Sales and Merchandising Commons^™

What Makes Consumers Use Their Loyalty Points?, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Companies are utilising loyalty programs more often than ever to retain customers and boost sales. But not all of them are successful. What makes people spend their points and stay loyal to a program? A research by the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School has the answer

Aspect-Based Helpfulness Prediction For Online Product Reviews, Yinfei Yang, Cen Chen, Forrest Sheng Bao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Product reviews greatly influence purchase decisions in online shopping. A common burden of online shopping is that consumers have to search for the right answers through massive reviews, especially on popular products. Hence, estimating and predicting the helpfulness of reviews become important tasks to directly improve shopping experience. In this paper, we propose a new approach to helpfulness prediction by leveraging aspect analysis of reviews. Our hypothesis is that a helpful review will cover many aspects of a product at different emphasis levels. The first step to tackle this problem is to extract proper aspects. Because related products share common …

Cueing The Customer Using Nudges And Negative Option Marketing, Clarence W. Vonbergen, Courtney Kernek, Martin S. Bressler, Lawrence S. Silver

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Abstract

Nudges—subtle, covert, and often unobtrusive interventions that take advantage of individuals’ mental shortcuts and biases—frequently change the context of people’s choices and in so doing influence individual and societal behavior. They have become fashionable in recent years, and the ability of such phenomena to bring about significant change for relatively little cost has captured the imagination of governments and businesses. One simple yet potent nudge empowered by the status-quo bias that has received increased attention involves default rules which specify the condition imposed on persons when they fail to make a decision or choice. Marketers have used default options …

Motivations In The Fine-Art Market: A Self-Determination Theory Approach, Jonathan P. Leavell

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the theoretical value of incorporating constructs from self-determination theory (SDT) into the analysis of the motivations within the fine-art market. The motivations of buyers and artists are examined in light of a controlling-informational event gradient. Moureau’s and Sagot-Duvauroux’ (2012) artist business-model framework is used to provide the context for marketing’s role in facilitating communication along the various motivational interactions of the gradient. Opportunities for further research are presented.

How Customer Shopping Motivation Influences Perceived Design Of The Retail Environment, Julie C. Steen

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This research proposal extends the Mehrabian-Russell stimulus-organism-response framework to examine how two different hedonic shopping motivations—adventure and gratification—influence a customer’s perceptions of the retail environment. Specifically, the paper examines perceived design of the retail environment. The paper also examines how perceived design of the retail environment influences pleasure and arousal. Since there is not an accepted measure for perceived design, the paper offers a comprehensive list of potential items to measure perceived design.

College Students Use Social Networking Sites For Sharing With Friends, But Guess Who Else Is Looking?, Elizabeth C. Alexander, Fred Mader, Deanna Mader

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Abstract - Jobvite, a recruiting platform for the social web, reports from their annual 2012 survey of recruiters that 92% of U.S. companies are using social networking sites (SNS) for hiring purposes (Jobvit, 2012). Career Builder reported in 2009 that 45% of employers were using SNS to screen and research applicants (CareerBuilder, 2009). It is important that faculty and support staff working to place students, and the students themselves, understand the developments and practices in the use of social networking sites for job search and recruiting and the best methods, as well as detriments when marketing themselves. This study examines …

Using Focus Groups And Correspondence Analysis To Explore The Relationship Between Millennials’ Online Behavior And Their Opinions Of Online Reviews, James E. Stoddard, Michael Dotson, Neel Das

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper explores the relationship between millennials’ online behavior and their opinions of online reviews via the use of focus groups and correspondence analysis. The proposition was that millennials’ online behavior (including search behavior) is likely to have an effect on how they view online reviews. The correspondence analysis results suggest that millennials who spend more time online peruse a greater number of products. Further, relationships were found between millennials’ time online and factors influencing review trustworthiness as well as millennials’ time online and factors affecting review memorability. It is noteworthy to suggest that focus group analysis can be enhanced …

