsive buying tendency. The paper closes with theoretical and practical inferences, limitations, and discussion on the potential scope for future research.     

The impact of the introduction and use of an informational website on offline customer buying behavior

Do customers increase or decrease their spending in response to the introduction of an informational website? To answer this question, this study considers the effects of the introduction and use of an informational website by a large national retailer on offline customer buying behavior. More specifically, we study a website's effects on the number of shopping trips and the amount spent per category per shopping trip. The model is calibrated through the estimation of a Poisson model (shopping trips) and a type-II tobit model (the amount spent per category per shopping trip), with effect parameters that vary across customers. For the focal retailer, an informational website creates more bad than good news; most website visitors engage in fewer shopping trips and spend less in all product categories. The authors also compare the characteristics of shoppers who exhibit negative website effects with those few shoppers who show positive effects and thus derive key implications for research and practice.     

The impact of customer satisfaction and relationship quality on customer retention: A critical reassessment and model development

Customer satisfaction with a company's products or services is often seen as the key to a company's success and long-term competitiveness. In the context of relationship marketing, customer satisfaction is often viewed as a central determinant of customer retention. However, the few empirical investigations in this area indicate that a direct relationship between these constructs is weak or even nonexistent. The overall purpose of this article is to develop a conceptual foundation for investigating the customer retention process, with the use of the concepts of customer satisfaction and relationship quality. The article involves a critical examination of the satisfaction–retention relationship, and the development of a more comprehensive view of the customer's quality perception. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The impact of brand health on customer equity

This paper aims at studying the interactions between brand and customer assets over the long-term. Through the application of a new behavioural measure called the brand health index (BHI) we examine the impact of brand health on customer equity, and its mediating impact on the advertising-customer equity relationship. Three services industries, department stores, airlines, and banking, were studied from 2001 to 2012. The results show that brand health has a positive impact on customer equity, although the magnitude of the BHI impact varies across different industries. Moreover it was demonstrated that brand health mediates the impact of advertising on customer equity.     

Psychological contracts and fairness: The effect of violations on customer service behavior

A conceptual model of the effect of psychological contracts and associated fairness perceptions on customer service organizational citizenship behaviors (CSOCB) is presented. Psychological contracts, individually held beliefs regarding employer-employee reciprocal expectations and obligations, provide a basis for the comprehensive perception of organizational justice. In turn, justice perceptions result in CSOCB, or externally directed extra-role behaviors. When customer contact employees perceive violations, these behaviors are likely to be either negative or a reduction of positive behaviors. Future research is discussed.     

The impact of different price promotions on customer retention

This paper investigates the impact of different price promotion effects regarding two different types of service cost (i.e., a joining fee vs. a monthly fee) on retention intentions for new customers in the long-term service industry. Based on the depreciation curve, mental accounting, and the escalation of commitment theory, we predict that customers’ retention intentions will be higher when they start using a service with a free monthly fee promotion rather than when they start it with a free joining fee promotion. This expectation was confirmed by five studies; experiments, customer survey, and secondary data. The theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.     

The other customer: The impact of self-image in restaurant patronage

The purpose of this research is to extend the understanding of self-congruity theory to the domain of restaurant patronage. In combination with sociometer theory, we propose a set of relationships among self-image, place commitment, and post-consumption behavior including loyalty and word-of-mouth. The hypotheses are tested on a sample of restaurant consumers in the United States. Analysis of the data demonstrates that while the consumer’s ideal self-image is a significant driver of place commitment and post-consumption behavior, his/her actual self-image is not a significant predictor of these constructs. These findings are considered, and implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

The consumer experience: The impact of supplier effort and consumer effort on customer satisfaction

Existing research on experiential offers often examines the impact of such offers on consumers’ evaluations (e.g., customer satisfaction). Yet existing research has neglected that experiential offers typically involve effort from both the supplier and the consumer – and neglected that effort can influence evaluations. To address this gap, the present study examines the impact of supplier effort and the consumer's own effort on the consumer's evaluation of experiential offers in terms of customer satisfaction. Two experiments, comprising two different experiential offers, were carried out. In both experiments, supplier effort (low vs. high) and consumer effort (low vs. high) were manipulated. Customer satisfaction was the dependent variable. The results show that high supplier effort boosts customer satisfaction, and that the effects of consumer effort are either absent or indirect with a negative impact. Moreover, the results indicate that a supplier effort-consumer effort gap (i.e., the consumer perceives that the supplier has expended more effort than the consumer) contributes positively to customer satisfaction.     

