This study aimed to identify the factors that comprise the drivers of, and barriers to, the implementation of fast fashion clothing in the retail industry in South Africa via a case study of one of South Africa’s major fast fashion retailers. Using a quantitative, questionnaire-based, e-mailed survey to collect data from a self-selected convenience sample of 78 managers and employees, the study findings confirmed the importance of both information (store feedback and stock planning) and supplier relationships (capability and flexibility) as drivers of fast fashion. Overall, ‘capability’ was perceived overall as the most important factor, enabling adjustments to range, order size and market closer to the selling season. Barriers were confirmed as issues related to product (quality, authenticity, perishability) and social responsibility (environmental and exploitation/ethics) in the opinion of this retailer. Although both were perceived as important, environmental issues dominated, with...
The motives for buying green products have generated scholarly interest, mainly due to concern for the environment. There is, however, a gap in the literature on understanding consumer green purchase intention and actual purchase behaviour in developing countries such as South Africa. The purpose of this study is to develop and test the applicability of green consumption of FMCG products grounded in the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and thus address the “attitudes–behaviour” gap documented in the literature from the perspective of South African consumers. The study uses non-probability, convenience sampling and collected data from 381 consumers residing in the greater Durban area of the KwaZulu-Natal province. Structural equation modelling was applied in analysing the data. The findings of the study indicate that pro-environmental attitude, perceived value (quality) of green FMCG products positively influenced green FMCG purchase intention, which in turn, positively influence the...
Currently, we live in a world that is constantly changing, one in which the digital environment is constantly evolving. In the travel and tourism industry, there is practically no management decision that is not related to digitization. Additionally, this is not only when thinking about the ease of interaction with consumers of tourist services, but also when considering optimizing and reducing costs or when we refer to the management of the business itself. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the evolution of the online tourism market, the most visited travel and tourism websites, and the use of several digital transformation topics among accommodation businesses, such as: social media marketing, online advertising, customer relationship management, and online distribution channel management.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) is a prominent league in Africa. The best South African soccer teams that play in the domestic Premier Soccer League are from Soweto, namely Kaizer Chiefs F.C. and Orlando Pirates F.C. Both teams have a rich history in their domestic league and have become the most successful and recognisable brands in South Africa. The purpose of this study is to validate the dimensions of brand personality of South African professional sport teams, by using Kaizer Chiefs F.C and Orlando Pirates F.C. as examples. The study employed a quantitative research method. The results of this study produced four factor structures, which include Trustworthiness, Competitiveness, Friendliness and Trendiness. In addition, convergent and discriminant validities were assessed. The model fit indices SRMR, RMSEA, GFI, CFI, IFI, and TLI of the measurement model showed a good fit. Therefore, this instrument is valid and reliable to measure the dimensions of professional sport teams in...
Universities need to seek alternative ways to differentiate themselves from others. Connecting with their target market, in a personal manner is not always easy but vital for survival. Universities present themselves to the world through their corporate brand personality. The personal traits assigned to the brand are priceless and valuable for both the user and the company. Understanding the importance of brand personality in higher education is vital, and what better way to portray the brand, than through the strategic plan of the university. Using words that a target audience can identify and relate to can assist in creating brand awareness and loyalty. Using content analysis, the strategic plans of seven Universities of Technology in South Africa were analysed. Five broad dimensions of brand personality were used as the units of analysis. The main purpose of the analysis was to determine how brand personality was reflected within the strategic plans of the universities. The...
Financial technology advancements have made personal banking simpler, allowing a range of services to be accessed anytime and anywhere via various digital methods However, the extent of digital financial technology's impact on consumer perception and adoption of digital personal banking in developing economies remains unclear. The purpose of this study therefore is to review literature on the issues that could influence the perception and use of digital personal banking by consumers. Data was drawn from 116 documents of academic and ‘grey’ literature according to the PRISMA protocol, and analysed by detailed reading, narrative summarising and then deconstructing and reconstructing the contents into the key issues influencing the adoption and use of digital personal banking. First an overview of digital banking in general, and then in South Africa, is provided. Then the different issues, or constructs, that could be drivers of preference for digital personal banking by South African...
The main objective of this study was to conduct an in-depth analysis of Botswana’s tourism, with the hopes to identify factors and challenges affecting the tourism sector in Botswana. This study utilised the interpretivism research philosophy. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews from 10 participants drawn from different segments of the tourism industry for a cross-section of perspectives. A thematic content analysis was employed to analyse the data. Results of the study revealed several factors and challenges with an impact on the tourism industry of Botswana. Chief among them includes Covid-19 (and pandemics); government policies (and regulations); economic climate and climate change. The study also revealed a number of challenges affecting the tourism sector of Botswana which includes lack of engagement within the tourism sector; limited participation of Batswana in the tourism sector; lack of skilled staff; overreliance on international tourists; lack of requisite...
The field of sonic branding has grown rapidly in recent years. While the majority of the developments in this area have thus far been led by practitioners, it is important to understand the cognitive principles underlying the appropriateness and efficacy of sonic branding in order to help develop design principles and practical guidelines that will help to move the field forward, particularly where a brand’s distinctive sonic assets are concerned. This narrative historical review focuses on design considerations for one of the most common sonic assets, namely the sonic logo. Crucially, the question of how these sonic logos come to be associated with brands, and the extent to which their perceptual and affective qualities ought to match the attributes and personality of the brand, are experimentally tractable research questions. Principles drawn from the cognitive (neuro-)sciences, including the emerging field of research on crossmodal correspondences, are explored, providing...
The goal of this paper was to investigate the effectiveness of e-marketplaces for Cape Town's Small and Medium Retailers (SMRs). With the rise of e-commerce, small and medium retailers (SMRs) must find ways to stay connected to customers; geographical barriers should not be an impediment to their relationship with customers. The problem is that many South African small and medium enterprises (SMRs) have a difficult time adopting effective e-commerce trading platforms. Within a South African context, literature does not distinguish between e-commerce and e-marketplaces for SMRs. SMRs have been slow to adopt e-commerce, and an alternative to help SMRs take advantage of e-marketplaces has not been fully explored. The use of electronic marketplaces (EMs) is regarded as an easy and viable way for small and medium retailers to connect with customers and suppliers. The innovation diffusion theory (IDT) or diffusion of innovation (DOI) was used for this study. The effectiveness of electronic...
In today’s modern society, the multitude of technological advancements are encouraging an increasing number of people to utilize online shopping platforms. However, from the literature it has been noted that a large portion of consumers who add items to their virtual cart eventually abandon their shopping carts, and this behavior is related to several factors. The study aims to investigate the factors that influence online shopping cart abandonment, namely hedonic purposes, perceived transaction convenience, and organization and research within the South African context. A total of 247 responses were gathered by means of self-administered online questionnaires from South Africans over the age of 18 who had shopped online in the past. The results indicate that for both hedonic purposes and organisation and research, there is a positive statistically significant relationship with online shopping cart abandonment, yet no positive statistically significant relationship with online...
This study determines the attributes that are important in shopping centre selection in South Africa. In it, the researcher determined if shopping centre attributes are influenced by demographic factors. South Africa has witnessed an explosion of shopping centre development, including in rural areas. A survey was conducted in a shopping centre in Venda, South Africa, targeting shoppers who visited the mall at the time of data collection. Regression analysis was used to test the relationships between the constructs and to test the hypotheses. The results of this study showed that price, merchandise and social influence are the most important attributes for shopping centre patronage. The shopping centre attributes was found to be influenced by gender, age and frequency of shopping. The results of this study are important for managers to sustain their shopping centres in a highly competitive environment.
Through information technology, the world is moving towards the digital economy, giving rise to social commerce. This type of marketing be considered a new form of e-commerce that incorporates a holistic approach to social media with the aim of helping users buy and sell products and services online. This empirical research aims to estimate the effects of the cognitive and emotional mechanisms of consumer trust and intimacy on repurchase in social commerce platforms. Thus, it aims to analyze in detail the behavior of consumers based on satisfaction and user-generated content, focusing on the moderating role of the buying habit between trust and repurchase, intimacy and repurchase. In this research, a quantitative study was conducted, targeting Morocco in order to analyze the effects of cognitive and emotional mechanisms on consumers' repurchase intention regarding social commerce platforms. Based on this, we studied the behavior of 3,854 social media users, 2,251 of whom have already...
