Hans H. Bauer

Building customer relations over the Internet

Abstract While previous marketing activities were primarily focused on increasing market shares in terms of a mass marketing based on single transactions, the past few years saw a paradigmatic shift towards relationship marketing. This change in viewpoint is based on the finding that the establishment and maintenance of long-term relationships have a decisive influence on corporate success. In this study, the authors present a critical theoretical and empirical analysis of the contribution the Internet can make to successful relationship marketing. The study focuses on the influence that important characteristics of the World Wide Web (WWW), such as its interactive structure and constant availability of information, can have on key variables of relationship marketing, i.e., commitment, satisfaction and trust. For example, the authors provide empirical proof of potential withdrawal of trust on the part of the customers if their expectations with regard to these characteristics are not met.

Measuring the quality of e‐banking portals

Purpose - In the internet economy, the business model of web portals has spread rapidly over the last few years. Despite this, there have been very few scholarly investigations into the services and characteristics that transform a web site into a portal as well as into the dimensions that determine the customers evaluation of the portals service quality. Design/methodology/approach - Based on an empirical study in the field of e-banking, the authors validate a measurement model for the construct of web portal quality based on the following dimensions: security and trust, basic services quality, cross-buying services quality, added value, transaction support and responsiveness. Findings - The identified dimensions can reasonably be classified into three service categories: core services, additional services, and problem-solving services. Originality/value - The knowledge of these dimensions as major determinants of consumers quality perception in the internet provides banks a promising starting point for establishing an effective quality management for their e-businesses.

The effects of price bundling on consumer evaluations of product offerings

Abstract The bundling of multiple products or components at a set price has become a popular marketing strategy. Although little is known of how bundled price information should be presented to consumers, mental accounting principles provide guidelines. These principles suggest that more positive evaluations should result from bundling or integrating component prices into a single price and debundling or segregating component discounts into a set of discounts. A study is reported in which consumers were presented an offer for an automobile and then asked to evaluate their satisfaction with the offer, likelihood of recommending, and likelihood of repurchasing the brand. The study supports the predictions as all three evaluations increase when price information is bundled and price discount information is debundled.

Segmenting cyberspace: a customer typology for the internet

Purpose – This research sets about discovering if it is possible to identify distinct, practice‐relevant and addressable clusters by means of selected criteria for constructing typologies – such as psychographic, culturally‐specific and purchasing behaviour‐relevant features – which permit an online supplier to efficiently and effectively focus on attractive consumer segments.Design/methodology/approach – To answer the research question, the study conducted an online survey with 1,011 participants. The respondents were from three countries, each with culturally‐distinct features: France, Germany and the US. Underpinning the research are theoretically‐secured constructs of purchasing behaviour on the internet.Findings – Cluster analysis confirmed the outstanding validity of a three‐cluster‐solution (97.7 per cent score) – risk‐averse doubters, open‐minded online shoppers, and reserved information‐seekers. Discriminant analysis shows that certain constructs, particularly “neuroticism”, “willingness to buy” ...

Identifying Cross-Channel Dissynergies for Multichannel Service Providers

In this article, the authors propose that in a multichannel environment, evaluative conflicts (dissynergies) between service channels exist. Building on status quo bias theory, they develop a model that relates offline channel satisfaction to perceptions about a new self-service channel. Data were collected from 639 customers currently using offline investment banking. Results show that offline channel satisfaction reduces the perceived usefulness and enhances the perceived risk of the online channel. These inhibiting effects represent a status quo bias. Trust in the bank shows both adoption-enhancing effects and an adoption-inhibiting effect. Finally, the negative relationship between offline channel satisfaction and perceived usefulness is significantly stronger for men, older people, and less experienced Internet users. This study has both theoretical and managerial relevance as it helps to understand consumer behavior in multichannel environments and provides implications for the design of multichannel service strategies.

Customer‐based brand equity in the team sport industry

Purpose – The paper aims to refine existing customer‐based brand equity models for the team sport industry and examine the importance of brand equity in the professional German soccer league Bundesliga.Design/methodology/approach – After assessing brand equity on the basis of actual consumer responses, we relate the brand equity measure on an aggregate level to objective means of economic success. Online sampling with a total database of 1,594 usable questionnaires is utilized for analysis. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (including multi‐group analysis) as well as structural equation modeling and regression analysis are applied.Findings – Results highlight the adequacy of a parsimonious brand equity model in team sport (BETS) model and the importance of the brand in team sport for economic success.Research limitations/implications – The main limitations of this research are sample constraints; test persons are highly involved in and knowledgeable about the product category under research. Fu...

Customer Relations Through the Internet

Abstract While previous marketing activities were primarily focused on increasing market shares in terms of a mass marketing based on single transactions, the past few years saw a paradigmatic switch towards relationship management. This change in viewpoint is based on the finding that the establishment and maintenance of long-term relationships have a decisive influence on corporate success. In this study, the authors present a critical theoretical and empirical analysis of the contribution the Internet can make to successful relationship marketing. The study focuses on the influence that important characteristics of the World Wide Web such as its interactive structure and constant availability of information can have on central correcting variables of relation ship marketing, i.e., commitment, satisfaction, and trust. For example, the authors provide empirical proof of potential withdrawal of trust on the part of the customers if their expectations with regard to these characteristics are not met.

Product life cycle patterns for pharmaceuticals and their impact on R&D profitability of late mover products

This study describes a cross-sectional and time series analysis of sales data over one decade in four major segments of the market for cardiovascular drugs. We estimate over 200 product life cycles (PLC) using a very flexible mathematical model to account for a variety of PLC shapes. Life cycles are then clustered on the basis of estimated regression coefficients. As a result this analysis leads to the detection of an international PLC classification. Moreover, it turns out that the order of entry is not only crucial to achieve a certain market share level but also to the shape of the drug life cycle and therefore for the long-term economic evaluation of innovative products. The paper provides the initial findings on this subject through a simulation study which is in line with previous research designs and shows the impact of the PLC shape on the net present value (NPV).

Virtual Community: Its Contribution to Customer Relationships by Providing Social Capital

Abstract While previous marketing activities were primarily focused on increasing market shares in terms of a mass marketing based on single transactions, the past few years saw a paradigmatic shift towards relationship management. In this respect, virtual communities are becoming increasingly significant for online customer relationship management. A major aspect of virtual communities is the concept of social capital. It will be shown that virtual communities that provide social capital are a key instrument to establish satisfaction, trust, and commitment within a business relationship.

Markenpersönlichkeit als Determinante von Markenloyalität

SummaryBrand personality, a crucial part of brand image, can be conceived as a key to the emotional qualities of a product. To demonstrate the potential value of a brand’s personality for consumers and companies, we investigate consequences of congruity between brand personality and consumer self-concept from a post-purchase perspective. We use brand loyalty as an ultimate dependent variable for our model. In order to improve the understanding of self-congruity, we also introduce determinants of congruent consumer-brand relationships. For the first time, an application of self-congruity theory is embedded in a causal-analytical framework. The proposed framework provides insight into consumer-brand relationship mechanisms and is analyzed with a structural equation modeling approach.