Internet Engagement Process

Abstract

It is well established that attracting users to a commercial website is an essential prerequisite to e-commerce. However, research has also suggested that engaging them on the site, once they are there, is an important element of converting web surfers to buyers. This study investigates Internet experience and its effect on certain web features that could aid in making a website “sticky.” Features studied include searching, online shopping, online learning, chat rooms, and e-mailing. All of the features, with the exception of e-mail and chatting, demonstrated significant differences based on user experience. This implies that certain website features can be used to differentiate users in a predictive fashion.     

Integrated consumer shopping decision model: A Japanese online supermarket context

Abstract

Online shopping is not a new marketing channel but has been growing tremendously throughout Japan. The rapid growth of Internet technology has enabled the Japanese to break away from their conservative culture and embark on different shopping experiences by shopping online. With the growing importance of online reviews to promote one’s business, Japanese online supermarkets are looking for ways to increase consumer-generated content. The purpose of this study is to investigate Japanese repeat online consumers and the antecedents that encourage them to review their shopping experiences, including the supermarket website they used and product availability in the online supermarket. It was found that online supermarkets must focus on establishing confidence with their repeat online consumers if they desire to increase the electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) of their online supermarket. Implications are discussed in relation to online supermarkets and repeat consumers’ intentions to review their online shopping experiences.     

The Relationships of Customer-Perceived Value,Satisfaction, Loyalty and Behavioral Intentions

Abstract

The concept of Customer-Perceived Value (CPV) has become a matter of increasing concern in marketing literature. However, there are few empirical studies that attempt to examine the notion of it. Filling this gap, this study provides a conceptual as well as empirical investigation of CPV as a formative construct and also offers an insight regarding the role of CPV in influencing, through satisfaction and loyalty, the behavioral intentions of word of mouth, repurchase intention and cross-buying. Furthermore, the potential moderating role of social pressure in the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty is also examined. The results suggest that delivering superior customer value enables a firm to achieve favorably behavioral intentions. Implications for practice, study limitations and future research are discussed.     

The Mediating Role of Customer Relationship on the Social Media Marketing and Purchase Intention Relationship with Special Reference to Luxury Fashion Brands

The reach of internet technology and social media has opened abundance of opportunities for marketers as well as for consumers across the globe. To anticipate future purchase behavior of consumers, marketers are not leaving any stone unturned. The main objective of this study is to investigate the direct and indirect impacts of social media marketing activities (entertainment, customization, interaction, word of mouth, and trend) on consumers' purchase intentions in luxury fashion brands. This study employed higher order Structural Equation Modeling to test the study model with (n = 243) sample data. We found positive significant impacts of social media marketing and customer relationships on consumers' purchase intentions. In addition, our study model confirmed full mediation of customer relationships in the relationship between social media marketing and consumers' purchase intentions. Based on our research findings, we strongly recommend that marketers of luxury fashion brands engage in social media marketing activities to provide value to customers.     

Examining Employee—Service Personality Congruence

Abstract

Recent research indicates that service personality, conceptualized as the set of human characteristics associated with the service firm, plays an important role in services marketing. Research further indicates that the congruence between customer personality and service personality influences important outcome variables. Specifically, customer-service personality congruence has been shown to influence service quality perceptions, subjective disconfirmation, and word of mouth intentions. The current study extends this line of research by considering how employee-service personality congruence (ESPC) influences job outcome variables including service delivery, job satisfaction, intentions to leave, and organizational commitment. Empirical data, gathered from a sample of financial services employees, support hypothesized relationships between ESPC and these outcome variables. Furthermore, personality traits from the Five-Factor Model of personality (Costa & McCrae, 1992) are shown to play an important role in ESPC perceptions. Managerial implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Marketing Alliances Between Non-Profits and Businesses: Changing the Public's Attitudes and Intentions Towards the Cause

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine to what extent corporate and non-profit alliances can impact the public's attitudes and intentions to support a cause. Through the use of experimental design four types of alliances were examined: (1) low affinity cause aligned with company with strong reputation, (2) low affinity cause aligned with company with weak reputation, (3) high affinity cause aligned with company with strong reputation, and (4) high affinity cause aligned with company with weak reputation. Results of paired sample t-tests indicated significant changes for only one type of alliance, that which is between a low affinity cause and a corporate sponsor with a strong reputation. The low affinity cause experienced increased: (a) customer trust in the non-profit, (b) intentions to support the cause, (c) evaluations of cause importance, (d) personal feelings of responsibility to help the cause, and (e) evaluations of consequences for society through providing support. For the remaining three types of alliances changes were not significant.     

