Search results

1 – 6 of 6
Article
Publication date: 31 March 2020

Todd J. Bacile, Alexandra Krallman, Jeremy S. Wolter and Nicole Dilg Beachum

Customer complaints and service recovery via virtual customer service channels (VCSCs) present unique recovery situations unlike those commonly found in traditional complaint…

Abstract

Purpose

Customer complaints and service recovery via virtual customer service channels (VCSCs) present unique recovery situations unlike those commonly found in traditional complaint handling channels. Some of these distinct challenges include the presence of multiple customers during a recovery, which creates the possibility for uncivil customer-to-customer (C2C) exchanges to harm a complainant’s experience. To this end, this paper aims to explore customer- and firm-level aspects as they relate to social media complaint handling. A customer-level moderator (attitude toward complaining) and a firm-level moderator (relative promptness of the response) are examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from three studies use partial least squares structural equation modeling to analyze hypothetical failure and complaining scenarios on VCSCs. Study 1A (a firm’s social media channel) and Study 1B (a firm’s online support community) investigate how a complainant’s predisposition toward complaining ultimately influences their experiential value (hedonic, pragmatic and sociability) during a virtual service recovery that includes uncivil communication from another customer. Study 2 further examines how the relative promptness of a service provider’s response either before or after uncivil C2C interactions hinders a complainant’s experiential value during the service recovery encounter.

Findings

The results show support for the influence of attitude toward complaining and the relative promptness of response as impactful to a complainant’s hedonic, pragmatic and social experience in virtual service encounters that involve one customer rudely interjecting into a complainant’s online service recovery encounter.

Originality/value

This research is one of the first to apply both customer- and firm-level moderating aspects associated with virtual service recovery encounters. The studies quantitatively assess the moderators’ influence on online dysfunctional behavior’s relationship with C2C fairness perceptions, and the subsequent experiential value a complainant receives on VCSCs. In particular, the investigation of relative promptness of a service provider’s response is a unique conceptualization that expands prior recovery studies’ focus on promptness or quickness of a recovery. The authors put forth a more prompt response that benefits the firm by purposively and symbolically closing out the encounter on VCSC, which somewhat reduces the negative effects of rude follow-up comments. This study is also novel because of the experiential focus on C2C interactions during recovery, rather than focusing on how a firm resolves a failure. In addition, this is the first service recovery study to assess multiple types of online customer service channels. Implications are put forth for service recovery theory and managers who attend to customer complaints on virtual channels.

Article
Publication date: 10 June 2020

Todd J. Bacile

The domain of digital service not only includes digital service products made available for purchase but also the provision of digital customer service, such as customers seeking…

3390

Abstract

Purpose

The domain of digital service not only includes digital service products made available for purchase but also the provision of digital customer service, such as customers seeking support on brands' social media channels. This type of digital customer service introduces new challenges not found in offline service recovery situations. This research highlights one such occurrence by investigating customer-to-customer (C2C) interactions during digital service recovery. In particular, dysfunctional dialog, such as online incivility (e.g. rude and insulting comments), directed at a complainant by a fellow customer is investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data from an online panel are utilized to test the hypothesized relationships between dysfunctional customer behavior (i.e. online incivility), C2C interactional justice, customer perceived service climate and three forms of experiential value using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The results show that customer perceptions of the firm's service climate are negatively affected by online incivility but only when such incivility produces C2C injustice. This outcome is notable due to the strong relationship found between customer perceived service climate and the following three forms of online experiential value: sociability, hedonic and pragmatic value. Thus, a weakened service climate subsequently leads to weakened experiential value for complainants.

Research limitations/implications

The theoretical implications of two nascent constructs, C2C interactional justice and customer perceived service climate, are further developed with reference to digital customer service situations. In particular, given that prior research has focused on customer perceptions of service climate in core consumption situations of enjoyable face-to-face service experiences, it has only considered optimal or extremely positive service climate assessments in non-digital contexts. This study expands the understanding of the customer perceived service climate construct by examining the implications of a sub-optimal service climate in a digital customer service situation of an unenjoyable service experience. The limitations include a small sample size, the use of hypothetical scenarios and a failure situation limited to a single industry.

Practical implications

Managers who oversee social media channels or online communities must be prepared to act upon C2C online incivility. Deeming such communications as innocent online chatter not worthy of company intervention is a mistake, as the results of this study show that such inaction may lead to negative customer perceptions of the digital service environment and harm the customer experience.

Originality/value

This work develops a greater understanding of the importance of C2C interactional justice and customer perceived service climate in online customer service situations that prior research has yet to establish. In particular, previous studies have not investigated the negative effects of a situation that produces sub-optimal customer perceptions of a service climate.

