Consumer's Perception and Behavioural Reaction

Progressions in communication innovation have offered ascent to the development of another electronic manifestation of verbal spreading that is Viral Marketing (VM). VM is kind of marketing strategy that sways people to share a promoting message to everyone via web or other electronic media. As of now, Viral Marketing Communication (VMC) is still acknowledged being at an untimely period of improvement. In this way data about its conduct and extent has yet to be plainly set upon and decided. Also, constrained exploration has been carried out on shopper recognition and reaction to such prompting method. The objective of this study is to conduct an inquiry into consumer/buyer receptivity, perception and behavioural reaction to the discussed moderately new promoting technique via VM. With the use of in-depth interviews conducted with 15 people and small interviews with other 27 people, the study analysed their perception towards five methods through which Viral Marketing can be implemented, they are 1) E-mail, 2) Video 3) Blogs, 4) Facebook, Google+, Twitter-Social Media Portals and 5) Forums. Qualitative research has been conducted to analyse the assumptions/hypotheses and found valuable findings in regards to the way buyer/consumer behave to traditional word of mouth and e-W-o-M (Viral Marketing). The qualitative findings from the study show that VMC increases consumer's awareness but it does not have a vital impact on the buying decision, Consumers have different trust and credibility to five junctions of VM; “Forums” have highest trust and credibility among the discussed five junctions, Consumers do not take VM as spam messages, Service based VMC have higher impact than the product based VM, Negative VMC has a higher influence on consumer than the optimistic one, and Financial Benefit is not the strongest reason to spread the messages via VM. These findings will provide new bits of knowledge on VM as a marketing tool from a shopper's outlook and prove to be the first venture for further study on how VM can effectively connect, join & impact shoppers and sellers.

Promoting Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in Global Business

This chapter explains the overviews of customer service, service quality, and customer satisfaction; the significance of service quality in global business; and the significance of customer satisfaction in global business. Customer service is the significant element required for a successful business. Knowing customer expectations and delivering excellent service quality can considerably promote the entrepreneurial success and business growth. Gaining high levels of customer satisfaction is very important to business because satisfied customers are most likely to be loyal and to make repeat orders and to utilize a wide range of services offered by business. High service quality effectively promotes customer satisfaction and customer satisfaction has a positive relationship with business revenue. The chapter argues that promoting service quality and customer satisfaction has the potential to enhance organizational performance and reach strategic goals in global business.

Giving Personalized Treatment

Healthy profits are critical to any organization's survival and must be factored into key business decisions, including the decision to hold the customers with the firm. Though these benefits extend beyond the financial realm, organizations should focus more on customers because it makes good business sense. Therefore, to achieve operational excellence, a firm must integrate its sales and service functions across multiple channels that provide personalized services to its customers. From face-to-face contact to self-service websites, they must capitalize on every communication opportunity. Improving customer satisfaction is not enough, to stay competitive; firms must also focus on achieving customer delight. The value of relationships with customers is double the worth of measured brand value. Every single transaction with every customer is a big contributor to successful business. And, nowadays, organizations have started looking for various strategies that can satisfy, delight or excite customers. The most common strategy used is that of engaging its customers with a company or a brand. Vrious ways are adopted to engage customers both online and offline. It can be through extensive brand and product knowledge, discussion forums, personalized services like e-mails, sms etc. Online engagement tactics may bring a revolutionary change in the customer's mindset. Hence, the organization can shift its entire focus on Customers and must provide with an exceptional customer experience. Some of the strategies that can be implemented in this regard are: e-mail marketing and in-product messaging. E-mail Marketing is the commonly used approach by most of the firms these days. The purpose of sending e-mails can be numerous: feedback, upgrades, monthly newsletter, tradeshows, etc. But the question is what would be the response of the customers to these generalized mails. Will they take them on a serious not? The answer is a big ‘NO'. The customers would be appreciating these mails only and only if they are related to the specific interest of the customer. Personalized services steal a customer's heart at least to a certain extent. As far as the second approach is concerned, it is in-product messaging which is on a rise currently. It removes the hurdle of poor conversion rates as in the case of e-mail marketing, also, it focuses directly on customer. The aim of this chapter is to highlight the strategies of customer engagement in creating value satisfaction and thereby building customer loyalty leading to excellence in business, which is one of the key factors for excellence, with a special reference to online shopping. This chapter will provide theoretical framework to understand the relationship between excellence, customer Engagement and loyalty. This chapter is structured as follows. To start with, this chapter focuses on excellence of the business which benefits both the internal as well as the external customer, followed by the outcomes of previous investigations on conceptual framework of engagement.

Effect of Mediating Factors on Customer Defection with Special Reference to Banking Industry in India

People who were practicing Marketing exercise's and Academicians thinks that “4 Ps” marketing framework – product, price, place and promotion adds less value to their interest or business where ongoing relationship is critical. In a process of finding a way to overcome these marketers has evolved a concept of Relationship Marketing which talks about understanding customer segments, delivering ongoing quality service, and achieving high customer satisfaction. Relationship marketing was about “putting the customer in the middle of the business circle,” in the words of Dick Lee, principal of St. Paul-based Hi-Yield Marketing. Customer Relationship management is the strongest and the most efficient method of maintaining and creating customers. The challenges for marketers doesn't stops here, as market matured from national to international to global, customer retention and acquisition become more crucial and challenging for them. Multiple options broaden the path for consumer to get access over many products and services, creating a high probability of defection. Now they have new challenge to face that is “Defection”. They are trying hard to understand what they are supposed to do so as to increase customer retention and decrease customer defection. This paper tries to understand the mediating effect of sources on customer defection (Objective knowledge versus Subjective Knowledge) and its important act on consumers repurchase behavior.