The Effect Of Advertorial Format And Copy Length On Attitudes Of Female (Target) And Male (Non-Target) Audiences, Cynthia B. Hanson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study investigates the effect of the advertorial format and ad copy length on ad and brand attitude. Results of a 2 (advertorial versus non-advertorial) by 2 (light versus moderate copy length) study indicate that the advertorial format generated more favorable ad and brand attitudes for the female (target) subjects, but less favorable attitudes for the male (non-target) subjects. A marginally significant gender by copy length interaction suggests a differential effect of copy length for the male sample, as well: ad and brand attitudes were higher for lighter copy ads for the female sample but lower for the male sample. …

The Scent Of Change: A Case Study, William K. Foxx, Melissa C. Northam, Corlette S. Burns

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Decisions about entering into a new business venture involve a variety of considerations, despite the level of experience an entrepreneur has. This case presents the story of a business owner Bennett Gage and his decisions concerning whether or not he should enter into a business where canines are used to detect bed bugs in hotels. This case study gives the reader an opportunity to wrestle with some of the many questions that are part of entering into the creation of a new service.

Profile Interview With Faculty Mentor Lalatendu Acharya, Jill Inderstrodt-Stephens

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

No abstract provided.

Reducing Uncertainty By Increasing It: How Inducing Uncertainty In Uncertainty Appraisals Of Reviewer Trustworthiness Attenuates Bias Correction And Product Devaluation, Christilene Du Plessis, Andrew Stephen, Yakov Bart, Dilney Goncalves

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

A field study and two experiments show that when elaboration makes consumers doubt the validity of their doubt, uncertainty is deemed incidental in judgment formation and product devaluation does not occur. However, when elaboration confirms the validity of their doubt, uncertainty is deemed integral in judgment formation and devaluation occurs.

Sales And Operations Planning (S&Op): A Group Effectiveness Approach, Scott C. Ambrose, Brian N. Rutherford

Publications

Sales and Operations planning (S&OP) is an approach meant to help firms achieve demand and supply balance, yet experts agree that it has fallen short on delivering anticipated benefits. Carried out by cross-functional teams, S&OP entails getting people from different thought worlds, especially sales, aligned around common goals. Despite ample practitioner guidance, there is a dearth of scholarly research indicating pathways to success. Using a group effectiveness theoretical framework, this study identifies both internal team factors and contextual influencers that are predictors of S&OP effectiveness. Perspectives were captured from S&OP team members across a wide cross-section of industries representing sales …

2016 Fall Convocation Program, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Communications and Marketing Publications Archive

Fall convocation program held on August 10, 2016.

Newsvendor Models With Monte Carlo Sampling, Ijeoma W. Ekwegh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Newsvendor Models with Monte Carlo Sampling by Ijeoma Winifred Ekwegh The newsvendor model is used in solving inventory problems in which demand is random. In this thesis, we will focus on a method of using Monte Carlo sampling to estimate the order quantity that will either maximizes revenue or minimizes cost given that demand is uncertain. Given data, the Monte Carlo approach will be used in sampling data over scenarios and also estimating the probability density function. A bootstrapping process yields an empirical distribution for the order quantity that will maximize the expected profit. Finally, this method will be used …

Visual Brand Identity Of Food Products: A Customer’S Perspective, Panagiota Moutaftsi Ms, Panagiotis Kyratsis Dr

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Purpose – The aim of this research is to explore the benefits of a customer based approach on food packaging design. A case study of a small production honey brand is used.

Design/methodology/approach – For the design process, a survey that involved visual elements was conducted as an online questionnaire. The final size of the sample consists of 285 questionnaires.

Findings – The research findings indicate that packaging is a great influencer for consumers and the synergy of consumers with companies can be a catalyst for the product design process resulting in package designs, which engage potential customers and drive …

Customer Satisfaction Index Of Singapore 2016: Q1 Results, 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. 2016 marks the 10th year of the CSISG national study.

