Search results

While there has been extensive research on understanding the effects of online reviews on product sales, there is not enough investigation of the inter-relationships between online reviews, online search and product sales. The study attempts to address this gap in the context of the Indian car market.

The research uses text mining and considers six important review features volume, valence, length, deviation of valence, sentiment and readability within the heuristic and systematic model of information processing. Panel data regression is used along with mediation analysis to study the inter-relationships between features of reviews, online search and sales.

The study finds that numerical heuristic features significantly affect sales and online search, numerical systematic feature affects sales and the textual heuristic and systematic features do not affect sales or online search in the Indian car market. Further, online search mediates the association between features of reviews and sales of cars.

Although only car sales data from India is considered in this research, similar relationships between review features, online search and sales could exist for the car market of other countries as well.

This research uncovers the unique role of online search as a mediator between review features and sales, whereas prior literature has considered review features and online search as independent variables that affect sales.

Gives an in depth view of the strategies pursued by the world’s leading chief executive officers in an attempt to provide guidance to new chief executives of today. Considers the marketing strategies employed, together with the organizational structures used and looks at the universal concepts that can be applied to any product. Uses anecdotal evidence to formulate a number of theories which can be used to compare your company with the best in the world. Presents initial survival strategies and then looks at ways companies can broaden their boundaries through manipulation and choice. Covers a huge variety of case studies and examples together with a substantial question and answer section.

A study of the price discounts granted by Morton Salt Company and other producers of table salt in the U.S. on their sales of table salt to grocery wholesalers and retailers. The discounts were found to be illegal under the Robinson-Patman Act by the Federal Trade Commission and the Supreme Court. The Commission and the Court believed that the discounts were unjustified price concessions granted to “large” buyers, consistent with the concerns of the Robinson-Patman Act. However, the evidence indicates that the most common discount – the “carload discount” – was received by virtually all buyers, regardless of the buyer’s size; the other discounts – “annual volume” discounts – though received primarily by “large” buyers, were likely cost based. The history of the discounts and likely reasons why they were granted are explored in detail.

Describes the findings of a study into sales approaches taken by car dealerships during the slump of the Philippine economy. Covers 287 respondents across 29 dealerships of Japanese manufacturers. Provides rationale for some of the actions taken such as expansion and new models. Suggests that the study opens a new area of possibly more sophisticated research on the Filipino car‐buying pattern with the focus on the buyer, not techniques employed.

The purpose of this paper is to review the recent implementation of the Challenger Sales Model (CSM) at Cars.com, an online automotive marketplace that generated $633m in sales in 2016 with a sales force of over 500 representatives, and to identify insights related to the implementation that may be relevant to sales researchers and other organizations considering similar implementations. A more specific aim is to determine whether establishing “constructive tension” between salespeople and their customers, which is a key tenet of the CSM, was perceived as a source of value for Cars.com.

The case study is based primarily on in-depth interviews with 15 employees spanning different sales and/or training responsibilities in the organization, from the current CEO (previously the former Senior Vice President of Sales) to sales representatives from different sales teams.

Five major insights emerged from this research: (1) Because it represents a change in the established norms governing interpersonal dynamics, constructive tension is often more difficult for salespeople to foster when interacting with existing (vs prospective) customers. (2) Whereas leading with insights is more difficult when interacting with prospective (vs existing) customers, sustaining meaningful insights over time is a major challenge when dealing with existing customers. (3 )Products that are more transactional or price-driven are ineffective at creating constructive tension and incompatible with the CSM. (4) Creating value from constructive tension requires the entire sales organization to share a common vision of what it means to be a Challenger and to adopt consistent nomenclature and formal programs for training and coaching. (5) Even more than other consultative sales models, the successful implementation of the CSM demands company-wide integration and makes it untenable for most indirect sales teams.

Although prior academic research has offered critiques of the CSM, the present paper is one of the first to use a discovery-oriented, qualitative research approach to provide a retrospective look at the actual implementation of the CSM within an organization. This approach results in novel insights, such as the identification of conditions when high-pressure versus low-pressure selling techniques are likely to be more successful, that may be of interest to sales researchers and to other companies considering a large-scale implementation of the CSM or related sales methodologies.

This study explores the direct relationship between social media user-generated content (UGC), online search traffic and offline light vehicle sales of different models.

