Sales and Merchandising Commons^™

Customer Satisfaction Index Of Singapore 2020: Full Year Overview, Institute Of Service Excellence, Smu

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

The Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) computes customer satisfaction scores at the national, sector, sub-sector, and company levels. The CSISG serves as a quantitative benchmark of the quality of goods and services produced by the Singapore economy over time and across countries. The fourth quarter results mark the end of measurement for CSISG 2020. Singapore’s 2020 national score was computed using the data collected during these four quarters.

Content Analysis Of Hospital Reviews From Differing Sources: Does Review Source Matter?, Sayeedul Islam, Sara Mir, Caroline Defina, Carolina Silva

Journal of Excellence in Nursing and Healthcare Practice

Social media has had an impact on how patients find and evaluate medical professionals and their experiences of modern healthcare. Qualitative research in healthcare has increased its focus on social media. The present study examined 497 reviews of hospitals in the Pittsburgh area across three websites: Google, Yelp, and Healthgrades. Using computerized content analysis tools (CATA), we analyzed positive and negative comments to identify key themes. Key themes and words included “doctor,” “hospital,” “staff,” and “time.” These findings highlight the importance of medical staff to patient experience. Results indicated that Yelp had the lowest average rating. CATA also revealed that …

Price Optimization For Revenue Maximization At Scale, Nikhil Gupta, Massimiliano Moro, Kailey A. Ayala, Bivin Sadler

SMU Data Science Review

This study presents a novel approach to price optimization in order to maximize revenue for the distribution market of non-perishable products. Data analysis techniques such as association mining, statistical modeling, machine learning, and an automated machine learning platform are used to forecast the demand for products considering the impact of pricing. The techniques used allow for accurate modeling of the customer’s buying patterns including cross effects such as cannibalization and the halo effect. This study uses data from 2013 to 2019 for Super Premium Whiskey from a large distributor of alcoholic beverages. The expected demand and the ideal pricing strategy …

Driving Sustainable Change In The Fashion Industry, Christina Pasqualicchio

Undergraduate Honors College Theses 2016-

Climate change is a threat to global sustainable development and the fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world. This thesis explores how fast fashion and consumerism have contributed to an overabundance of clothing, an increase in greenhouse gases, fibers and fabrics that don’t disintegrate properly, and water pollution; all of which create negative environmental and social issues. Through detailing each of these problems, it can be seen that there needs to be internal changes within the fashion industry and external changes made by consumers. In order to create these changes, the fashion industry needs to adjust …

Enterprise Feedback Management (Efm): What Lies Beyond The Hype?, Lerzan Aksoy, Sabine Benoit, Shreekant G. Joag, Jay Kandampully, Timothy Lee Keiningham, An L. Yan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose: The needs of CMOs to utilize a firm's data productively in order to support decision-making combined with the reported benefits of enterprise feedback management solutions has resulted in a rapid rise in usage and valuation of EFM providers. The explicit promise of EFM providers is improved financial performance, whereas there is no scientific research investigating this link. To investigate the link between EFM usage and financial performance is core of this research. Design/methodology/approach: To gain insight into this link survey data from 127 US-based firms on their usage of EFM platforms was linked to their stock market performance over …

Are There Differences In Music Preferences Following Major Events?, Ian A. Grant

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Ethical Use Of Beauty In Advertising, Koca Chan

Honors Theses and Capstones

The use of beauty images in advertising has been generally deemed to be unethical in society, based on the general negative presupposition in modern western culture. The ethicalness of the display of high standards of beauty in advertisements is especially controversial and questionable in the advertising industry. Advertising watchdogs, social groups, and individuals have investigated the possibility of banning the display of high standards of beauty to be displayed in advertisings and publications. This paper argues that image advertising of high beauty standards may not be necessarily unethical in all situations. And under certain conditions, by considering and combining image(s) …