During the pandemic, smartphone sales in Indonesia increased, especially for companies that continued to innovate, emphasize product quality, and develop creative products. This research aims to examine whether brand image, product quality, and lifestyle affect iPhone purchasing decisions. The method used in this study is a quantitative research method using primary data, conducted through surveys by distributing questionnaires in Yogyakarta Special Region Province, Indonesia. Respondents in this research are iPhone users in Indonesia, and the sampling method in this research involved purposive sampling. After passing the test phase, and through validity and reliability tests, 200 responses were collected. Data analysis tool uses multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed that product quality and lifestyle had positive and significant effect on purchase decision, but brand image does not influence purchase decision. In this case, brand image does not have an influence on...
This study describes motorists’ expectations and perceived performance regarding Traffic Police Departments’ service quality in South Africa and Thailand. It tests correlational and predictive relationships between SERVQUAL dimensions, biographical characteristics, and motorists’ reported level of satisfaction with service quality of traffic police departments adopting an expectancy-disconfirmation model approach. Survey data of respondents from South Africa and Thailand were analysed as overall dataset as well as separately from one another to get insights. Results is intended for re-strategizing the way traffic related services are rendered to overturn motorists’ expressed lack of trust in Traffic Police Departments. The tetrachoric and Pearson correlations and ordinary least square tests performed indicated that age correlated positively and significantly with empathy, while level of education showed a negatively significant correlation with reliability, promptitude and empathy...
The South African retail apparel industry has and continues to undergo major digitisation. This movement better known as e-tailing has pioneered over the years and proven to be a lucrative way of trading. As a developing market, e-tailing has seen increased growth with great potential for new entrants to thrive. Only a small number of e-tailers were dominating the South African online apparel industry. In order to understand and further promote success in e-tailing, the researchers identified the need to determine the critical success factors of leading apparel e-tailers in South Africa. Identifying the CSFs proved to be an integral part of successful e-tailer survival. The objective of this study was, therefore, to establish and delve into the CSFs of both leading pure-play online apparel e-tailers and omnichannel or hybrid retailers based in Cape Town, South Africa. The study adopted a multiple case study approach and a qualitative methodology was used by employing an interpretive...
To perform under the conditions of digitalization, marketers need understandable, accurate, complete, trustworthy, secure, and discoverable data. In this respect, data governance is a solution approach to greater data literacy, data intelligence and data management. This research aims to explore the current academic state-of-art of data governance in the marketing field. Selected items were evaluated using a descriptive statistical approach to identify investigation trends on this topic. The research found that Marketing can benefit from Data Governance focusing data standard settings, data sources coordination and data management, data quality and data security. This requires a strategy, coordinated processes and their meaningful support by people and information technology. The originality of this research is that the approach is unique at this point, and the assimilation of data governance is a clear sign of manifestation for marketing under conditions of increasing digitalization.
Globally, the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced traditional Open Distance electronic Learning (ODeL) institutions and residential universities. It has prompted them to consider distance learning using technological advancement. However, student loyalty is a challenge to achieve and sustain in distance learning. Thus, this study seeks to determine the mediating effect of student satisfaction on student loyalty. The study also sought to examine the mediating effect of satisfaction on the impact of commitment, institutional reputation, service quality, trust, and perceived value on loyalty. The study used a quantitative approach and online survey to collect data. The study used the partial least squares structural equation modeling technique to test the proposed model. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between the constructs. However, commitment showed a partial influence on student satisfaction. Furthermore, satisfaction partially mediates the impact of...
The sports footwear industry is an attractive market, especially with the Generation Y market segment. The purpose of this study is to establish the determinants of brand loyalty of sports footwear brands in South Africa. The study followed a descriptive research design and implemented a quantitative research method. Of the nine independent variables, six variables namely brand image, brand association, style, brand name, price and endorsement were found to have a statistically significant influence on Generation Y consumers’ brand loyalty toward sports footwear, while three of the nine variables namely perceived quality, comfort and style, were not found to be statistically significant predictors of brand loyalty. It is important for manufacturers and marketers of sports footwear brands to understand which factors contribute to brand loyalty to their sports footwear brands as this will provide them with the insight to know what to feature in their product during the production stages...
The aim of the study was to evaluate supply chain performance of the six major clothing retail companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) using the supply chain index. The study adopted a quantitative study and used secondary data from the companies’ publicly shared financial statements. Panel data analysis was employed in the study with a fixed-effects regression model used to analyse the the relationship between the dependent and independent dependent variables. The study found that WHL has the highest supply chain index ranking based on an overall ranking of the firms based on a combination of the strength, balance, and resiliency metrics. This was followed by MRP, which consistently maintained second place. TFG was at the bottom. This framework for the measurement of supply chain performance provides a valuable guide useful in the clothing retail industry and across other industries. Overall, the results encourage organisations to measure supply chain performance...
This research aims to review existing literature on effective marketing strategies for marketers in today’s healthcare institutions. This paper reflects a systematic literature review. Selected articles were analyzed using a descriptive statistical approach to see research trends in this topic. Following that, a meta-synthetic approach was performed to map the study results. The research found four marketing programs and one supporting data assessment of potential market conditions. These findings can better understand effective marketing strategies to increase health service demands. The current research provides novel ideas for people involved in marketing management and future researchers on effective marketing strategies. It identifies up-to-date marketing strategies that healthcare institutions can implement to increase demand for health services.
The recent environmental issues the world has been experiencing recently have increased the awareness of consumers of the necessity of a sustainable consumption pattern to preserve the natural environment. Therefore, green consumption has increased, and companies needed to respond to the rising demand for green products by offering a wider selection of environment-friendly products for green consumers. This article aims to study the purchasing intention of green cosmetics in the case of female student consumers in Hungary. The paper extended the theory of planned behavior by including perceived quality and environmental concern as factors that influence the attitude of consumers towards green cosmetics. This research also takes into consideration the effect of subjective norms on the purchasing intention of green cosmetics. The study employs a quantitative study conducted in Hungary in December 2021 (n = 200). The data was analyzed using PLS-SEM to assess the proposed hypotheses. The...
This study aimed to investigate whether consumers’ personal involvement with the COVID-19 pandemic led to hedonic or utilitarian buying motives, and how these buying motives might encourage impulse or planned buying behaviour. Furthermore, it examined whether these influences differed between a developed country (Germany) and a developing country (South Africa). The methodology involved a quantitative, descriptive, cross sectional survey, using a questionnaire based on the literature and sent by e-mail to a quota sample from an online-accessed consumer panel. Useable responses of 548 each from the two countries were analysed, showing that respondents with high levels of involvement with COVID-19 also show high levels of hedonic motivation, whereas utilitarian motivation appeared less important and not linked to a greater involvement with COVID-19. The study also found that a high hedonic motivation is associated with more impulsive shopping, whereas utilitarian motivation is not. The...
In Bangladesh, online shopping is gaining in motion. Various drivers are there for online shopping and the goal of this study has been set to explore drivers of online shopping according to their dominance among the young in the city of Dhaka. Adhering to a set of objectives; this study first identified a set of six motivational factors from among 21 variables (key factors for online shopping) with the help of an exploratory factor analysis. Then, a binary logistic regression was performed to find significant drivers for online shopping decision and the dominance of those drivers has been explored thereafter using marginal effect. In the aftermath, educational attainment as a socio-economic factor, and perceived risk (security), website factors, and product varieties as motivational factors have been found to be statistically significant drivers for online shopping. Considering the marginal effects, website factors, perceived risk, product varieties, and educational attainment have...