The impact of ethical cues on customer satisfaction with service

This study examines the effects of ethical and unethical cues on customers’ evaluations of the ethics of a service provider and their subsequent satisfaction with the service. The results of a disguised, laboratory experiment are used to suggest that customers respond to unethical cues in the environment through lower ethical assessments and satisfaction ratings, but that ethical cues may not necessarily increase satisfaction scores when compared to a neutral situation. The implications suggest that ethical cues and an honest service provider may be the expected norm, and thus will lead to (or maintain) satisfaction with the service encounter, while unethical cues will create dissatisfaction.     

The effect of perceived economic mobility on customer aggression toward service employees: A darker aspect of customer behavior

The current research illuminates perceived economic mobility (PEM) as a causal antecedent of customer aggression. Study 1 with large‐scale panel data shows that PEM is positively related to attribution of poverty to personal characteristics and self‐centered intention to change jobs. Study 2 based on an experimental design shows that PEM causally induces customer aggression. Study 3 reveals that the effect of PEM on customer aggression varies depending on income; PEM increases customer aggression among low‐income earners, but the effect disappears among high‐income earners. Study 4 examines control over service employees to get self‐beneficial outcomes as a mechanism for the interaction effect of PEM and income on customer aggression. A moderated mediation analysis shows that the indirect effect of PEM on customer aggression through the proposed mechanism is significant among low‐income earners but not among high‐income earners. In sum, main findings of the present article are threefold: (a) PEM induces customer aggression, (b) income moderates the causal relationship, and (c) control to get benefits explains the joint effect of PEM and income on customer aggression. By delineating the dark side of PEM in consumer behavior, this study provides useful marketing implications for lessening side effects.     

The impact of new technologies on customer satisfaction and business to business customer relationships: Evidence from the soft drinks industry

Sales technology has been touted as a primary tool for enhancing customer relationship management (CRM) and thus improving overall customer satisfaction. The marketing, IT, and practitioner literatures make numerous references to the impact of CRM on business orientation and performance. However, according to Richard et al. (2007), not many studies have investigated customer relationship technology adopted by a firm and the impact on relationship development. The aim of this paper is to examine the relative impact of new technologies on improving customer relations and overall customer satisfaction within the sales industry. New technologies have revolutionised the workplace and have become an integral part of organisations throughout the world (Forster, 2000). Driving this revolution are two powerful new forces, cyberspace and computing power. This article defines three key terms which include CRM, customer satisfaction and new technologies and evaluates the impact of these emerging technological developments on relationships and customer satisfaction in a sales force/customer context. Primary research was conducted using two focus groups consisting of nine participants from Britvic. The analysis reveals that technology is both beneficial and essential within the sales force industry for both the sales representative and their customers and provides an insight into the impact of technology on the sales force/customer relationship. The paper concludes with reference to new technologies and the future.     

The influence of tactile input on the evaluation of retail product offerings

Retailers can benefit from allowing customers to touch their products. The influence of tactile input on evaluation, however, remains undemonstrated in the literature. In four experiments, effects of tactile input were observed for product categories wherein tactile input was diagnostic, and depended on product quality. While this effect was moderated by individual differences in need for touch when there was no opportunity for multiple product comparisons, there was no support for a mediating role of affect. Implications for retailing theory and practice are discussed.     

The impact of offshored and outsourced call service centers on customer appraisals

Firms are increasingly relying upon offshored and/or outsourced call centers to provide post-sales assistance to their customers. Although the motivation to engage in these practices is efficiency gains, the possibility exists that offshored and outsourced call centers may have a detrimental impact on customer appraisals. The aim of this research is to posit the conceptual reasons as to why differences may arise in customer evaluations from these practices. To this end, we rely on the homophily principle and hybrid organization theory to provide conceptual grounding, and utilize a company dataset of customer post-call evaluations to offer an initial test of the hypotheses.

Dysfunctional customer behavior: conceptualization and empirical validation

Service Business - Dysfunctional customer behavior is endemic and prevalent across multiple service sectors. However, despite significant interest from practitioners and scholars, understanding of...