Three Stages Of Consumers’ Multi-Stage Dichotomic Switching Process: Pre-Switch, Switch, And Post-Switch, Jussi Nykanen, Virpi K. Tuunainen, Tuure Tuunanen, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This research examines why and how consumers switch their mobile phones. We propose a framework that is grounded on decision-making and motivational theories and draws on the findings from a multinational qualitative survey on consumers’ mobile phone switching process. We show that consumers’ pre-switching decisions are affected by push and pull factors, their mobile phone selections are based on utilitarian or hedonic values, and their justifications for switching are based on cognition or affect. Furthermore, we identify two archetypical routes (i.e., cognitive and affective routes) and three conjoint routes that explain the dichotomic switching processes in pre-switch, switch, and post-switch …

Do Blockchain And Iot Architecture Create Informedness To Support Provenance Tracking In The Product Lifecycle?, Somnath Mazumdar, Thomas Jensen, Raghava Rao Mukkamala, Robert John Kauffman, Jan Damsgaard

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Consumers often lack information about the origin and provenance of the products they buy. They may ask: Is a food product truly organic? Or, what is the origin of the gemstone in the ring I purchased? They also may have sustainability concerns about the footprint of a product at the end of its life. Producers and sellers, meanwhile, wish to know how longitudinal tracking of the provenance of products and their components can boost their sales prices and after-market value, and re- veal new business opportunities. We focus on how the product lifecycle (PLC) can be leveraged to track information …

Honors Research Project Goodyear Business Suggestion, Drew Hodgson, Seth Gwirtz, Isabel Hartzler, Heather Kriston, Savannah Novak

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our project takes on the task of evaluating the current market of the tire industry in todays pandemic. We are taking our findings to the local company Goodyear, and supplying suggestions to their firm in order to help their bottom line going forward. At the end of this, we will propose to Goodyear a solution within their firm on whether to pivot, expand, or downsize their current operations.

The Effects Of Relational Coordination And Supervisor Support On Thriving And Job Satisfaction: Evidence From Sales Professional In U.S. Small Businesses, Kelly R. Hall

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Job satisfaction is often fostered through costly strategic human resource management practices, yet small businesses typically lack the required resources to employ such practices. The current study explores other avenues for promoting job satisfaction, namely thriving, which is a psychological state in which individuals experience both a sense of learning and a sense of vitality. By leveraging positive organizational psychology, and examining data collected from B2B salespeople, this study demonstrates the value of relational coordination and supervisor support for enhancing the thriving, and, in turn, job satisfaction of sales professionals among small businesses.

Escape For Boone & Crocket, William Foxx, W. Frank Thompson Jr., Joseph W. Giese, David Vanbuskirk

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Eber Crocket is the owner of Boone & Crocket Trapper Supply (B&C). He feels like the environmental forces that are impacting his business are like a trap slowing closing on him. He is considering ideas to improve his store’s profitability.

Demand for furs as fashion goods is a multi-million dollar industry. Twenty percent of this demand is met by wild fur which is harvested by trappers. Trapping suppliers serve as the middleman between small individual trappers and auction houses. These auction houses collect the raw fur pelts from trappers and trapping stores and hold them until one of their auctions. …

Three Essays On The Impact Of Cuteness On Consumer Behavior, Alexis Taeeun Yim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Over the last decade, the world has seen a rise in the popularity of cute stimuli. Adorable baby pictures, fluffy puppy videos, and whimsical emojis seem ever-present in social media news feeds and friends’ posts. In addition, products marketed toward adults that feature cute characters drive sales worth billions of dollars. The growing presence of cute stimuli in our daily lives is accompanied by emerging research on their social and behavioral impacts. Correspondingly, the current dissertation consists of three essays that contribute to the literature on cuteness by empirically testing the impacts of cuteness in the marketplace. To extend the …

What Factors Predict A Consumer's Willingness To Purchase A Subscription-Based Airline Program?, Sean R. Crouse

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Introduction: Many services offer subscription-based sales models. The aviation industry has not widely attempted to market a subscription-based service through their airline for ticketing purposes. This study developed a regression equation to determine predictive factors for the type of individual who would purchase a subscription-based airline ticket.