Determining the return on investment of international education has always been complicated and the COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more so, justifying the need for prospective international students to reach out to their social environs. This study sought to identify the word-of-mouth communications (WOMC) that international students receive when they are forming their intention to enroll abroad, or lack thereof. Employing qualitative approach, this study involved interviewing ten international students studying in a mid-size university in the USA. A key study finding is that, during the intention forming stage, not all of the international students involved in this study actively sought WOMC inputs as some already possess past study abroad experiences that they turned to. For those who did reach out for external input, they were particularly susceptible to WOMC that they received from friends or relatives who have studied abroad. Therefore, it implies that tie strength with the WOM...
This research focuses on the Japanese gay TV drama series Ossan’s Love (2018) to investigate why the show attracted not only queer audiences, but also heterosexual audiences by analysing its textual periphery through paratexts such as promotional posters, articles and audience reviews. Normally, publicists tend to avoid emphasising a show’s sexual minority themes in the story, considering that such a polemical theme would narrow the target audience. However, publicity for this show clearly indicated a gay theme in its promotional materials, and the show became popular nationwide. From the perspective of social identity theory, it is difficult to explain how such promotional strategies effectively attracted a heterosexual audience. Through paratextual analysis, this research identified the concept of an ‘ideal society’. At first, some people may think the show is a stereotypical comedy that makes fun of gay people, but they eventually recognise that none of the characters laughs at...
In both traditional and digital channels, the marketing function aims at devising and implementing appropriate strategies and tactics for each stage consumers go through when they are considering a purchase. In the digital environment, brands interact with consumers with use of digital touchpoints, the growing number of which hinders effective and efficient coordination of marketing activities. The present research aims at investigating consumers’ perceived reliance on alternative digital touchpoints throughout the consumer buying process, and examining the impact of personal characteristics and type of digital device used on consumer perceptions. Results from a non-probability sample of 92 consumers showed that participants exhibit increased reliance on corporate websites, online stores, Instagram, web enquiries and YouTube during their buying journey. However, it appears that consumer reliance on digital touchpoints is affected by personal characteristics, such as biological sex and...
Approximately 90% of students enrolled in public universities participated in online learning programs in 2020 in South Africa, yet these institutions are found to be lacking in adapting and serving the new demand for distance learning effectively. This has highlighted the need to undertake the current study to develop a framework for attaining student loyalty in an ODeL institution in the higher education sector in South Africa. A quantitative approach using the survey method was used to collect data. A total of 1430 responses were received from students who were purposely sampled using online questionnaires. A partial least square structural equation (PLS) technique was used to analyze data and to test the research model proposed for the study. This study has innovated a comprehensive framework of student loyalty that can be implemented in ODeL institutions. Although the results reveal a positive relationship between all the constructs studied, of significant outcome is the higher...
The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that comprise the quick response and supply chain activities in the fast fashion clothing industry in a developing country, namely South Africa, and then to investigate the relative importance of these factors via a case study of one of the main fast fashion retailers in South Africa. The research used a case study method with a quantitative, questionnaire-based survey to collect data from a sample of 100 employees, self-selected via a convenience sample, from departments that were purposively selected. Data was collected via an e-mailed survey, resulting in a 45% response rate. The study findings confirmed the importance of both quick response and supply chain efficiency to a successful fast fashion implementation in a developing country like South Africa, in terms of picking up trends quicker, faster lead times and less mistakes, all leading to greater competitiveness. An additional benefit identified was the revival of local...
Modern democratic governance dictates transparency and accountability by public entities in order to ensure good governance. Despite this fact, the City of Cape Town, motivated by a need to reorient its logo and pay-off line to its strategic intent, unilaterally appointed a contractor to design a new logo and pay –off line for the City. This paper interrogates this phenomenon using two theoretical lenses namely the agency theory and marketing communication theory. Using a qualitative methodology, the study sought to ascertain the local stakeholders’ perception of the City brand after the introduction of the new logo and pay – off line. Some purposively sampled residents were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Some open- ended interviews were also held with experts in marketing and communication. Primary data from research was infused with secondary data. The study found out that the City authorities did not quite live up to the dictates of transparency by acting...
South Africa faces economic growth challenges that a strong export sector could help address. The country needs to grow its export sector to help bolster a poorly performing economy. The need for a national information system has been identified and this study aimed to address this need by developing a framework based on sound research. This framework outlines the specific information, as well as the organisational structure, that could be used to ultimately develop and implement a national export portal in South Africa. Adopting a pragmatic multi- and mixed-method approach which incorporated in-depth interviews with the exporter and export support communities in the country, the study strived to identify the information items and information topics that could anchor a framework for the proposed national export portal. The outcome of this study was a suggested framework that could be adopted by Government to build the proposed national export portal.
The main focus of our article is initial trust. Our aim is to highlight the importance of initial trust in international online transactions and to explore its explanatory factors and consequences in the context of cross-border e-commerce. Our article begins with a literature review defining the study variables and the links between them, which leads to the presentation of our conceptual model. After developing our model, we completed an exploratory qualitative research study to examine the identified variables and determine their significance within the context of cross-border e-commerce. Our study reveals the centrality of the constructs of feedback and third parties to initial trust. Other concepts also emerged, including perceived seller responsiveness, international delivery, and price. The factor of national integrity was eliminated. At the theoretical level, our study underlines the importance of certain factors in the formation of initial trust as well as the impact of initial...
Digital transformation of marketing in the public institutions of higher education in Greece, has a key role in the context of the digital revolution. The study aimed at investigating the perceptions and views explicitly or implicitly, of the representatives of the administration of Greek public universities about the relationship between the application of digital marketing and the attraction of students. The study adopted a qualitative research method conducting in-depth interviews with rectors and vice-rectors of 10 representative Greek Universities. Results indicated that administrators believe that digital marketing has a great impact in attracting students, especially young people preparing to graduate from high school. The adoption of digital marketing by the Greek public university is of high priority due to the fact that it influences prospective students in terms of their university choice.
This study aims to clarify how personal characteristics influence the intention to visit Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Specifically, this study focuses on the concepts of consumer innovativeness and market mavenism, which are related to cutting-edge consumers, as the world Expo is an event where people can expect to experience new technologies, products, and services. Multiple regression analysis using data from a web-based questionnaire survey of consumers in urban areas around Tokyo and Osaka confirms that consumer innovativeness and market mavenism had a positive effect on the intention to visit Expo 2025. This study also analyzes the daily information search behavior of consumers with high consumer innovativeness and market mavenism. They were tended to use television and portal sites the most. These results can provide useful insights for marketers worldwide involved in Expo events.
Trading in the informal sector has seen a rapid growth in the developing as well as the developed economies in the last few decades. Consequently, the concept ‘flea market’ has gained renewed attention. The study aimed at identifying the preferred advertising and promotional strategies used by traders and how these strategies influence buying decisions in a flea market context. The study adopted a quantitative method using a non-probability convenience sample of 105 consumers attending the Car Boot Flea Market in the City of Durban, South Africa. Results indicated that as there is a need to save money, pricing of items was found to have a strong influence on the buying decision but consumers also look for a good offer, a clean attractive display of the products, an opportunity to test the product before buying and finding a product that the consumer has been seeking for a long time. Traditional marketing activities like calling out prices, issuing pamphlets and using other tactics to...
The rapid changes seen in retailing practices and consumer behavior models could be attributed to the extensive number of new technology applications. Therefore, these interesting change mechanisms should be explored from different viewpoints using various methods. This study synthesizes the findings of earlier studies in a literature review and provides some implications for future research and practice regarding retailing evolution, especially focusing on the shift from multichannel to omnichannel retailing. It is found that interdisciplinary research methods have been employed in marketing and electronic/mobile commerce to explore current business and consumer practices. This literature review reveals a time-series consistency between multichannel and omnichannel concepts to offer an integrated viewpoint of the available research insights. More specifically, this study attempts to explore and highlight relevant terminology definitions and concepts to underline the crucial issues in...
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our daily behavior, from interactions with friends, colleagues, and family, to safety measures and working. Additionally, this pandemic has dramatically changed consumers’ shopping behavior. The purpose of this research paper is to examine the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on consumer behavior. Thus, this paper proposes a new model that incorporates three variables: attitude for online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, budget considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and future behavioral intention after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study’s main research approach is a quantitative survey and examination using a sample of Romanian consumers. Additionally, the proposed hypotheses were examined in a SEM model and all the hypotheses were supported based on the empirical analysis. This study adds theoretical contributions by assessing the changes of consumers’ online shopping behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Managerial implications, study...