Word of mouth as a promotional tool for turbulent markets

Word‐of‐mouth advertising involves activities to encourage consumers to talk about a product or company to friends and neighbours, setting in motion a chain of communication that could spread through a whole market. Each activity, itself small and relatively unimportant, could escalate through word of mouth to create strong, positive brand images and beliefs. A major characteristic of chaos theory, sensitive dependence on initial conditions (the butterfly effect) is at work in word of mouth. This paper reviews word of mouth literature from a chaos/complexity theory perspective. Using a multiple case study approach, the significance of word of mouth in turbulent markets is assessed. It was found that more successful companies tended to use word of mouth proactively, and that it is an effective marketing tool for turbulent environments. Furthermore, chaos theory is shown as a good lens through which to view word of mouth. This paper is important because word of mouth has had little attention from the academic community, with the exception of electronic or Internet based word of mouth. Furthermore, it suggests an academic theory to underpin word of mouth that has not been considered before. In addition, it is important because, in South Africa and possibly in other under‐developed and developing countries, word of mouth is critical to marketing to less sophisticated or literate markets.     

Contemporary Sports Marketing

Abstract

The term ?sports marketing“ developed in the United States as a way to analyze and implement strategies in which innovative as well as tried and true marketing techniques are used to financially support amateur and professional sports. With costs increasing, purveyors of ports must look for additional revenue beyond ticket sales and television fees. Corporations are searching for ways to increase the effective use of the advertising dollar. The partnership of the two parties has never been stronger than today, in the U.S. and abroad. In fact, sports collectively currently make up the 11th largest industry in the country. This article reviews the various aspects of the sports marketing mix including sponsorships, partnerships, the athlete, as well as the upcoming role of the web. The implications to corporations, the rising female athlete, and future challenges and opportunities are discussed     

Determinants of organisational identification and supportive intentions

Abstract

Organisational identification is the perception of belongingness to an organisation and a sense of oneness with the organisation. Identification has long been recognised as having important implications for the sense of satisfaction and belonging of employees and for the effectiveness of the organisation. Our research examined the impact of students' identification with a university on intentions to support the university. Drawing data collected at three different universities in Korea, the researchers investigated: (1) the effect of students' identification with athletic programmes and their academic department on identification with a university and intentions to support a university; and (2) the effect of identification with a university on intentions to support the university. Three hundred and six university students participated in the study. Structural equation modelling (i.e. LISREL) was employed to test the causal relationships among the hypothesised relationships. Results showed that identification with both athletic programmes and academic department had strong effects on intentions to support the university. In addition, those who identified with the university showed strong intentions to support the university. The results of the study indicate that individuals who identify with the organisation are apt to support it in various ways, and that identification can be encouraged through various means. The findings of this study may also suggest some important implications for marketing managers and their organisations.     

Targeting direct marketing campaigns by neural networks

Abstract

Market-oriented companies increasingly aim at maximising the return of targeted direct marketing campaigns, rather than trying to reach customers and prospects indistinctly, according to a mass marketing approach. The profitability of direct marketing campaigns depends on a detailed definition of prospects and an accurate prediction of the response rate. This study shows how the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) can improve the effectiveness of direct mail marketing campaigns thanks to a better prediction of the response rate for subjects included in the target population according to factors that are believed to have an impact on their purchase intention. Results show the effectiveness of ANNs – in comparison with multiple regression analysis and logistic regression analysis – in identifying complex relationships among the data, and particularly in profiling customers and prospects and anticipating their behaviour.     

