Always On

Social media is often viewed as a solution to service sector engagement issues, since it presents a cost-effective alternative to traditional promotional strategies; acting both as a promotional platform and a forum for customer engagement. Social media is increasingly being used by service sector organisations to engage with communities and create dialogue between organisations and their service users. In a world where consumers are increasingly ‘always on', the challenge is how to effectively use social media as a key promotional, communications and engagement tool, and to move its use from broadcast platforms to forums for online customer engagement. The aim of this chapter is to understand how service sector organisations are engaging with social media platforms and customer communities; to identify whether, in an ‘always on' world, this represents the ideal method of community building, or whether it is being used as a more cost effective broadcast tool; and to identify areas of good practice.

Using Internet

This chapter presents the subject area of the Internet as an international form of media and examines related issues. It begins by considering the Internet as a source of information in various forms of social network sites that enables any individual to post their experiences, opinions and evaluations of tourism destination. This provides a summary of the existing state of knowledge concerning to social network sites and word of mouth (WMO) recommendation. In addition, it serves to clarify the associated word of mouth and market share development.

Competitive Strategies in Retailing in Emerging Economies

Fierce competition in the retailing sector requires companies to differentiate themselves from competitors. To gain competitive advantage, retailers have started to implement new marketing strategies. The objective of this chapter is to present new competitive strategies in retailing. With this aim, the concepts and strategies of experiential retailing, green retailing, fair trade, customer loyalty program, pop-up store, self-service technologies, expiration date-based pricing, Quick Response Code (QR code) has been discussed along with national and international examples of each kind of strategy. In addition, advantages of each strategy are also covered. At the end of this chapter, some managerial implications and suggestions were discussed based on these new retailing strategies.

Social Innovation Practices in Services for Sustainable Consumption

Overconsumption is fueled by the idea that the more people buy, the happier they become; however, this is not compatible with sustainability and the future of the planet. Deep concerns about the sustainability of nature and natural resources give rise to discussions of sustainable consumption, and social innovation applications may lead the way to sustainable consumption. Thus, this chapter aims to provide a picture of social innovation practices in services for sustainable consumption in an emerging economy. Although the chapter focuses mainly on contemporary social innovations, an overview of the social innovation concept and possible historical roots of social innovations from Turkish history are also provided.

Adoption and Acceptance of Online Banking

The introduction of electronic banking has revolutionised the financial and banking industry, with an increase in the flow of finances and capital remotely and also serve as a strategic move for firms to promote their financial services in emerging market. The research is a comparative study of the adoption and acceptance of online banking in a develop country like UK as opposed to an emerging market like Nigeria. The study reveals that majority of UK customers are more confident using online banking and carry out most of their banking transaction online. Unlike Nigerian customers where having access to the internet is considered as luxury. Furthermore, both countries highlighted security/privacy and fraud as the key constraint to fully embracing online banking.

Understanding the Relationship Between Culture and Sensory Marketing in Developing Strategies and Opportunities in Emerging Economies

Global strategy requires an understanding of various international cultural differences and their impact on organisations success or failure. Organisations adopt different strategies to succeed in a diverse cultural environment. Sensory marketing strategy plays a critical role in understanding the culture and formulating a successful strategy. Sensory marketing is the process that affects customers' senses, perceptions, judgment, and behaviour. It is critical for policymakers to understand the impact of sensory marketing on consumer buying practices across cultures, including emerging economies. This study serves as a backdrop of strategic development in emerging economies with a focus on the visual and tactile factors of the sensory marketing. Adopting Hofstede's (2001) cultural framework, this chapter has three major objectives. Based on literature review, firstly, it presents a cross-cultural analysis of the consumer sensory processing between the developed economies and emerging economy, Saudi Arabia. Secondly, it aims to evaluate the culture impacts on consumer behaviour's purchase intentions in relation to the sensory factor such as touch and vision. Thirdly, it attempts to identify the role of consumer sensory factors in buying decision across the culture. According to the findings, the literature supports the universality of behaviour patterns of multisensory interaction between touch and vision. This universality applies at both theoretical and operational levels.

Service Risk Management in Emerging Economies

The economies of countries face various risks depending on the environmental conditions. While some of these risks do not pose very serious negative effects on developed economies, they may be destructive on non-developed, underdeveloped or emerging economies. Risk management is accepted as a process for all economies. The risk management process starts with the determination of the risks, and goes on with the assessments of the risks, the determination of various strategies that may respond to the risks; and the application of the most suitable one from among these strategies. In risk management, in order to respond to the risk, emerging economies may select one of the methods like tolerating the risk (accepting it), managing it, transferring, eliminating or making use of its opportunities. In this chapter, the risk management strategies have been explained, examples are given from Turkey, which is has many characteristics of an emerging economic structure.

Technology-Enabled Experiential Marketing

In recent years, there has been an increased interest from both academia and practitioners in the topic of customer experience. Companies nowadays are transforming their attention and endeavour to focus on memorable or customer experiences rather than premium prices or superior quality of products and services. Importantly, the value generated by unique customer experiences has a significant impact upon business performance in terms of customer commitment and customer loyalty. Along with the rapid and continuous development of ICT, the travel experience is no longer limited to services encounters on-site but is extended and dynamically created in both physical and virtual experience spaces. With the continuous proliferation of smart technology, travel industry has seen a radical transformation from product and service orientation to a customer-experience driven approach.

Pre-Purchase User Perceptions of Attributes and Post-Purchase Attitudes in Building Successful Online Retail Promotional Strategies

As a critical feature of the human experience, attitude plays an important role which is essential in implementation of effective online retail strategies. The purpose of this chapter is to conceptualize consumer's pre-purchase user perceptions of attributes and post-purchase attitudes in building successful online retail promotional strategy in emerging economies-Malaysia. The chapter proposes an integrative conceptual framework toward implementation of effective promotional strategy which includes usage expediency, trustworthiness, price awareness, navigation design, experiential gratification and electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM). The chapter argues that pre-purchase user perceptions of attributes and post-purchase user perceptions of attitudes are important concept in promoting successful online retail website. Theoretical implications of chapter are further discussed.

Managing Innovation in the Service Sector in Emerging Markets

Emerging markets are the home to most of the world's population and natural resources and as such are a high priority for both local and multinational companies. Emerging markets present attractive investment opportunities in the service sector. To pursue innovation in the service sector in emerging markets innovation managers need not only have a deep understanding of the core issues and challenges that prevail in this sector but also the understanding of the challenges inherent in these markets institutional, technological and legal and policy environments. The challenges to innovation that the service provider confront in emerging markets are varied; such as the lack of qualified labour, lack of substantial funding, risk to intellectual property and even “expropriation risk,” the possibility that host governments would seize foreign-owned assets. This chapter explores the challenges encountered when managing innovation activities in the service sector in emerging markets.