As a marketing tool, color attracts consumers, consequently, shaping their perception. This study seeks to examine how mere colors featured in brand logos evoke consumer perception about a retailer’s eco-friendliness. Data from two experiments show that exposure to a logo featuring a high eco-friendly color (green) makes a retailer’s practice more environmentally friendly, while exposure to a logo featuring a low-eco-friendly color (red) makes the retailer practice seem less environmentally friendly. The paper also demonstrates the moderating role of gender, such that females tend to show more positive responses to a logo featuring an eco-friendly color than male. Further, we show how processing fluency mediates the interactive effect of logo color and consumers’ perception about a retailer’s eco-friendliness. This current research makes some important theoretical contributions to the evolving field of design issues in marketing. Further, this research contributes to practice in...
A new wave of researches supports the importance of examining the efficiency of experiential marketing on consumers satisfaction. In this respect, this paper investigates the relationships between experiential marketing, emotional value and customer satisfaction among Winter Wonderland visitors in Saudi Arabia. Quantitative research was conducted through an online survey. Structural equation modeling analysis was used through the Amos software. Results emphasize the role of sense experience in emotional value creation as well as confirmed the significant positive relationship between emotional value and customer satisfaction. Overall, outcomes offer a better understanding of the experiential marketing use in the context of an amusement park and mark out new avenues for future research.
The aim of this article is to become an overview of how users can be inspired to search around in online webshops. For this it is necessary to have an insight into the inspiration research. This provides a number of factors that could have an impact. It seems sensible to trigger motivation, transcendence and evocation in the website. You should avoid inappropriate web design and usability errors, because it can cause negative emotions. The user is probably more inspired by positive activated affects. This applies to online, as well as the offline situation.
Nowadays, online user reviews are becoming increasingly important to moviegoers, especially in choosing specific movies they want to see. However, not every user review is considered influential by consumers. To describe the characteristics of useful reviews, this study focuses on online movie reviews posted on Yahoo! Japan Movies—a site that features a usefulness counter with each review. Three principal characteristics of useful reviews are demonstrated: a) a longer text, b) a high level of verbal expressiveness, and c) references to other reviews. From the perspective of the cultural dimensions theory, it is reasonable that longer, informative texts with rich expressions are preferred by consumers from cultures with high uncertainty-avoidance scores, such as Japan. However, Japan’s potential moviegoers are motivated by reviews reviewing other reviews, even if some comments about the movie are very negative. This study suggests that people have different tendencies on the Internet...
This study aimed at determining and evaluating customer service at independently owned retail food chains within the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Furthermore, it included assessing the level of retail service quality, current customer service tools employed by independent food chains in KwaZulu-Natal and the extent to which customer service tools are being used. The study was also about establishing whether there was a significant relationship between retail service quality and customer satisfaction. The study targeted both customers and managers of independent food chains in KwaZulu-Natal from whom a sample of four mangers were interviewed and 444 customers were conveniently selected to participate in the study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in the collection of data.
For social media, the current problem is not the lack of knowledge or skills to create personalized campaigns, but the lack of time. With so many different ways to collect as much data from customers, it's impossible for one person to capture this data, discover information, and then set up automated marketing campaigns for each person. Artificial intelligence is the solution to this problem, which focuses on the exploitation of customer data and machine learning in marketing strategies to anticipate the next move of customers and improve its experience through customize content and automation. This article aims to understand in an explicit way how artificial intelligence works on social media to ensure the maximum automation of marketing.
This work examined carbonated beverage consumption among 303 UK university students (132 males, 171 females) and assessed their current beliefs concerning the personal carbonated beverage consumption and preferences. Participants completed a questionnaire that was constructed using an online survey service tool (Bristol Online Surveys). Two products from the Coca-Cola® Company and one product from the A.G. Barr Company were foremost, as the most preferred drinks among respondents. One tenth of the respondents are consuming a carbonated beverage at least once a day, among which one third consume at least two cans per drinking episode. The majority (53%) and (30%) consumed respectively a carbonated beverage once and twice a week. The responses demonstrated a higher tendency for females to use a straw to consume a carbonated beverage in comparison to males. The way drinks are presented seems to be of great significance to females. This study highlighted the current beliefs and...
The study’s objective was to understand the motivation and loyalty of online shoppers in South Africa, and to understand the process undertaken by online shoppers in procuring products and services online. The literature review covered benefits and factors that influence online shopping, online shopping behaviour and patterns, and products offering suitability for online sales. But, did not cover the consumers’ view and approach to online shopping, and the deeper decisions engaged during the process of shopping online. The study utilised the qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews were used to extract data from online shoppers. The study found that online shoppers viewed shopping as utilitarian activity for acquiring products. The activity did not provide any enjoyment or opportunity for human interaction. Online shopping value proposition anchored on efficiency in getting best product information, offering variety and purchasing the products. The study identified gaps in...
Despite the undeniable importance of color in advertising and marketing communication in general, the number of color impact studies in these areas is very scarce. Colors are one of the most important nonverbal signs for products. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to provide some basic guidance and knowledge on the use of color in communication in business culture. The importance of colors takes a significant value when it comes to product promotion and packaging. The function of colors to draw attention is to the fact that colors are the first important thing that attracts the attention of the consumer. The colors accepted by consumers are limited, however they play an important role in brand choice. The colors also draw the consumer’s attention to packaging. The paper explores color perception in more detail, defines the emotional associations that particular colors evoke, and measures the perceived impact of color in marketing use. This study involved a primary research...
The study investigates how sophisticated and advanced entrepreneurs are in terms of customer benefits (CB), and examines how entrepreneurs incorporate CB in products and unique value propositions. The basic CB set: functional, symbolic, experiential and cost, is expanded to an extensive array of 16 CB. It is found that all CB are generally already established or implemented. Some CB are well-known, common, well-implemented, and elementary to implement, while others are not. The implementation of certain CB may require original and innovative thought. Not all CB are well understood or grasped. A number of CB can still be exploited and developed further. It commonly occurred that one customer benefit was (mis)taken for another. Entrepreneurs are not necessarily well-trained and well-informed about CB, and generally have need of learning and developing further in terms of CB, and their application. CB are not that application-specific or -dependent. Many of the CB are possible for many...
Indonesia's tourism ministry is currently intensively using the online environment to promote many of Indonesia’s favorite tourism destinations. Social media tools (Facebook, Instagram etc.) are very popular in today’s Indonesia promotion tools. This research wants to test the relationship between social media promotion, attention, interest, searching, action to destination, and tourists’ intention to share their experiences. With a survey research design applied to 200 tourists of Kei Island, East Indonesia, in the general model, the results found that social media destination promotion influences tourists’ attention, and searching in a positive and significant manner; further, tourists’ searching activity can influence their actions. The study also implied testing the gender as a control variable in a structural equation model and found that for female respondents, social media promotion has a positive and direct influence on the attention of these respondents.
Social media offers marketers a broad set of instruments to connect to targeted customers in a personalized and interactive manner. Different social media platforms enable different innovative strategies for an organization’s social media presence. In this framework, Instagram has become a popular social media platform for luxury fashion brands. This paper explores the area of luxury fashion brands on Instagram by focusing on key practices that should be implemented in a social media marketing strategy. The main objectives of this study are: (1) the present the concept of luxury brands, (2) to examine the social media marketing of luxury brands aimed at driving consumer engagement, (3) to assess the marketing practices of luxury fashion brands on Instagram, especially as they relate to influencers and celebrity endorsements.
As the airline industry reaches its maturity, so do the passengers who are looking for more sophistication in terms of the products and services they buy or expect. Offering a large array of services to customers with different expectations who await customization along their journey has become more challenging for airlines all over the world. Coping with changes in a volatile environment means that airlines need to redefine their customer segmentation, evolving from a social-demographic to a more complicated behavioral approach which encompasses the whole traveling experience and the way airlines deliver at every touching point.