A Review and Evaluation of 2002 State Visitors' Travel Packets: A Fifty State Study

ABSTRACT

Official state visitors' travel packets were collected and analyzed in terms of strategic contributions to marketing communications goals. It was recognized that some states capitalized on the opportunity to obtain useful information and/or to make a favorable first impression during the potential tourist's inquiry phone call, although most did not. The majority of the distributed state visitors' packets were lackluster and collectively homogeneous. Slogans were found to be an underutilized tactic. The sponsorship of back covers was addressed. Noting the importance of the visitors' travel packet in terms of accomplishing marketing communications objectives, a call for accountability from the states was stressed.     

Commercial B2B Web Site Attributes Within the Perishable Sector

ABSTRACT

This study examines the factors determining the quality of a business-to-business web site using data from the perishable industry. Data from two time periods are used to identify the persistent trends in web features that support customer interaction. A binomial probit model is used to assess the contribution that various features have on the probability of a web site being included in the Forbes listing of prominent web sites. The results indicate that features such as customer support, promotion, proprietary software availability, and the duration of web site operation play an important role in determining the probability of a website being listed in the Forbes list.     

Impact of apps aesthetics on revisit intentions of food delivery apps: The mediating role of pleasure and arousal

Online food delivery (OFD) apps are changing the way we consume food. Despite increasing the popularity of OFD apps, limited studies have explored the reason behind popularity which contributes to the revisit intentions. This study investigates the drivers of revisit intentions by adopting stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory and pleasure arousal dominance (PAD) theory as a theoretical lens. A model is conceptualized by including aesthetic formality and aesthetic appeal of OFD apps as stimuli, pleasure, and arousal as the internal state of the organism, and revisit intentions and word of mouth (WOM) as a response. Data is collected from OFD app users through a survey questionnaire. Findings indicate that aesthetic appeal is associated with pleasure and arousal. Aesthetic formality is associated with pleasure, word of mouth, and revisit intentions. Further, pleasure influences arousal, word of mouth, and revisit intention. The findings also confirmed the mediating role of pleasure and arousal. The study contributes to the practice and theory in the context of online food delivery apps.     

Let’s Get Real (Time)! The potential of real-time marketing to catalyze the sharing of brand messages

Abstract

Social media are increasingly populated with brand messages that are linked to timely events, a practice that is also known as real-time marketing (RTM). In this study, we examine whether RTM is an effective strategy to boost sharing behaviour, and if so, what moment- and content-related characteristics contribute to its effectiveness. A content analysis of brand tweets from Nielsen’s top-100 advertisers (n?=?1500) shows that RTM positively affects word of mouth. RTM is especially a more effective strategy when brand messages are linked with unpredictable events (vs. predictable). This can be explained by the meaningfulness dimension of creativity; brands make a more meaningful connection to timely moments in unpredictable RTM than in predictable RTM. Furthermore, we found support for the beneficial effects of moment-driven visuals; RTM messages are shared more when public events are visually integrated with those messages. No such effect was found for moment-driven hashtags.     

Customer Satisfaction with Consumption Systems

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This research examines how satisfaction toward a product and its associated services offered together by a single provider jointly affects behavioral intentions toward the provider.

Design/methodology/approach: In this study, empirical tests were conducted using longitudinal data spanning 5 years from a multinational company that offers both products and associated services as part of a consumption system to their customers.

Findings: Results show a joint congruent effect of product and services satisfaction on behavioral intentions is linear and positive. It appears that offering great service cannot compensate for less-than-adequate satisfaction toward the product. The results further highlight decreasing customer sensitivity to improvements in both sources of satisfaction and imply that focusing on too high levels of one type of satisfaction for their customers can actually be counterproductive for firms.

Research Limitations: Our model was tested using the data obtained from a single firm. Future research could test this model with data from multiple firms in various different industries and establish broader generalizability to the findings.

