Gamifying the digital shopping experience: games without monetary participation incentives increase customer satisfaction and loyalty

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-595
Author(s):  
Johannes C. Bauer ◽  
Marc Linzmajer ◽  
Liane Nagengast ◽  
Thomas Rudolph ◽  
Elena D'Cruz
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Online Shopping ◽  
Customer Relationships ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Price Discounts ◽  
Monetary Rewards ◽  
Shopping Experience

PurposeMany marketplace examples suggest that using gamification in the online retail shopping context boosts sales and positively affects customer loyalty. Nevertheless, more research is needed to understand the effects of digital games on consumer behavior and their underlying psychological mechanisms. Therefore, this article explores how combining games and monetary rewards impacts customer satisfaction, loyalty and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions.Design/methodology/approachTo test our hypotheses, we designed two online laboratory experiments to stimulate an online shopping situation, as gamification in online retailing has the potential to affect an important set of outcomes for service firms throughout the consumer decision process (Hofacker et al., 2016).FindingsThe results of two lab experiments demonstrate that playing a shopping-related game without monetary participation incentive positively influences all three relational outcomes because games enhance consumers' enjoyment of the overall shopping experience. However, our findings also show that monetary rewards used to incentivize game participation diminish these effects. Gamification loses its positive effects if games are combined with monetary rewards, as consumers no longer play games to derive inherent enjoyment, but rather the extrinsic motivation of receiving a discount. We draw managerial implications about how gamification effectively and profitably fosters strong customer relationships and thus increases customer lifetime value and equity.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is the first to investigate the combined effects of gamification and price discounts that require consumers to play the game in order to receive the discount. Focusing on an online shopping context, this article contributes to research on motivation by providing new and more nuanced insights into the psychological process underlying the gamification effects on consumer' long-term attitudes (i.e. satisfaction) and relational behaviors (i.e. positive WOM and loyalty) toward a retailer.Practical implicationsBased on our findings, we provide recommendations for marketers that explain how gamification can be a profitable and efficient tool to foster strong customer relationships. Retail managers should use gamification as a less costly alternative to typical price discounts.Originality/valueTwo laboratory experiments investigate how the separate and combined use of games and price discounts affects consumers' satisfaction, positive WOM intentions and loyalty. Playing a shopping-related game increases satisfaction with the retailer and positive WOM intentions as well as loyalty. Monetary rewards used to incentivize game participation eliminate the positive effects of gamification.

Factors affecting online repurchase intention

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 597-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chinho Lin ◽  
Watcharee Lekhawipat
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Online Shopping ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Repurchase Intention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Shopping Experience ◽  
Online Shoppers ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of online shopping experience and habit in relation to adjusted expectations for enhancing online repurchase intention. Design/methodology/approach – The authors employed partial least square (PLS) as a technique used to analyze the measurement and structural models. Data for this research were collected from 240 Taiwanese online shoppers who had experienced online shopping at least four times. Findings – The result of this study indicates that online shopping habit acts as a moderator of both customer satisfaction and adjusted expectations, whereas online shopping experience can be considered a key driver for customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the research findings confirm that customer satisfaction is a vital driver of adjusted expectations and online repurchase intention. Adjusted expectations do mediate the impact of online repurchase intention. Research limitations/implications – This paper highlights the effect of online shopping experience and online shopping habit on enhancing repurchase intention. The result implies that the acquisition of usage experience and spontaneous purchases not only leads to higher customer satisfaction and customer expectations, but also strengthens online repurchase intention. The use of self-report scales suggests the possibility of a common method bias. Future studies may further test the robustness of this study in the interplay of experience and habit to shed more light on their relative importance in explaining online repurchase intention. Originality/value – This study extends expectancy-disconfirmation paradigm, especially in the context of online shopping, by emphasizing cognitive, affective, and behavioral change on the attitude-intention behavior of online shoppers.

A longitudinal comparison of customer satisfaction and customer-company identification in a service context

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 730-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-Hsin Huang ◽  
Zhao-Hong Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Relationship Dynamics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Complementary Role ◽  
Longitudinal Comparison ◽  
Company Identification ◽  
Over Time

Purpose Customer satisfaction (CS) and customer-company identification (CCI) are two important relational constructs and play a complementary role in the service-profit chain. Drawing from the theory of relationship dynamics, the purpose of this paper is to define CS velocity and CCI velocity as the rate and direction of change in CS and CCI, respectively. A comparison of the relative effects of CCI velocity and CS velocity on customer loyalty is done through a latent growth curve modeling approach. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model is developed and empirically tested based on four waves of a longitudinal survey of 213 restaurant customers. Findings The results show that both CCI velocity and CS velocity have positive effects on customer loyalty. More importantly, the effects of CCI velocity on customer loyalty over time are stronger than those of CS velocity. The moderation analysis further shows that the higher the frequency of visits to the service firm, the stronger the effects of relationship velocity on customer loyalty. Practical implications The results provide new insights for service marketing managers by suggesting that, to benefit the long-term effectiveness of relationship investments, service firms should shift the priority from increasing CS to engendering CCI. Originality/value This paper contributes to the theory of relationship dynamics by conceptualizing new constructs of CS velocity and CCI velocity and by empirically comparing their relative effects on customer loyalty over time.

