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Assessing the role of emotions in B2B decision making: an exploratory study

Santosh Kumar Pandey (Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, India)
Amit Mookerjee (Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, India)

Journal of Indian Business Research

ISSN: 1755-4195

Article publication date: 31 January 2018

Issue publication date: 9 April 2018

3107

Abstract

Purpose

Emotions in business-to-business (B2B) interactions are relatively unexplored when compared with business-to customer (B2C) industry wherein sufficient evidence implicating the role of emotions in decision-making is available. This study aims to explore the role of emotions in B2B decision-making, and a customer experience model is suggested for the B2B industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative research methodology using structured and semi-structured interviews along with a repertory grid technique was followed during the study. Purposive sampling was done to identify respondents who were involved in the vendor choice process either as a buyer or a seller in their respective organizations.

Findings

Exploratory research conducted during this study supports the presence of five dimensions of customer experience – sensory, emotional, relational, behavioural and intellectual – in a B2B context. The study further indicates that the experiential value for B2B decision-making is derived from functional, symbolic, emotional and cost values which are assessed by the buyer during their interaction with the product or the service ecosystem and has an impact on the purchase intentions of an industrial buyer.

Originality/value

This paper identifies the role of specific customer experience dimensions in a B2B environment and proposes the role and mechanism of emotional factors affecting the decision-making process in B2B exchange.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Erratum: It has come to the attention of the publisher that the following paper appears in Vol. 10 No. 2 when it should feature with the other NASMEI conference special issue papers. Santosh Kumar Pandey, Amit Mookerjee, 2018, “Assessing the role of emotions in B2B decision making: an exploratory study” (pp. 170-192), in the Journal of Indian Business Research, Vol. 10 No. 2, when they should have been published in the NASMEI conference special issue of the Journal of Indian Business Research, Vol. 10 No. 3. The remaining special issue papers will appear in Vol. 10 No. 3. This happened due to an error in the production process. Emerald would like to sincerely apologises to the author and its readers.

Citation

Pandey, S.K. and Mookerjee, A. (2018), "Assessing the role of emotions in B2B decision making: an exploratory study", Journal of Indian Business Research, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp. 170-192. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIBR-10-2017-0171

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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