Microgreens are considered a new specialty product in the culinary arts. This horticultural product is composed by the stem and fully developed cotyledons, and sometimes, with the first two true leaves in their first stage of development. Microgreens can be grown with seeds of different species and varieties of vegetables, aromatic herbs and wild herbs, giving to the gastronomic industry new ingredients with flavor, color and texture. The objectives developed in this investigation were divided in two sections. First, the objective focused on determining the productive viability of four different species of microgreens under controlled environment, namely mustard (Brassica juncea var. Red Giant), amaranth (Aaranthus tricolor var. Garnet Red), radish (Raphanus sativus var. Hong Vit) and arugula (Eruca sativa var. Rocket)]. Second, the paper aimed at assessing the current, potential demand and market segments of microgreens in the restaurant industry of the capital of Sonora, Mexico.
Like private organizations, territories have become concerned about their image and their competitiveness. Thus,to improve their attractiveness, cities have invested to enhance their image and create brands to differentiate them from other cities. A territory can not have a good image if the residents are not satisfied. They constitute the first target to be satisfied and integrated into the development project of the territory. The purpose of this research is to study the determinants of the residents' adoption of the city branding. What will make residents adopt or not the brand of their city? This research will be carried out as part of a study on the case of Casablanca, which has had a city branding since September 2016 to promote the city.
This study aims to explore the role of mobile marketing communication on social media networks and how it contributes to customers' experience. For analyzing the gathered information, both qualitative and quantitative techniques have been used. Analysis has been performed with the use of thematic perception for exploring the role of mobile marketing communication on social media networks and how it contributes to customers' experience. Empirical evidences claim that companies which are using social networking sites can easily attract many customers in order to increase the sales and profit. People are more aware of products and they like online purchasing because of various reasons, such as lack of time and the ability of comparing different products. In modern era, people are focused on the mobile phone as they spend most of time on it, and this especially applies to young people. Therefore, companies should take advantage this known fact and increase the visibility of their brands...
The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze the quality of information, quality of the SIPMB website, trust, and behavioral intention to use of SIPMB information on the Government of Banda Aceh. More specifically, the research focused on the impact of information quality, website quality, and user trust on the behavioral intention of using SIPBM and the impact of information and website quality on behavioral intention through a mediating variable, namely trust The subjects of this study were employees of government agencies SKPK in Banda Aceh and the study gathered 140 responses. The results showed that all five hypotheses were accepted, as the study examined direct and indirect relationships. In terms of the direct hypothesis testing, the results showed a significant influence of the independent variables to the dependent variable. The results of indirect hypothesis testing, that examined the quality of information and the quality of the website on behavioral intention...
The study has mainly focused on exploring the characteristics of mobile phone applications that correspond to the need of customers at various phases of Buying Decision Process (BDP). This was mediated with reference to the biggest e-supermarkets in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A two-phase methodology was implemented by combining qualitative and quantitative methods and evaluated 647 responses. E-supermarkets attempted to influence customers’ behavior in all 5 stages of the BDP, as reflected in their mobile applications. However, some mismatches were found with customer expectations. The research increases understanding of the relationship between marketing activities on the e-supermarkets application and consumers’ needs during the purchasing stages offering a new context.
In the context of digital marketing mode, the traditional retail industry encounters unprecedented impact and competitive edges of traditional marketing are disappearing. This paper comprehensively explores and analyzes retail precision marketing strategies based on the digital marketing model. Firstly, the predicament faced by the traditional retail industry from the aspects of commodity and consumer, sales technology and sales thinking is analyzed. Secondly, the strategic implementation of precision marketing in retail industry is presented. Finally, cases of precision marketing applications in reality are studied to analyze the digital marketing mode in three aspects: customer segmentation in marketing market, positioning of shopping basket and targeted customer marketing. It is demonstrated that using big data, changing the traditional marketing mode, implementing precise marketing strategy, accurately gathering limited marketing resources to valuable customers, and establishing a...
The study examines the perceptions of entrepreneurs and innovators regarding radical innovation (RI). Emphasis was squarely on the perceptions innovators hold of RI, to lay bare psyche and mindset in this regard. Given this specific focus, experience of RI was not deemed necessary, only general entrepreneurship and innovation experience. It is believed that any sufficiently experienced innovator would have constructed some perception of RI, and that this greatly impacts attitude towards RI. The study considers comprehension regarding general RI principles, perceived requirements for RI, and general knowledge of RI method. Overall, incremental innovation (II) dominates, and RI enjoys little regard and preference. This is due to the perceived risk, lack of support, and consequently, the cost to the entrepreneur. It may also be impacted by innovation style, and broader factors, like innovation culture and environment. Understanding of RI is simultaneously promising and lacking. There are...
Purchase decision is a decision to choose one from two or more alternative options. It can be assumed that all behaviors are deliberately based on the desire that are produced when consumers consciously and rationally choose one of the alternative actions. This study was conducted in Hardy’s Retailindo, Sanur Branch. The sample included 100 respondents. The techniques of data collection were through observation, interviews, and questionnaire. The techniques of data analysis were through a validity test, reliability test, path analysis, and Sobel test. The results of this study showed that service quality has a significant effect on the purchase decision in Hardy’s Retailindo, Sanur Branch. The level of significance for service quality on the purchase decision is 0.000 < 0.05. Moreover, the service quality also had a significant impact on the corporate image for the retail outlet that was examined in this paper. Another significant effect was established between service quality and...
This study aims to reduce the number of Tuna processing in Aceh products that will be exported to Japan. The decline in the defect level of this product is a critical point to reduce the number of customer complaints so that business continuity with trading partners abroad is maintained. The main fish products export from Aceh are fresh tuna loin fish. There are often complaints from customers in export destination countries because the fresh Tuna Loin products received by them are not up to standard. The color of the tuna is less red and tends to be pale, the fish looks less fresh, and the texture of the fish is broken and mushy. To solve this problem, the PDCA method is used, which consists of Planning by doing observation in the fish processing unit starting from the reception of the fish until the final product processing. It does by improving the weakness of the process such as tightening the time of purchasing fish, adding fish containers, improve cooling room temperature...
The objective of this paper is to identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) of Sailing Yacht tourism based on empirical evidence, mainly on demand aspects. The results will be very useful for decision-makers to design, launch and control marketing strategies and policies including promotional aspects to increase the awareness of the yacht sailors from various parts of the world, arouse their intention to come, increase spending and length of stay in Sabang as a free trade zone in west part of Indonesia. Data collection was conducted qualitatively by using the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) technique conducted in four sessions. Each session involves ten sailors who serve as respondents. The data were then analyzed using both score and weight associated with IFAS and EFAS aspects. The output is mapped in Cartesian graphs. The main finding of this study is that the strategy that must be implemented by Sabang is an Aggressive strategy, which uses the Strength to...
This article aims to identify and develop policies and proposals of primary importance for a sustainable tourism development and a competitive Greek tourist product. As the tourist product is an amalgam of services and resources that are offered and controlled by various businesses, organizations and agencies, the implementation of proposals is the collective responsibility of all, as it involves the cultivation and development of synergies and a climate of cooperation among all the tourist partners. These proposals also refer to the necessary actions both at the macroeconomic level of destination and at the microeconomic level of tourism enterprises. To locate these proposals, the article begins by exploring the tourism development and policy pursued in Greece over the last decades. On the basis of this analysis, the analyzed proposals focus on the following (Mihalic, 2016): (1) organizational, management and institutional reforms required by emphasizing the establishment and...
This article tends to explain the differences between the Outbound Marketing strategy and the Inbound Marketing strategy, by offering a comparison of these techniques used by these two approaches. This paper aims to determine the impact of the “new marketing strategies” on the existent ones, and clarifies if these two strategies are complementary or independent for a company operating in a highly competitive environment.