Article
Publication date: 8 January 2018

Alexa K. Fox, Todd J. Bacile, Chinintorn Nakhata and Aleshia Weible

The present research aims to examine selfie-marketing from a consumer behavior perspective. Creating and sharing selfies are gaining popularity among millennials. The authors seek…

11801

Abstract

Purpose

The present research aims to examine selfie-marketing from a consumer behavior perspective. Creating and sharing selfies are gaining popularity among millennials. The authors seek to understand how this popularity relates to classic research on narcissism and self-concept and to determine the effectiveness of selfie-marketing in visual user-generated content.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methods approach is used across two studies. Study 1’s qualitative exploration uses the grounded theory method by analyzing semi-structured interviews with millennials. The findings produce three research propositions. These propositions are further developed into testable hypotheses in Study 2’s quantitative investigation, featuring analysis of the variance of online survey data collected from millennials.

Findings

The findings suggest that narcissism positively relates to millennials’ attitudes toward and intent to participate in selfie-marketing on visual content-sharing apps. Results also demonstrate that millennials seek to use selfies to present their self-concepts differently in various visual content-sharing environments.

Originality/value

The present research is among the first to focus on the importance of self-presentation and narcissism in regard to consumers’ attitudes and behavioral responses toward selfie-marketing. For marketers, this underscores the importance of understanding the unique nature of user-generated visual content on social media.

Details

Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 35 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0736-3761

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 October 2011

Todd J. Bacile and Ronald E. Goldsmith

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate that text message mobile coupons are marketing communications that are becoming more service‐like in nature. As such, mobile coupons…

1539

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate that text message mobile coupons are marketing communications that are becoming more service‐like in nature. As such, mobile coupons will benefit from firm‐generated service customization strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

An experiment compared a mobile coupon with a customized versus non‐customized delivery time. A sample of 244 undergraduate students from a large southeastern US university completed an online questionnaire. The between‐subject design randomly assigned participants to the custom or non‐custom condition. Results were assessed with MANCOVA.

Findings

Customizing the delivery time of a mobile coupon improved attitude toward and intention to use the coupon, as well as attitude toward and purchase intent with the firm.

Research limitations/implications

The paper focuses on only one mobile coupon campaign in one product category, while measuring attitudes and intentions, not actual purchase behavior. The sample is also limited by having student participants. Future research should examine these limitations.

Practical implications

The paper provides practitioners with an alternative view of mobile coupons. Whereas traditional paper coupons are mass marketing communications, mobile coupons should be viewed similar to an important service to consumers. Allowing consumers to customize these communications, similar to how consumers customize important service offerings, will enhance the coupon and image of the firm.

Originality/value

This study is the first to suggest that mobile coupons be guided by services marketing theory. This is also the first study to suggest and empirically assess the customization of marketing communications as a firm‐generated strategy designed to enhance mobile coupons. Customization in this context is a co‐production activity.

Details

Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, vol. 5 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7122

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 April 2022

Weng Marc Lim, Satish Kumar, Nitesh Pandey, Tareq Rasul and Vidhu Gaur

This study aims to present a retrospective of the Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing (JRIM) on its 15th anniversary. The retrospective includes an analysis of JRIM's

3008

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to present a retrospective of the Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing (JRIM) on its 15th anniversary. The retrospective includes an analysis of JRIM's growth in publication and citation, and an exploration of the journal's major themes and methodologies employed.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a bibliometric methodology consisting of analytical techniques such as performance analysis, co-authorship network analysis, and bibliographic coupling to present a retrospective of JRIM.

Findings

This study finds that JRIM has grown consistently in terms of its publications and citations with its major themes being social media, advertising and communication, technology adoption, customer behavior, multi-channel marketing, viral marketing, and relationship marketing. This study also reveals that the journal's contributing authors tend to employ empirical and quantitative methodologies.

Originality/value

This is the first study to present a retrospective of JRIM and one of the few that present a retrospective of interactive marketing. Besides presenting the major themes, this study also analyzes the growth that such themes have undergone with time and what are the major themes in recent times in relation to the body of knowledge on interactive marketing curated through JRIM.

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2020

Cu Xuan Le and Hu Wang

The purpose of this paper is to examine a proposed model of location-based advertising (LBA) effectiveness upon the influence of integrative perceived values on consumers'…

1300

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine a proposed model of location-based advertising (LBA) effectiveness upon the influence of integrative perceived values on consumers' attitude and behavioral responses in the immaturity of LBA in Vietnam.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey research method was utilized to collect data from mobile users. A real sample of 459 respondents was deemed and the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to analyze data.

Findings

The results unveil that contextual offers, social facilitation, and advertising values have significantly positive effects on attitude; in turn, attitude mediates between these factors and purchase intention, information seeking and recommendation behaviors. Moreover, social facilitation is a significant stimulator of purchase intention. Otherwise, perceived encroached risk negatively impacts attitude.

Practical implications

Marketers should capture considerable attention to mobile natives' conscious awareness about a mechanism of tailoring their enthusiasm and behavioral responses at the embryonic stage of LBA growth in emerging countries like Vietnam.

Originality/value

This study fills the gap in the current literature by simultaneously exploring the importance of integrative perceived values to construct a hypothetical framework of consumers' responses and performance based on the uses and gratifications theory, inclusive perceived behavioral control derived from theory of planned behavior, associated with contextual value from the nature of LBA.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 33 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Access

Year

Content type

Article (6)
1 – 6 of 6