When In Doubt, Elaborate? How Elaboration On Uncertainty Influences The Persuasiveness Of Consumer-Generated Product Reviews When Reviewers Are Incentivized, Christilene Du Plessis, Andrew Stephen, Yakov Bart, Dilney Goncalves

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Online consumer-generated reviews contain two types of information: core (the review itself) and auxiliary (information accompanying reviews such as details about the reviewer and the review-generating process). Prior work has focused primarily on the former, despite the latter being commonplace. In this paper, we consider how a common type of auxiliary information — disclosure statements about incentives received by reviewers — affects review persuasiveness. Disclosure likely induces uncertainty about reviewer trustworthiness, leading consumers to discount reviewers’ opinions when forming expectations about product quality. However, we show this is not always the case. Instead, the extent to which disclosing incentives affects …

Understanding On-The-Go Consumption: Identifying And Quantifying Its Determinants, Sabine Benoit, Tobias Schaefers, Raphael Heider

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Although the amount of food and beverages consumed on-the-go has been increasing, existing research has not sufficiently examined this behavior. This study uses a mixed methods design with a qualitative study to identify four determinants of on-the-go consumption: time pressure, price consciousness, health orientation, and enjoyment. Combining the qualitative results with Behavioral Decision Theory, eight hypotheses are derived about the influence of the four determinants as well as their interrelations. Hypotheses testing and predictive validity assessment are based on two large-scale consumer samples, one main study and one validation study. The results confirm a significant influence of utilitarian determinants (time …

Rights Of Publicity: A Practitioner's Enigma, Gil N. Peles Esq.

Georgia Journal of Law & Technology

No abstract provided.

An Alternate Functionality Reality, Harold R. Weinberg

Georgia Journal of Law & Technology

The Supreme Court last addressed trade dress law’s functionality doctrine in TrafFix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc. decided in 2001. This article applies content analysis to data from post-TrafFix functionality cases to provide insights concerning the functionality doctrine. It emphasizes data from cases concerning motions for summary judgment and preliminary injunction. The analysis employs two conceptual constructs: a “useful/aesthetic continuum” and “mixed-character” design features. The article also considers data in light of a “two-bar mandate” and two principles: “useful-scarcity” and “aesthetic-abundance.” It concludes with observations concerning the post-TrafFix functionality doctrine and suggestions for improving its judicial …

Fashioning Desire At B. Altman & Co.: Ethics And Consumer Culture In Early Department Stores, Tessa Maffucci

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

We live in an age of fast fashion. Clothing is produced in greater volumes than ever before and the lifecycle of each garment keeps getting shorter and shorter. Many items are manufactured to be worn only one time and then thrown away—as disposable as a cup of coffee. There is much to be learned about our current fashion ecosystem by looking into the past. Beyond the garments themselves we must understand the larger historical and sociological context in which these articles of clothing were produced. How does the shopping environment shape the buying habits and fashion trends of an era? …

Impact Of Country Personality On Attitude Toward Foreign Products : Self-Congruity As A Mediator, Murat Aktan, Paul W. Chao

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This research examines the direct effect of country personality (CP) on consumer product attitude and indirect effect through consumer self-congruity between CP and his/her own self-concept on product attitude in an emerging country- Turkey. We propose an integrated structural equation model to examine the relationships. Measurement scales for CP, self-congruity and attitude are developed whose validities and reliabilities are confirmed by exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analyses with data collected from a sample of consumers in Turkey on two countries: USA and China.

The results reveal that four out of the original six dimensions of CP remain after a …

A Further Empirical Investigation Into “Up To” Advertising Claims: The “As Low As” Claim, Jeffrey S. Gutenberg, James M. Quinn

Atlantic Marketing Journal

For many years the Federal Trade Commission has sought to prevent deceptive advertising under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. The FTC’s focus has encompassed not only false advertising claims, but also advertising claims that, while literally true, tend to deceive consumers. “Up to” claims fall under this scrutiny since they can be misunderstood as promising consumer benefits (e.g. “up to 50% savings”) that might not be realized by all consumers. This paper presents the results of research conducted with 600+ members of a commercial consumer panel to evaluate a variant of this type of claim, the “As …

Investigating The Ichthus (Fish) Christianity Symbol On Perceived Source Credibility Of Service Providers Under Different Service Evaluation Contexts, Jeri L. Jones, Mahmood Shandiz