scholarly journals Managing customer relationships in emerging markets

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 592-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjaya Singh Gaur ◽  
Russel P.J. Kingshott ◽  
Piyush Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Retail Banking ◽  
Customer Relationships ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Commitment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of relationship comfort and relationship proneness on the ability of service firms to build and maintain customer relationships in emerging markets (EMs). Design/methodology/approach A field-survey was conducted with retail-banking customers in India (n=300) using a structured self-administered questionnaire with well-established scales. Findings Relationship comfort positively affects key relationship marketing (RM) constructs (e.g. customer satisfaction, trust, commitment and loyalty) and relationship proneness positively moderates (strengthens) the impact of relationship comfort on customer commitment and loyalty. Research limitations/implications The findings may not be generalizable to all customer types using bank services as well as other types of services and in other EMs. Practical implications Service firms in EMs can build and maintain robust customer relationships by using relationship comfort and relationship proneness to strengthen key RM constructs, such as customer satisfaction, trust, commitment and loyalty. Originality/value The paper highlights the importance of maintaining RM as a tool to build valuable customer relationships but also reveals the importance of relationship comfort and relationship proneness in building trust-based customer relationships in the EMs.

Bridging employee curiosity and service creativity: a new lens

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuen-Hung Tsai ◽  
Li-li Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Task Autonomy ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
And Task

PurposeThis study develops a framework to examine how, why and when different traits of employee curiosity affect service creativity by considering the roles of knowledge sharing and task autonomy.Design/methodology/approachTo reduce common method bias, this work separated the variables investigated into three parts, each of which was randomly used to collect data at three different periods. A total of 822 matched questionnaires obtained from frontline employees of service firms provided useable data for hypothesis tests. A moderated mediation approach was employed to analyse the data.FindingsResults are as follows: (1) Deprivation sensitivity, joyous exploration and social curiosity have positive effects on knowledge collecting (KC) and knowledge donating (KD). (2) KD mediates the relationships between the three curiosity traits and service creativity. (3) Task autonomy enhances and suppresses the mediating effects of KC and KD, respectively, on the curiosity–service creativity relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has two main research implications: First, as different types (traits) of employee curiosity have different effects on service creativity, a single-dimensional view of employee curiosity may mask the differences of individual dimension and lead to a oversimplified conclusion. Second, lifting the vein from employee curiosity to service creativity has to consider the roles of knowledge sharing and task autonomy.Originality/valueThis research is the first to contribute to the service innovation literature by revealing the underlying mechanisms through which different types of employee curiosity affect service creativity and uncovering the moderating roles of task autonomy in the process mechanisms.

Factors affecting customer satisfaction on online shopping holiday

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shian-Yang Tzeng ◽  
Myriam Ertz ◽  
Myung-Soo Jo ◽  
Emine Sarigöllü
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Online Shopping ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product Return ◽  
Retail Service ◽  
Consumer Dissatisfaction

PurposeSingles' Day (SD) in China is the world's biggest online shopping event while consumer dissatisfaction is also on the rise. Both theory and practice need sharper insights to foster consumer satisfaction, but such knowledge remains sparse in the literature. The current study addresses this void by assessing the effects of online and offline retail service features on consumer satisfaction with SD.Design/methodology/approachA two-phase survey was implemented before and after the SD online shopping holiday, with 594 participants in China. Respondents were randomly selected from unique proprietary databases of merchants in the top-five online product categories in China.FindingsThe findings show that information quality, product quality and savings improve, but product return worsens, customer satisfaction with the online shopping holiday. However, good after-sale service can ease the product return process thereby boosting customer satisfaction.Originality/valueThis paper addresses a research void by studying effectiveness of retail service features on consumer satisfaction with online shopping festivals.