In recent years, consumers’ loyalty has become an important issue in health-case in general and in dentistry in particular. Following the increasing activity in dental services, consumer loyalty. This study investigates the factors that influence consumers’ loyalty to their dentist. Data was collected through a self-administered survey to consumers; 489 responses were received and 108 surveys were completed and analyzed. The proposed relationships were tested by using regression analysis in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results indicate that consumers’ trust toward their dentist has an effect on consumer loyalty. Further, consumers’ perceived value tends to influence consumer loyalty. However, e-WOM and service’s price do not have an impact on consumer loyalty. These findings have important implications for a manager in dentistry. Managers should increase consumers’ trust and perceived value to keep the consumers coming back to the dental office.
Grounded theory is used to examine the relationship between benefit and innovation. The benefits of a broad array of products were considered, and a list of benefit and functionality categories was devised. 84 products were considered, with little (no) restriction on brand, industry, or time frame. From this 16 benefit categories and 17 functionality categories were listed. These benefit and functionality categories are seen as universal, and not product or industry or time specific. Benefit was equally examined and categorized from the vantage point of market entry and the replacement of existing or incumbent products. The notions of core benefit/ functionality, as well as necessary and redundant benefit/ functionality, were also used. Universal benefit and functionality categories should aid innovators and entrepreneurs, and bring greater coherency to their efforts. Also, benefit and functionality may equally reflect on customer satisfaction.
This study aims to develop student loyalty models as well as implement and refine student loyalty models in Private Islamic Religion Universities in Medan City. This study included an associative study. The questionnaires were distributed to 300 students and the survey implied multiple Likert scales. To process the data, we used Lisrel 8.80. The results of the study showed that the marketing mix, service quality, Islamic values, and institutional image had a positive and significant effect on student satisfaction and on student loyalty for the students of the Private Islamic Religion College in Medan.
The tourism sector is one of the most important business sectors in Greece. The term “online travel agency” refers to the transfer to the Internet of all or part of the tourism services offered by a real travel agency. The purpose of this study was to discuss the role of the Internet as an important tool in the tourism industry by presenting the ways it is used in customer service. The study focuses on an online travel agency. The methodology of the study was based on the collection of secondary data, which was collected through articles in journals as well as through official web sites. Specifically, the study discussed the use of the Internet and its importance in the field of tourism, and presented and analyzed the features and functions of an online travel agency, focusing on the basic services of an online travel agency, the subsystem of the customers, the provider’s subsystem and the subsystem of the intermediaries. In addition, a standardized online travel agency system was...
The aim of this article is to study the role of environmental management in the development of tourism marketing as a means of promotion and development of tourist destinations. Initially, there is an attempt to theoretically approach the concept of tourism marketing and then the risks are presented and the problems involved in the implementation of tourism marketing and tourism marketing organization. The article continues with the study of the behavior of the environment in tourism marketing focusing on tourist attraction incentives, the concept of tourism, the concept of the destination image and the expectations of tourists. The article concludes that the various marketing stimuli and not only affect the above-mentioned purchasing process of the individual while they are introduced into the consumer’s black box where they are processed. The result of this process is the choices the buyer will make about the good (product or service), the brand, the supplier, the time and the...
The aims of this research were (1) to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of sharia unit Nagari Bank rahn products. (2) to analyze the transaction process of the Bank Nagari sharia rahn’s transaction process, and (3) to understand and analyze barriers and constraints in slowing Bank Nagari's rahn transactions. To determine the right strategy in order to increase sharia rahn sales at the Padang Branch of Bank Nagari Sharia, descriptive analysis was used, namely through SWOT analysis. The results of this study obtained the main constraints faced by Bank Nagari Sharia Unit in marketing rahn products related to weak socialization, lack of promotional activities, appropriate facilities and infrastructure. The strategies that must be developed include aggressive and diversified strategies.
The objective of this study is to test and analyze the influence of trust on a technology used for internet banking and its impact on customers’ interest to use internet banking. The fieldwork chosen for this research is the internet banking industry in Indonesia. However, the research focused on Aceh and North Sumatra’s big cities that are Banda Aceh and Medan because both cities have the largest number of internet banking customers. The variables that have been selected for analysis and review to uncover the phenomena that have been developed in this study are: ‘Customer beliefs on technology reliability’, ‘Customer acceptance of IT Value’ and ‘Converting intention on Internet Banking (IB)’. The population is the main subject on which the researchers focus their study to examine specific parameters, and then be able to draw conclusions (Hair et al., 2010). In this paper, the study group is represented by internet banking customers from Aceh and North Sumatra regions, totaling 531...
The use of third-party seals within marketing and advertising materials is a long-standing industry practice used by marketers worldwide. And while the effectiveness of seals as a marketing and advertising tactic has been widely studied, to date, no single model has been developed to predict the impact of seals on consumer purchase intent. To uncover what impact seals really have, two online surveys were conducted to understand how aware of seals consumers are, how credible they perceive them to be, and what impact they have on purchase intent. The results of these surveys reveal that the success of a seal is dependent of the consumers knowledge of the brand being marketed, their awareness of the third-party seal being applied in marketing material, and the seals ability to convey information important to the consumer in differentiating offerings. These results have also been applied to the Third-Party Seal Model, a three-step process which allows marketers to select third-party seals...
This study investigates the association of both health hazards awareness and price sensitivity of soft drinks with consumer’s purchase attitude in Saudi Arabian market. The study also investigates whether there is a moderating role for each of consumer’s gender, age, education, and monthly income on the two studied relationships. The study has been conducted on 865 respondents of soft drinks consumers in Saudi Arabia and an online self-administered survey has been used to collect primary data from the participants. The study findings revealed a statistically significant negative associations of both soft drinks’ health hazards awareness and price sensitivity with consumer’s purchase attitude. Heath hazards awareness is higher than the price sensitivity in predicting the consumer’s purchase attitude. Hence, the consumer’s attitude is more responsive to health hazards awareness than the price sensitivity. The study also found that consumer’s gender, age, education, and income do not...
In Romania, the value of online shopping reached 2.8 billion in 2017, 40% more than in 2016, being one of the highest increases in the European Union. However, the e-commerce market value is still small compared to other European countries, one of the main reasons that people prefer not to buy online is mistrust in the quality of the products offered. In order to gain insights into the criteria used by Romanian consumers to evaluate product quality, we conducted eight in depth interviews. The results show that there are a lot of similarities between attributes used to evaluate product quality in a physical store and attributes used to evaluate product quality in an online store. Meanwhile, the differences consists in the presence of customer reviews as the most relevant attribute for the online stores and price as the most relevant attribute for physical stores.
The purpose of this research is to understand the extent of the business of Minahasa Cultural House and how it can compete in international market, particularly in facing other competitors while maintaining its uniqueness and cultural value. The researchers used a qualitative approach, in addition to the case-study method. The data used in this research were both primary and secondary data. The data collection was achieved through observation technique, interview, and documentation. The data analysis implied three steps, namely (1) data reduction, (2) data display, (3) conclusions. The results of this research show the main factors that will help achieve the competitiveness of Minahasa Cultural House to other business competitors are: condition factor, demand factor, industrial-related factor, and the government’s role. The key factor highlighted in this research that influences the competitiveness is the condition factor, such as the quality of the product, price of the product...
Nowadays, amid increasingly tight competition in the business environment and the difficulties students are experiencing in getting new jobs, being an entrepreneur is increasingly in high demand among college graduates. The advancement of information technology has enabled many jobs to be carried out efficiently. Moreover, the dissemination of knowledge takes place quickly and widely, so that one's interest to start up a business by utilizing information technology is also increasing. The purpose of this research is to a test research model that proposes that self-efficacy and motivation will affect students’ intentions to become entrepreneurs. In general, self-efficacy is a condition in which individuals believe that a behavior is easy or difficult to achieve, including experiences and obstacles that individuals consider; while motivation leads to entrepreneurial activities that can be interpreted as a stimulus that can encourage someone to run a business. The research design is...