The long-run equilibrium relationship and short-run dynamic effects between the valence and volume of UGC, online search traffic and offline car sales are analyzed by applying the autoregressive distribution lag (ARDL) model.

The study found the following. (1) In the long-run relationship, the valence of online reviews on social media platforms is significantly negatively correlated with the sales of all models. However, in the short-run, the valence of online reviews has a significant positive correlation with all models in different lag periods. (2) The volume of online reviews is significantly positively correlated with the sales of all models in the long run. However, in the short run, the relationship between the volume of online reviews and the sales of lower-sales-volume cars is uncertain. There is a significant positive correlation between the volume of reviews and the sales of higher-sales-volume cars. (3) Online search traffic has a significantly negative correlation with the sales of all models in the long run. However, in the short run, there is no consistent conclusion on the relationship between online search traffic and car sales.

This study provides a reference for managers to use in their efforts to improve offline high-involvement product sales using online information.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the behavior of the automotive industry which is very critical to avoid major economic disruptions in the economy. To understand this industry, one needs to understand its historical performance in relation to many economic factors that may affect the industry.

Data about automobile sales (in dollars and in units) and many economic and demographic variables are collected from a variety of sources. Automobile sales are the dependent variable. However, the variable of automobile sales is divided into foreign and domestic car makers. The data are regressed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) stepwise regression to obtain highly correlated variables.

The results indicate a strong relationship between the economic variables and foreign car sales, but the relationship between the economic variables and domestic car sales is weak. The domestic cars sales relationship to the other economic variables should be explored further to determine possible causes for the weak correlation. One of the possible reasons could be that domestic car makers use many incentives to influence sales, but data on incentives by model by year are not available. The addition of this variable as a factor may improve correlation.

The results in this study could help the automobile companies better understand their business, and the auto companies could use the results for possible strategic decisions. In addition, legislatures in the impacted states could use the results to prepare for fluctuations in the industry that would result in profound effects on the states in question.

This type of analysis is not standard, and the use of multiple economic variables correlated with domestic and foreign car sales is unique. The study provides a basis for further research.

Can instances of empirical success/failure yield an established sequence of ordered procedures (Protocol): management of technology protocol (MOTEP) to improve the probability of corporate/country survival/success?Design/methodology/approach – The long established technology of Japanese Mitsubishi engines used by Proton, Malaysia’s national car‐maker, since September 1985, is due to be supplanted at the beginning of February, 2004 by the emerging technology of the all‐Malaysian Gen2 engine. Can Chacko’s MOTEP suggest how Proton should pro‐actively target Gen2 sales?Findings – MOTEP determined first year sales of Gen2 cars formally using the form of the sales curve of the established technology. It was projected substantively based on the system performance characteristics (SPC) which attracted customers to Gen2. The theory of concomitant coalitions (CONCOL) shows us how Proton can cooperate with their competitor, Perodua, on R&D for system performance characteristics‐improving technology while competing with Perodua in the market. How much R&D is justified? How should it be allocated? How can Proton and Perodua both enjoy R&D breakthroughs in the immediate instead of in the distant future?Originality/value – The paper selects from among the 12 MOTEP steps those which develop for Proton a systematic approach to anticipate, acquire and adopt high technology on a sustained basis to increase the probability of corporate/country survival/success, and illustrates it with respect to pro‐actively promoting the sales of emerging technology‐based Gen2 car sales.

The European retail motor industry is currently facing an unprecedented number of major forces for change. For independent dealer businesses to survive, they must clearly demonstrate to consumers that they represent the best possible channel for the acquisition and maintenance of their motorisation needs. They must also demonstrate to manufacturers that they represent the best route to market for them. Proposes a way that dealers can not only survive but, in co‐operation with their manufacturers, prosper in the market of the future. Such an approach would comprise the removal of wasteful activity, the reduction of costs and prices, delivering greater customer value and improving customer retention. In short, true lean distribution. The concept centres on a “customer account manager”, who pro‐actively manages the consumer’s needs for after‐sales of all types, thereby managing demand and removing waste from the system. As a consequence of this demand management, he or she is able to monitor the consumer’s needs (and even his family’s needs) for a new or used replacement car, again removing waste. The approach enables the dealer to exchange ineffective, costly, direct marketing and advertising for value‐adding contacts from which the consumer and manufacturer directly benefit, thereby creating a virtuous circle.