The role of Islamic marketing ethics towards customer satisfaction

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1001-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aamir Abbas ◽  
Qasim Ali Nisar ◽  
Mahmood A. Husain Mahmood ◽  
Abderrahim Chenini ◽  
Ahsan Zubair
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Scale Validation ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Customer Relationships ◽  
Marketing Ethics ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Islamic marketing ethics focus on the principles of equity, justice and value maximization for the welfare of society. These ethics play a vital role in elevating the standards of customer behavior. The strategy of focusing customer is now considered as important element because of rapidly changing marketing trends in Islamic banks. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find out the important features of Islamic marketing ethics and identify their effect on customer’s satisfaction in Islamic banking. Design/methodology/approach This study is descriptive and quantitative. Data were collected from 1000 customers of Islamic banks by applying convenient sampling technique. Smart PLS was used to check the scale validation by confirmatory factor analysis. To test the hypotheses, structural equation modeling technique was used. Findings Results enlightened that Islamic marketing ethics play a significant role in enhancing the customer’s satisfaction. Islamic banks should focus on marketing mix along with Islamic and ethical perspectives to improve the customer’s satisfaction level. Practical implications This study highlighted that Islamic marketing ethics have great impact on customer satisfaction. Therefore, Islamic banks need to concentrate on the ethical perspective of Islamic marketing in order to develop long term customer relationships. Islamic banks need to revise their marketing practices, and they should align their marketing tactics with ethical Islamic boundaries. They need to design, communicate and enforce the code of Islamic ethics within organizations. Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need to study how Islamic marketing ethics effect customer satisfaction.

scholarly journals Social and technical chains-of-effects in business-to-business (B2B) service relationships

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 1225-1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russel P.J. Kingshott ◽  
Piyush Sharma ◽  
Smitha Ravindranathan Nair
Keyword(s):  
Social Exchange ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Customer Relationships ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Service Relationships ◽  
The Social ◽  
Business To Business

Purpose This paper aims to combine the social–technical systems and social exchange theories with the resource-based view of the firm, to investigate how business-to-business (B2B) service firms manage their social and technical resources to manage customer relationships. Design/methodology/approach An online survey-based study with 321 managers working in Australian small and medium (SME) firms is used to test hypotheses about the sequential and substitutional impact of four social and technical resources (service quality, satisfaction, trust and commitment) on customer loyalty, using both offline and online platforms. Findings The findings show that both social and technical chains of effects are viable channels for B2B service firms to build customer loyalty; however, mixing of both social and technical resources results in the weakening of both these chains. Research limitations/implications The results based on B2B service relationships between Australian SME firms and their banks may not be generalizable to other contexts. Practical implications This research would help managers in B2B service firms understand the pitfalls of combining their social and technical resources because it may hamper their ability to build customer loyalty. Hence, they need to learn how to synergize their marketing resources across both offline and online platforms to achieve optimal results. Originality/value This research introduces social and technical chains of effects as a novel way to examine the ability of B2B service firms to optimize their social and technical resources in a synergistic manner to build and nurture stronger customer relationships.

The attitudinal and behavioral impact of brand-centered human resource management

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 939-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsu-Hsin Chiang ◽  
Tzu-Shian Han ◽  
David McConville
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Personal Values ◽  
Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Brand Values

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of brand-centered human resource management (HRM) on employees’ person–brand fit, brand commitment (BC) and brand citizenship behavior (BCB). In addition, the paper tests effects of BCB on customer satisfaction and citizenship behavior. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from managers, front-line employees and customers of 22 international tourist hotels in Taiwan. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to investigate relationships between variables. Findings Multilevel results reveal positive connections between brand-centered HRM and BCB, mediated by person–brand fit and BC. Positive relationships were also found between BC and BCB, person–brand fit and BCB; BCB and customer satisfaction; and between customer satisfaction and customer citizenship behavior. Research limitations/implications When employees’ personal values are consistent with brand values, employees will feel a closer connection to the brand and be more willing to dedicate themselves to brand-related activity. The model developed here can be tested in different cultures to ascertain the generalizability of the findings to Western contexts. Practical implications Support is provided for the positive effects of brand-centered HRM when employees internalize brand values as their own personal values. Hotel managers should ensure that employees are highly committed to the brand values and willing to deliver services to customers accordingly. Originality/value The paper provides measurement developments for person–brand fit and BC and deeper understanding of how brand-centered HRM can lead to positive changes in customer behavior.

Impact of introducing a customer services component during secondary school education to improve small and medium-sized enterprises: a case study in Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Abdur Rahman Forhad ◽  
Md. Rajibul Ahsan ◽  
Gazi Mahabubul Alam
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Probit Model ◽  
Customer Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary School Education ◽  
Customer Care ◽  
Core Elements ◽  
Customer Services

Purpose Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) make a significant contribution to alleviating poverty and generating employment, and achieve sustainable economic growth. Customer services represent core elements of a successful business enterprise. This study aims to examine the effect of education on customer satisfaction in the SME sector and what the future holds for developing countries. Design/methodology/approach Using Bangladesh as a case study, this analysis uses a multiple-linear regression approach to examine the effect of a customer care orientation on customer satisfaction and on an SME’s ability to survive. Using a “probit model,” this study investigates the effects on customers’ probability of receiving subsequent services. Findings Developing good customer services in secondary education will increase customers’ satisfaction and enable SMEs to survive and flourish in the long term. Having a policy that promotes this outcome increases the likelihood of receiving consistently good services for the foreseeable future. Originality/value Unlike previous studies, this study examines the role of customer relationships in secondary education and how they improve SME customers’ satisfaction and business survival. This study offers new insights to retain existing customers for a successful SME business model.

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