Method: A two-stage approach was used where the participants (N = 521) answered demographic information, flight habits, and the same scenario with a perceived value scale and willingness to purchase scale.

Results: Stage 1 found perceived value, employment status, and early boarding preference all to be significant factors, accounting for …

Implementation Of Green Marketing Concept Throughsocial Media Activities: A Systematic Literature Review, Elnur Nabivi

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

The last century’s industrial and technological development has led to the growth of environmental problems such as global warming, climate changes, water, air, and ground pollution. The awareness of modern consumers about these issues is growing, and companies respond by using “green marketing” strategies. Green marketing refers to the development and marketing of products that are considered environmentally safe. Furthermore, the extensive use of the Internet and increasing social media’s importance in recent years forced brands to communicate with consumers in this way. In this study, these two mega-trends influencing contemporary consumer behavior were combined: social media and green marketing. …

Influence Of Convenience, Time-Savings, Price, And Product Variety On Amazon Prime Members And Non-Prime Shoppers’ Online Apparel Purchase Intention, Md Rashaduzzaman

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The number of internet users and online shoppers in the United States has grown at an incredible rate over the past few decades. Greater convenience and availability of a wide assortment of apparel products at a cheaper price made online shopping very enticing to consumers. Amazon.com (Amazon) gained unprecedented popularity among consumers with its Amazon Prime program. Amazon’s retail revolutions changed consumer’s way of shopping and expectations. Both online and physical store retailers are facing tremendous pressure to fulfill that level of expectation. Thus, it is essential for retailers clearly understand the shopping expectations and preferences of Amazon Prime members …

Together We Stand: The Solidarity Effect Of Personized Sellers On Essential Workers, Katina Kulow, Kara Bentley, Priyali Rajagopal

Business Faculty Articles and Research

The current research examines how products from personized sellers operate as a source of social support and solidarity for essential workers who are experiencing elevated levels of occupational stress since the advent of COVID-19. A series of experiments show that consumers who view themselves as essential workers prefer products from personized sellers (e.g., Etsy) compared to nonpersonized sellers (e.g., Amazon). These effects are driven by higher feelings of solidarity made salient by the personized seller. Our findings document a novel way by which consumers who are experiencing significantly high levels of occupational stress during the COVID-19 pandemic may seek social …

Restrict, Clean And Protect: Signaling Consumer Safety During The Pandemic And Beyond, Liliana L. Bove, Sabine Benoit

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, customers fear for their health when interacting with service providers. To mitigate this fear service providers are using safety signals directed to consumers and other stakeholders who make organizational assessments. The purpose of this article is to synthesize the range of safety signals in a framework that integrates signaling theory with servicescape elements so as to provide guidance for service providers to assist in their recovery. Design/methodology/approach: The authors extracted examples of how service providers signal safety to their consumers that the risk of infection is low in exchanging with their service. …

A Geospatial Analytics Approach To Delineate Trade Areas For Quick Service Restaurants (Qsr) In Singapore, Hui Ting Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

According to Huff, trade area is defined as “a geographically delineated region containing potential customers for whom there exists a probability greater than zero of their purchasing a given class of products or services offered for sale by a particular firm or by a particular agglomeration of firms”. Several methods to delineate a store trade area have been proposed over the years. For drive-time or travel distance analysis method, the trade area is delineated according to how far or how long the customers are willing to travel to patronise the store. Another commonly used method is the Huff Model which …

Capitalising Product Associations In A Supermarket Retail Environment, Michelle L. F. Cheong, Yong Qing Chia

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper explores methods to capitalise on retail companies’ transactional databases, to mine meaningful product associations, and to design product placement strategies as a means to drive sales. We implemented three in-store initiatives based on our hypotheses – placing products with high associations together will induce an increase in sales of consequent; introducing an antecedent that is new to store will bring about a similar impact on sales of consequent based on established product association rules uncovered from other stores. Sales tracking over twelve weeks revealed that there were improvements in sales of consequents across all three initiatives performed in-store.