Janny Hoekstra

The effect of relational constructs on customer referrals and number of services purchased from a multiservice provider: Does age of relationship matter

The authors examine the effect of relational constructs (e.g., satisfaction, trust, and affective and calculative commitment) on customer referrals and the number of services purchased, as well as the moderating effect of age of the relationship on these relationships. The research reported, based on data obtained from a large sample of customers of an insurance company, combines archival and survey data. The results provide evidence that supports the moderating effect of relationship age on the relationship between satisfaction, affective and calculative commitment, and the number of services purchased.

The impact of satisfaction and payment equity on cross-buying

Abstract In the last decade, marketers have primarily focused on keeping customers. Only recently have they become aware that creating value by cross-selling additional services is also an important aspect of customer relationship management. In this article we investigate how satisfaction and payment equity, defined as the perceived fairness of the price, affect cross-buying at a multiservice provider. We also consider its competitors’ performance on these factors. Our results show that the effect of satisfaction differs between customers with lengthy and short relationships. It also shows that payment equity negatively affects cross-buying for customers with long relationships. However, if the prices of the supplier are perceived as fairer than the prices of the competitor, the customers’ probability of cross-buying increases.

The commercial use of segmentation and predictive modeling techniques for database marketing in the Netherlands

Although the application of segmentation and predictive modeling is an important topic in the database marketing (DBM) literature, no study has yet investigated the extent of adoption of these techniques. We present the results of a Dutch survey involving 228 database marketing companies. We find that managers tend to rely on intuition and on the long-standing methods RFM and cross-tabulation. Our results indicate that the application of segmentation and response modeling is positively related to company and database size, frequency of customer contact, and the use of a direct channel of distribution. The respondents indicate that future research should focus on models applicable for Internet marketing, long-term effects of direct marketing, irritation from direct marketing offers, and segmentation and predictive modeling techniques.

The customer concept: the basis for a new marketing paradigm

Recent developments in both marketing theory and marketing practice make it necessary to formulate a new marketing paradigm. This paradigm consists of three elements: (1) a concept, which is the core of the paradigm, (2) a set of activities, and (3) a domain. The customer concept is the new marketing concept. It is a management orientation which maintains that firms establish relationships with selected individual target customers with whom superior customer values are designed, offered, redefined and realized in close cooperation with other partners in the marketing system such as suppliers and intermediaries, in order to realize long-term profits through customer satisfaction, partner- and employee satisfaction. The new marketing activities include decisions with regard to the firms stated vision, objective(s), strategy, organizational structure, culture, information system, marketing instruments, business processes and human resource management. The new marketing domain encompasses the broader interpretation of marketing as the central concept in the behavior of the firm. The customer concept implies a reorientation of marketing to one that places the customer in a pivotal role.

The impact of quality on store loyalty : A contingency approach

This studys prime interest is to assist retail managers in deciding where they are likely to get the greatest response to their expenditures on quality improvement. An empirical test involving 287 consumers reporting on a wide array of stores assesses whether the relationship between three quality dimensions (technical quality, functional quality and relational quality) and store loyalty is moderated by age, gender and store size. The structural equation model indicates that relational quality is the prime driver of store loyalty, seemingly overruling the impact of technical quality and functional quality. Most importantly, the results suggest that older consumers are relatively more strongly affected by technical quality than younger consumers. Another interesting finding is that retailers reap more benefits from their quality investments if they offer relational quality to female as opposed to male consumers. Store size was not found to mitigate the impact of the quality dimensions investigated.

The effectiveness of direct response radio commercials: Results of a field experiment in The Netherlands

Radio is becoming increasingly popular as an advertising medium. At the same time, more and more companies are integrating direct marketing in their communication strategies. Considers the influence of the day of the week, the time of the day, the position of an ad in the commercial break, the length of the commercial break and the type of the preceding program on two effectiveness measures: responses per rating point and responses per cost using a field experiment. A total of 111 commercial spots, covering two campaigns, were broadcast on two radio stations in The Netherlands. Tobit analysis is used to test the influence of the different variables. The most effective direct response radio commercials are those broadcast on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and those broadcast between 2.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m.

The Opening and Reading Behavior of Business-to-Business Direct Mail

Abstract Companies who are able to optimize their target audiences opening and reading behavior of commercial business-to-business mailings realize two objectives at the same time: increase response rates of these mailings and lift the level of exposure of their company, its products, and/or services. However, little is known about the way in which managers open and read direct mail pieces that are received at their offices. This study investigates the antecedents of and relationships between direct mail opening, reading, and response behavior in a business-to-business context and reports the results of a field experiment in which 60 Belgian managers participated. The study shows that manipulating envelope characteristics is the most effective way to influence business-to-business direct mail opening behavior. Segmenting and targeting appear to be key success factors for stimulating reading and response behavior. Mailing content characteristics were not related significantly to reading behavior, nor did mail pressure affect opening behavior.

How Experience Changes the Importance of Website Criteria: The Moderating Influence of Online and Website-Specific Experience

Online shoppers may differ in what they desire from websites based on their experience with a specific website and with online shopping in general. This study investigates the moderating influence of online and website-specific shopping experience on the importance of website criteria. The results from survey data from customers of two bookstores reveal that both experience measures similarly moderate the importance of the website criteria of enjoyment and time/effort costs, but differentially affect the importance of service quality as a driver of online behavioral loyalty intentions. E-tailers can benefit from these insights by tailoring their websites to the heterogeneous preferences of consumers who possess varying levels of website and general online experience.