Practical Implications: Findings provide managers with insights on how to allocate resources across product and service spaces and to manage product and services revenues over time. Results also indicate that customer behavioral intention ratings are more weighted on product quality over the service received by them. However, mere improvements in the product cannot provide the highest desired results and therefore quality improvements in the product need to be complemented by improvements in service quality.

Originality/Value: There is a rapid emergence of the phenomenon of manufacturers providing both products and services as an integrated consumption system to their customers. While the provision of both product and service subsystems by the same firm leads to certain synergies, there are obvious costs to the development of new service capabilities and coordination with existing product capabilities. Our research intends to address this issue.     

Surprendre positivement les clients : une tactique en marketing relationnel pour développer un avantage concurrentiel dans le secteur des services financiers

The turbulent environment in which financial institutions evolve motivates strategic thinking aimed at competitive advantage. Drawing from the literature on relationship marketing, one potentially successful strategy at the level of front line service is for financial advisors to behave in a pleasantly surprising way toward their clients (e.g., acknowledging a family member's birthday; covering a parking expense; giving tickets to an entertainment venue). We examine both antecedents and consequences of clients' perceptions of their advisors behaving in a pleasantly surprising way toward them. Antecedents included advisors' customer orientation, knowledge of client, and sense of humour. Consequences included clients' trust, satisfaction, purchase intentions, and word‐of‐mouth intentions. Several strategic recommendations and research avenues following from these findings are offered. Copyright © 2008 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Internet Marketing Communications in the Selling Process

Abstract

The internet represents an opportunity for sellers to communicate easily with potential and existing customers across the world. To what extent are websites and e-mail used in the selling process for complex services? A sample of advertising agency affiliates found some differences in the frequency of e-mail and website use for different selling tasks. In addition agencies in high-income regions used website communication more frequently than those in low-income regions, but no significant differences were discerned in e-mail use between the two groups.     

Gender differences in the interpretation of web atmospherics: A selectivity hypothesis approach

This paper sets out to explore the role of gender as a moderator of the relationship between web atmospheric cues and virtual visitor's attitudes. In a laboratory experiment, the web atmospherics of a museum website – conceived as high and low task relevant cues – are manipulated so as to assess their impact on attitude toward the website and attitude toward the brand. The findings indicate that low task relevant cues are associated not only with higher attitude toward the website but with more positive evaluations of the brand as well. Gender has a moderating effect on both relationships of interest: In the absence of low task relevant cues, males develop less favorable attitudes toward the site and the brand, while females' attitude remains consistent across both experimental conditions. The findings are interpreted from a Selectivity Hypothesis viewpoint, which attributes gender differences in cognitive evaluations, to differences in information processing style. The study underscores the value of web atmospherics for service branding, elucidating the benefits for webpage design. It also supports the relevance of the Selectivity Model in the Internet context and highlights its significance in the sphere of online attitude development.     

Pleasantly surprising clients: a tactic in relationship marketing for building competitive advantage in the financial services sector

The turbulent environment in which financial institutions evolve motivates strategic thinking aimed at competitive advantage. Drawing from the literature on relationship marketing, one potentially successful strategy at the level of front line service is for financial advisors to behave in a pleasantly surprising way toward their clients (e.g., acknowledging a family member's birthday; covering a parking expense; giving tickets to an entertainment venue). We examine both antecedents and consequences of clients' perceptions of their advisors behaving in a pleasantly surprising way toward them. Antecedents included advisors' customer orientation, knowledge of client, and sense of humour. Consequences included clients' trust, satisfaction, purchase intentions, and word‐of‐mouth intentions. Several strategic recommendations and research avenues following from these findings are offered. Copyright © 2008 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fast Food Television Advertisement Formats

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to examine favorite formats in hamburger television advertisements in order to assist companies in effectively communicating with their target audiences and to motivate those audiences to purchase products. The main findings of the study are that college students appear to prefer the special-effects format for presenting hamburgers in television advertisements. In addition, the testimonial format in television advertisements seems to motivate college students' purchase intentions for hamburgers more than other formats. Implications of the study regarding segmentation information usage, establishment of business image and individual purchase motivation, and the relationship between brand and format effects are discussed.