The interactivity dimension of the internet has allowed the customer to be a part of the marketing of any brand, product, services, or other entity. To this extent, digital inbound marketing encourages a customer-centric perspective in which organizations have to focus on helping consumers and involving them in the value-delivering process. An important component of digital inbound marketing that creates value and engagement for consumers is content marketing. The aim of this paper was to provide an examination of ‘content marketing’ and to gain understanding of the key dimensions of this digital marketing strategy, with its underlying tactics that can be implemented by companies in online environments. The insights presented in this study contribute to the content marketing strategy, as a viable strategy to other interruptive marketing techniques.
Distracted driving, specifically texting and driving, has become a nationwide public health problem in the U.S. with negative, and potentially fatal consequences. In an effort to combat the growing problem, non-profit organizations, corporations, and the federal government have all stepped in to try to increase public awareness and persuade drivers to cease texting while driving. These efforts have not had the desired impact as texting and driving has continued to increase in recent years. This research investigates the potential that the messages used to curb texting and driving behavior might not be properly constructed. Specifically, we test the potential for message sponsor and self-relevance of the message to influence message outcomes. Our results suggest that messages sponsored by a combination of company and government that are self-relevant to viewers will have different outcomes than other messages. We identify practical and theoretical implications as well as future...
Seen as a new form of manifestation of the behavior of the consumer of tourism products and services, culinary tourism has recorded an ascending trending the last years, with a positive forecast for the following years. A possible explanation for this phenomenon is the orientation and encouragement of the tourist services providers to adopt regional development strategies that harness traditional local resources and products in a context where the contemporary consumer no longer only pursues the acquisition of products and services to meet their needs, but also looks forward to new experiences that are a delight for the senses. Against this background, the present paper aims to highlight some of the characteristics of culinary tourism and to customize some of the dimensions of consumer behavior oriented towards this form of tourism, in an economy where the tertiary sector, and specifically the tourism sector, play a leading role both in Europe and worldwide.
The concept of loyalty has evolved as an important issue in the world of marketing as companies are focusing their strategy in retaining customers and increasing their sales. The purpose of this study is to re-evaluate the involvement of various factors related to the perception of value, service quality, brand trust and brand loyalty in the industry of mobile phones through literature review and examination of previous research. Some studies have found that the observed variables are the key drivers of brand loyalty. However, other opinions are also presented for their different perspectives and a broader view of the research topic.
In 2016, the global airline industry reached almost 70 billion dollars in ancillaries (up from 60 billion dollars in 2015), while the ancillary revenues on a global scale reached a 10% share of overall airline revenue, according to Ideaworks, a consulting firm that measures airline ancillary revenues. This research aims to investigate how airline companies use ancillaries in their favour to add value and revenue sources to the booking engine, offer flexibility to their passengers, increase revenues and customer satisfaction, interact with passengers at all touch points to create commercial opportunities and differentiate their brand.
This study aims to analyze the effect of service quality toward satisfaction and customer loyalty for PT. BNI (Persero) Tbk, Aceh Province. The article also analyses customer satisfaction as a mediator variable between service quality and customer loyalty. The sampling technique in the study was based on cluster and convenience sampling with corresponding criteria; each respondent has a bank account and saving for at least one year. The primary data were collected from respondents using the structured questionnaires. A total of 220 questionnaires were distributed in five branch offices of PT. BNI (Persero) Tbk operating in Aceh Province, namely the branchs of Lhokseumawe, Bireuen, Langsa, Sigli and Meulaboh. The results showed that service quality has a significant and positive effect toward satisfaction and customer loyalty for PT. BNI (Persero) Tbk Aceh Province. Meanwhile, the variable of customer satisfaction can mediate the effect of service quality toward customer loyalty...
In order to assess consumer preferences for milk and meat quality attributes, a study was carried out in two Second-Tier cities of Tamil Nadu. Personal interviews were done to collect the data from 160 respondents chosen through a multistage sampling procedure in each of the two cities selected for this study. Ordered Probit model fitted for the attributes of milk showed that: family size had a significant positive preference towards texture, low fat and low price of milk, educated consumers paid greater attention to taste, safety, flavour, packaging and low fat attributes of milk and low income consumers paid less importance on most of the attributes of milk. Ordered Probit model for meat revealed that as the family size increased, the consumers were likely to give more importance to ageing and tenderness and less importance to leanness of meat. Male consumers paid greater attention to colour and females were none concerned with tenderness, cooking quality and price. As the education...
Technological innovation has grown at an unprecedented rate over the past couple of decades, creating multiple opportunities for marketing in online settings. The proliferation of social media helps customers become more empowered and engaged in their brand interactions, while also providing them with new tools in their search, evaluation, choice and purchases of marketing offerings. Consequently, these developments are influencing marketing practices, both strategically, and tactically. Nowadays, social media has developed in an essential part of marketing strategy for its ability to generate co-created value, to interactively connect brands to consumers, to monitor brand-related discussions and sentiments, to guide consumers in the decision-making process, to instigate customer-to-customer interactions, and transform consumers into brand advocates. The purpose of this paper is to examine the strategic opportunities of social media marketing for organizations. By providing a...
The purpose of this conducted study was to test the direct and indirect effects of internet banking quality and customer value to customer satisfaction. This study uses descriptive analysis and multiple regression analysis to examine these relationships. The study is based on a survey conducted with respondents who use internet banking in their day-to-day activities, and all questionnaire items are deemed valid and reliable. For data analysis, the descriptive analysis for the indicators, dimensions, and variables proved to be in a good category. Research findings and implications of the regression analysis show that internet banking quality and customer value had a greater direct impact on customer satisfaction, rather the partial relationships of these variables to satisfaction. In the partial relationships, customer value has a higher influence on customer satisfaction, than internet banking quality. As a research recommendation, banks should provide a more humanistic internet...
Due to the rapid technological development and a globally competitive business environment, creative marketing methods become increasingly important for a unique value proposition. As a result, the aim of this research paper is to critically evaluate the influence of creative thinking on marketing creativity. In order to evaluate this correlation, examples of creative marketing concepts in traditional marketing and online marketing campaigns are examined and analysed in regards to potentially required creative thinking processes. This evaluation led to the conclusion that creative thinking influences marketing creativity in a holistic way by creating experiences, forming relationships, and addressing large audiences in a cost-efficient way.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have their own superiority in which they pervade not only in terms of human resources, but also in their role in national economic development. The aim of this study is to develop acculturation innovation and competing superiority for increasing the marketing development of the bakery business actors in Central Java. This study’s sample consists of 161 respondents who are bakery business owners from Central Java. By using the purposive sampling technique, several criteria were considered for the SMEs representatives from the bakery industry sample, such as the SMEs must be certified at Disperindag, have at least one employee, and invest at least IDR 1.000.000,- . The analyzing method that is used in this study is SEM. The result of the study shows the market orientation with specific dimensions, such as gaining information about the customers’ needs, competitors’ powers, and functions’ coordination affected competitors’ superiority, and...
Companies are increasingly recognizing the value of social media marketing for their implication in developing and increasing the value of a brand in online environments. As a result, companies devote time and effort to engage with current and potential consumers on social media platforms and co-create of value with brand advocates. This study focuses on social media marketing as part of digital inbound marketing, its uses for organizations and its potential for branding in online settings. These brand-related social media tactics and strategies involve initiatives such as ongoing business-to-consumer conversations, content that is created and shared on social media, consumer engagement experiences, and a brand persona that invites consumers to co-create the brand in online settings, it promotes interaction, participation, and collaboration with consumers. This study concludes with some recommendations on future research.
The web channel is increasingly a central aspect of the second-hand economy and, as such, favours also more sustainable post-consumption processes. This is why the field of online reselling appears increasingly important. Besides, the ever broadening scope of online reselling is key to the success of new online intermediaries that position themselves in the broader movement of collaborative consumption. While, consumers’ attachment for secondhand exchanges is not new, they have largely embraced its online declination. In response to these evolutions in the online retail environment, traditional retail companies have therefore started to create online consumer marketplaces in which consumers exchange goods by themselves. In order to best adapt such online marketplaces to consumers, it is therefore critically important to gain a better understanding of the driving forces behind online reselling. At present, knowledge about what motivates consumers to resell products online is limited...