Atlantic Marketing Journal

ABSTRACT

This study investigated potential consumer responses to the display of the Christian fish symbol (Ichthus) used in mock advertisements of services high in credence, experience and search attributes. Discussions from earlier research propose consumers may exhibit different reactions to Christian symbolism displayed in the marketplace and that purchase intentions and consumer perceptions of the seller may be influenced by the strength of the consumer’s religious beliefs. This study adds to previous research proposing consumers display different purchase intentions due to differing perceptions of the seller’s credibility, trustworthiness and expertise influenced by the consumers own religious beliefs which is influenced …

Consumer Preferences Among Low-Price Guarantee Offers, Stephen Baglione, Louis A. Tucci, James A. Talaga

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The competitive realities of the marketplace forces retailers to consider implementing low-price guarantees. Given that retailers will use low-price guarantees, which of the multitude of guarantees should be used? This paper examines the nature of low-price guarantees from the perspective of how consumers make trade-offs in different low-price guarantee designs. Using conjoint analysis, buyers indicate their preference for different low-price guarantee designs. Not all consumers respond to low-price guarantees the same. There are several segments of consumers with regard to low-price guarantees. The study was done with young adults (MBA students) who may be more sophisticated than the population as …

The Role Of Consumer Susceptibility To Interpersonal Influence In Predicting Green Apparel Consumption Behavior Of American Youth, Amrut Sadachar, Arpita Khare, Srikant Manchiraju

Atlantic Marketing Journal

In recent years, considering that consumers are giving more importance to their role and consequence with regards to social and environmental implication of their consumption decisions, there has been increase in ethical consumption research. However, to date, the role of individual susceptibility to interpersonal influence and other relevant factors (e.g., environmental apparel knowledge) have not been studied. Therefore, the present study explored several critical constructs related to green apparel consumption including consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence (CSII). The present study focused on American youth (n = 1,049). Based on extant literature review, a hypothesized model was proposed. To test …

How Does Music Consumption Impact The Music Industry And Benefit Artists?, Benjamin Fly

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

With the introduction of digital music in the 1990s, it internet-based music consumption has become significantly simpler and increasingly more popular as more and more consumers are streaming, sharing, and discovering new music all across the globe. With this new development of digital music, the dynamics of the music industry have been affected dramatically both in terms of record sales and the way music listeners are consuming music. Unfortunately, with the rise of music in its digital format came the rise of illegal file sharing sites, causing many to believe that the music industry was headed for its impending destruction. …

Getting Hooked On Gnarly Rods, Cody A. Nelson

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

At Gnarly Rods, our objective is to supply builders and fishermen alike with the quality gear, components, and service necessary to catch everything life has to offer. From providing rod building parts, to repairs, to fully customized fishing rods, we are the destination for all things in custom fishing. Conceptualized in 2015, Gnarly Rods will be based out of Springdale, AR, and started by Robert and Cody Nelson, a father and son pair as passionate for fishing as they are family and the influence the outdoors can have in life. As of now, we will be the only two employees …

Effects Of Remanufacturable Product Design On Market Segmentation And The Environment, Tianqin Shi, Wenjun Gu, Dilip Chhajed, Nicholas Petruzzi

Faculty Publications

Despite documented benefits of remanufacturing, many manufacturers have yet to embrace the idea of tapping into remanufactured-goods markets. In this article, we explore this dichotomy and analyze the effect of remanufacturable product design on market segmentation and product and trade-in prices by studying a two-stage profit-maximization problem in which a price-setting manufacturer can choose whether or not to open a remanufactured-goods market for its product. Our results suggest that it is optimal for a manufacturer to design a remanufacturable product when the value-added from remanufacturing is relatively high but product durability is relatively low and innovation is nominal. In addition, …

Communication Apprehension Affects Performance, Andrew C. Petry

Masters Essays

The research outlined in this work is founded on the notion that every individual is affected by a degree of Communication Apprehension (CA), and the level of apprehension individuals experience has the potential to either positively or negatively influence their ability to perform in the workplace. Specifically, this research examines the relationships between the constructs of communication apprehension, performance anxiety, organizational role, and employee performance. The results found that individuals in sales-related professional roles have a significantly lower level of overall CA than the general population; individuals in customer-facing roles displayed no difference in CA level based on sex, organizational …