Customers' Expectations from Frontline Managers in Utility Sector

Consequent to power sector reforms, customers' satisfaction is gaining vital importance at power distribution companies. Customers are now getting a choice of choosing their electricity supplier as well as options of investing in their own power generating equipment. The threat of losing customers is driving power distribution companies towards ensuring customer satisfaction. Apart from availability of electricity supply on a 24 / 7 basis, electricity customers now expect ease in getting new electricity connection, advice on most suitable category of supply, timely meter reading, billing, and handling of grievance. To provide customers with great satisfaction, power distribution companies have to give quality attention to offering excellent services that attracts customers and clear up all customers' complaints. Frontline managers play a very significant role in the electric utility companies. They act as an inter-face between the customers / public and the company. This chapter attempts to elaborate customers' expectations from the frontline managers in power distribution companies.

Comparative Analysis of Marketing Communication Tools Adopted by Telecommunication Service Firms

The increase in number of players in cellular telephony has raised the expectation level of customers compelling firms to devise strategies to gain competitive edge. Thus, the main objective of this research is to comparatively study employees and customer's awareness regarding marketing communication tools adopted by Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular in eastern Rajasthan. In the present study communication tools pertaining to advertising, sales-promotion, personal selling, direct marketing, events and public relations have been considered and analyzed. The present research will also attempt to explore the sources of information referred to by customers while opting for telecommunication services. The study will involve a sample of 250 existent customers and 25 employees for Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular respectively and the methodology employed will be structured questionnaire for customers and employees separately with reference to eastern Rajasthan. By identifying the strategic issues that affect customer decisions the present research will contribute to the understanding of the influence of communication tools on customers. It would also enable marketing managers to identify impact of these dimensions and to concentrate firm's efforts on those factors which enhance customer awareness. It is an exploratory study.

An Empirical Study on the Quality of Services Offered by the Private Life Insurers in Burdwan

Service quality has become as one of the most important ensuing factors in the service sector. Considering various needs and requirements of the customers, like any other service provider life insurers also always trying to provide better quality of services to their customers in order to satisfy them. In this chapter, the researcher conducted a study on the quality of services offered by the private life insurers operating in the district of Burdwan, West Bengal, through proper investigation of the service quality structure in the present perspective. Here, accepted 661 usable responses with respect to the customers and 582 usable responses with respect to the insurers were considered as the sample size of the study and statistical package SPSS 16 as well as Bexley's Customer Retention Indicator Grid ware used to perform the analyses.

Film Marketing

Since promotional activities are highly important for attracting moviegoers to a new movie, producer companies engage in marketing promotional activities to increase box office revenue. The main goal of this study is to identify and analyze impact of marketing promotion activities on creating preference for moviegoers to watch the film as well as the opening weekend box office revenue of that film. This paper starts with reviewing the literature about the film marketing and continues with outlining the facts about movie industry in Turkey. Finally, it ends up with analyzing the impact of publicity activities on attracting moviegoers' to watch a film and the opening weekend box office performance of the film in the context of Turkey. 41Turkish movies that were released in 2010 – 2014 are analyzed with the purpose of revealing the relationship between the publicity activities and box office performance. As a result of regression analysis, media coverage (the number of publicity news) exhibited strong predicting power of tickets sold at the opening weekend (the number of audience).

Green Practices in Restaurants

The prime purpose of this study is to identify and delve into the factors driving the adoption of environment friendly practices by the restaurants in eastern region of the country. It provides an introductory knowledge to the planner and policy makers regarding the status of ecofriendly practices by the restaurant in eastern India. Six factors were extracted using the principle component analysis. These factors are Legal compliance, Normative Pressure, Cost optimization, Growing awareness, Philanthropic Motive, Good image. Though slowly, but steadily the consciousness regarding the adoption of environment practices is increasing in the restaurant industry. This study can aid and abet the concerned authorities to device a mechanism to turn the hospitality industry into a true musketeer of the environment, however, since the study area is confined to only a few selected cities of eastern India, the result may not hold true in general.

Green Marketing Initiatives and Sustainable Issues in Hotel Industry

With the fast degradation of the environment and changing lifestyle of the consumers, the companies have started moving towards the concept of green marketing. Although green marketing has been able to address concerns of green consumers but as anticipated has not shown much expected results from companies as well as from mainstream consumers' acceptance level. This chapter is an attempt to draw attention towards sustainable issues in hotel industry, what are the opportunities' and challenges' the hotels are facing with respect to green initiatives and how successful the present companies are in incorporating the green practices. The authors conclude the chapter giving the focus on future research directions in green marketing and green practices to be followed by hotel industry.