The mobile telecommunications in Ghana is a highly competitive market which faces a problem of retaining their customers due to low switching cost. The purpose of this study was to investigate sales territory management and distributor performance of Vodafone in Sunyani. The population for the study was staff and retailers of Vodafone product and services. Multi-Stage sampling approach was employed for the study. A well-structured questionnaire and interview guide were used in collecting data from the respondents. Descriptive statistics, One Sample t-test, Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance and Pearson Correlation Matrix were used to analyse the data. Results revealed that there was effective supervision of the sales territory representatives by the sales managers. The retailer’s confirmed the receipt of their requested orders from the distributor when the need arose. The sales territory representatives confirmed that sales managers involved them in developing new or adjusted...
The marketing of the financial services by financial institution is regarded as an easier job. This is due to the fact that, in most cases, when a client is gained, he/she remains loyal to the institution on a long term. Nowadays, taking into consideration the needs of the consumers - clients who are undergoing a constant change - financial institutions are faced with a necessity to have the required knowledge and information regarding what and how to meet the needs of their clients. Financial institutions have reached a stage of adapting their daily activities with the demands of their clients. Thus, this is due to the available information which deals with the needs of the clients, opportunities of financial institution themselves, structural changes in the services provided, and the changes in the market which includes competition. This paper will strive to present the stages of the marketing development in financial institutions through the acquisition of knowledge regarding the...
The purpose of this study is to investigate a model of brand personality and the effect of a halal brand on purchase intentions, particularly, by highlighting of religious commitment mediated between brand personality, and purchase intentions on a Halal brand. This study uses a path analysis with the main concepts of brand personality, religious commitment, and purchase intentions. The sampling method used non-probability sampling. Data were collected from 120 respondents at several supermarkets in North Sumatera, Indonesia. Findings of the study indicated that brand personality does not have a significant and positive effect on the purchase intention of a Halal brand. However, the role of religious commitment is significant in mediating the relationship between brand personality and purchase intentions of a Halal brand. Finally, the results of this study also showed the total effects between brand personality, purchase intentions, and religious commitment. Dimensions of brand...
Discovering needs, habits and consumer behavior is the primary task of marketing analytics. It is necessary to integrate marketing and analytical skills with IT skills. Such knowledge integration allows access to data (structured and unstructured), their analysis and finding out information about the opinions, attitudes, needs and behavior of customers. In the paper is set the hyphotesis that software tools can collect data (messages) from social networks, analyze the content of messages and get to know the attitudes of customers about a product, service, tourist destination with the ultimate goal of improving customer relations. Experimental results are based on the analysis of the content of social network Facebook by using the package and function R language. This language showed a satisfactory application and development power in analysis of textual data on social networks for marketing analytics.
The concept “credibility” has become significant attention from academics and practitioners because it played an important role in creating and maintaining consumer behavior. This study uses twenty- seven references relates to credibility, customer value, satisfaction, and loyalty. Several studies have discussed the relationship between credibility and consumer behavior and also elaborated dimensions of credibility. It also presented the shortcomings of current research and the trends for future study in Islamic banking.
The purpose of this paper is the proposal of a scale for measuring emotional states experienced within a point of sale, for non-English speaking consumers. Since the validity of the measuring instruments may affect the relevance and quality of managerial decisions, the development of a sufficiently reliable measurement that take into account the specificity of a country becomes necessary. Following a literature review that allowed us to highlight existing measuring instruments of emotional states and their disadvantages, we have developed a measurement scale based on two emotional dimensions: pleasure and arousal (stimulation). Following the Churchill Paradigm, the results of our analysis show that the reliability and construct validity of our scale were improved.
In marketing, the meaning of value is rapidly shifting from service and relationships to experiences. It is believed that the traditional value proposition is no longer effective to compete in the market and to gain customer loyalty. By adapting the brand experience model, this study tries to validate the model in the banking industry, which is currently facing intense competition to retain customers. The brand experience construct is tested for its direct and indirect relationship toward loyalty. It is postulated that satisfaction and brand authenticity might be instrumental in mediating brand experience to loyalty. Research was conducted via in-depth interview and quantitative survey, targeting bank customers in Jakarta. The result confirmed that brand experience has direct and indirect contribution to loyalty in significant and positive manner. The research contributes in validating previous studies with a rare emphasis in banking sector. The result implies that brand experience is...
The purpose of the study is to investigate first, the relationship between the customer satisfaction and brand switching intention into the Saudi Arabian mobile-service market, and second, the association of service quality, customer service, service pricing, and value-added services with the customer satisfaction. Because of the difficulty of having a frame for the mobile-service customers from their providers, a convenience sample of 350 online respondents with the proper surveying techniques was used in data analysis and testing of the research hypotheses. The findings of the study confirm a significant negative relationship between customer satisfaction and brand switching intention. A 4% percent of the change in brand switching intention could be explained by the change in the customer satisfaction. Only three variables; customer service, service pricing, and service quality are critical determinants for mobile-service customer satisfaction. Customer service explained about 22%...
This paper explores consumer reactions to a brand alliance, with perceptions of the parent brands, perceived fit between the brands and fit between product categories as the drivers. Drawing on previous work on co-brands (Simonin and Ruth, 1998; Baumgarth, 2000), two simultaneous studies of four consumer brand pairings were conducted in the UK (n=122) and Italy (n=125) using respondents from an online panel. Important differences between the studies are identified and possible cultural explanations for deviant outcomes are discussed.
The most important asset of any business is its employees. Given this fact, normally, every business should have a solid plan to make sure that its employees are satisfied professionally and are loyal to the company. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case. Many companies believe that if they have an excellent product or service that generates high incomes and employees should be content. Generally, employers try to guarantee that its employees will not leave by offering them different benefits, trainings and great compensation. But is that enough to ensure loyalty among staff members? According to different statistics: each year the average company loses 20-50% of its employee base, replacing a lost employee costs 150% of that person’s annual salary. These numbers highlight how important the retention and engagement of the employees are for the profitability of a company.
This paper addresses the conceptualization, scale development and scale validation related to the study of consumer engagement in online settings. It first reviews this concept and draws attention to the multidimensionality of the construct, considering the underlying cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions of consumer engagement. Then, it presents the foundation of this concept in relationship marketing and adds support to this proposition. Further, it proposes the construction and psychometric assessment of a 37 scales that examine all three dimensions, based on an international sample of 110 respondents who engage with a brand on a social media network. Based on multiple and successive applications of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, 11 scales are developed showing strong evidence of reliability and validity measurement of consumer engagement in online settings. The final section includes a discussion of the academic contributions, managerial, implications of...
Particularly in online settings, marketing is undergoing a transformation. Online business can no longer rely on traditional marketing tactics and campaigns to attract, retain and expand consumers because there is a transformation in how people interact with brands and companies, how they shop and buy in online and offline settings. Traditional marketing is no longer a viable option because it focuses on pushing a message out. In online business framework, a new marketing development has arisen, namely digital inbound marketing. This new marketing type is focused on attracting valuable consumers (potential, existing, or aspirational) that choose to interact with a particular company that provides them with something useful. In this paper, we propose a definition for digital inbound marketing and examine the online strategies associated with this concept: brand-focused marketing communications, content marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization.
Customer experience is gaining more and more attention from researchers. Particularly in tourism, this experiences may be determined by hedonic or utilitarian factors. However, there are other influences, both exogenous and endogenous, that may impact consumer behaviors in tourism. Thus, in this article, we explore the receptivity of consumers in terms of certain types of influences, exogenous and endogenous, to hedonic and utilitarian factors related to a tourism package. To examine these research questions, we employ exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modelling on a sample of 150 tourists from Europe and North America.
This paper proposes a probability model to explore the dynamic process of customer’s satisfaction. Bases on expectation disconfirmation theory, the satisfaction is constructed with customer’s expectation before buying behavior and the perceived performance after purchase. The experiment method is designed to measure expectation disconfirmation effects and we also use the collection data to estimate the overall satisfaction and model calibration. The results show good fitness between the model and the real data. This model has application for business marketing areas in order to manage relationship satisfaction.
