B2C Context Research Articles

Sustainable marketing strategy in food and drink industry: a comparative analysis of B2B and B2C SMEs operating in Europe

PurposeThe paper aims to make a contribution by providing a comprehensive understanding of the scope of the implementation of sustainable marketing tools in SMEs operating in the food and drink industry in Europe. The focus will be put on the identification of differences between companies operating in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) context.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical basis is a survey of 770 European SMEs, of which 369 operate in Western European countries (including UK, Germany and Spain) and 401 in Central and Eastern Europe (including Poland, Croatia and Russia). The respondents in the particular countries were stratified according to company size, measured by the number of employees. The research covered 316 micro companies, 5 small companies and 209 medium ones. The questionnaire was completed by the managing directors of the enterprises (CEOs) or heads of the marketing departments (CMOs). The research was conducted between April 2016 and January 2017. An in-depth analysis of the findings helped to identify differences between the two groups of SMEs, i.e. operating in the B2B and B2C context, in terms of the extent of sustainable marketing implementation. The non-parametric U Mann–Whitney test was used to examine the significance of the differences between the two groups of companies.FindingsThe research results suggest that both groups of B2B and B2C companies implement sustainable marketing tools to some extent. However, in most cases, B2B organizations do it to a significantly greater extent. Nevertheless, these activities relate mainly to those tools, which are directly visible to customers, both institutional and individual, such as packaging, product ingredients or certificates. To a lesser extent, they involve marketing activities of an internal nature, such as production process and the level of energy, water or resources used.Originality/valueTo the best knowledge of the author, this is the first empirical research study on the implementation of the sustainable marketing concept in SMEs operating in European countries. The study is a comparative analysis of the phenomenon between B2B and B2C companies, which has not been previously researched.

A Relational Build-up Model of Consumer Intention to Self-disclose Personal Information in E-commerce B2C Relationships

For business-to-consumer (B2C) electronic-commerce (ecommerce) transactions to work, website users must disclose sensitive information (such as credit card information). To establish a long-term customer relationship, organizations desire further information about current and potential customers (e.g., their name, user preferences, product preferences, physical address, and email address). Both ecommerce literature and interpersonal relationship research indicate that self-disclosure is a key dependent variable in burgeoning long-term relationships. In this study, I use a survey methodology (N = 281) and tests key antecedents that the ecommerce B2C relationship stage theory proposes as they relate to self-disclosure. This research model identifies the following antecedents of self-disclosure: attraction, perceived rewards, switching cost, involvement, and trust. Survey results show that trust and perceived rewards explain significant amounts of variance in self-disclosure intention in an online B2C context. I discuss implications for both practice and theory with the results.

The Effects of B2C Interaction on Customer Loyalty

Abstract Purpose This research attempts to examine the relationship between B2C interaction and customer loyalty in Business-to-Customer (B2C) context from a new perspective of the interactive tool. Design/methodology/approach The scale for B2C interactive tools is of seven dimensions: efficiency, security, fulfillment, mobility, community, cultivation, and customization. A model reflecting the influences of these attributes on customer loyalty is developed and empirically examined based on data collected from 265 B2C customers. Findings Results reveal that the fulfillment, mobility, community, and customization of B2C interactive tools can enhance customer loyalty directly and significantly. Efficiency and security, serving as the premise for possible purchase behavior, facilitate fulfillment. In addition, cultivation promotes the formation of customization, which directly strengthens customer loyalty. Research limitations Models considering individual-level indicators and combined with classic loyalty mechanisms in B2C context may lead to a deeper understanding of the tested effects of interaction on customer loyalty. Practical implications To strengthen B2C interaction and further cultivate loyal customers, making interactive tools more fundamental, flexible, and personalized is critical for B2C enterprises. Originality/value This study proposes a new perspective from interactive tools when measuring the relationship between B2C interaction and customer loyalty, and offers a useful theoretical lens and reasonable explanations for investigating customer loyalty in B2C e-commerce context.

Measuring exchange norms and its impact on satisfaction in a B2C context

This research investigates the relevance of exchange norms in a business-to-consumer context and studies the impact of both relational and discrete norms on customer satisfaction in services. As existing scales focus only on relational norms and are mostly limited to business-to-business contexts, Study 1 ( n = 164) proposes measurement scales for seven exchanges norms adapted to a business-to-consumer context: Reciprocity, The Linking norms, Creation and restraint of power, Role integrity, Solidarity, Flexibility, and Effectuation of consent. Study 2 ( n = 295) tests the influence on these norms on customer satisfaction. The article demonstrates that exchange norms as a whole positively affect customer satisfaction and, more specifically, that relational norms explain satisfaction better than discrete norms. The findings also show that, contrary to customer relationship proneness, relationship duration moderates the link between exchange norms and customer satisfaction.

Assessing PSS from a multi stakeholders’ perspective: the application of the EVA method in the airport context

Recent economic developments and the spread of technology are pushing companies toward the provision of complex and innovative Product-Service System (PSS). On the other side, information and communication technologies are enabling the identification of a plethora of PSSs characterized by different levels of integration among products, services and infrastructure. In this context, many companies are experimenting difficulties in selecting the proper PSS to be developed, that is the one that concurrently considers the needs of multiple stakeholders and a good engagement of them in the value creation and engineering process. This paper exploits the Engineering Value Assessment (EVA) method to support the evaluation and the assessment of PSS solutions in a B2C context where the management of multiple stakeholders’ perspectives is of utmost relevance. To demonstrate the EVA method applicability, the airport context was selected as an example of system complexity since it involves manifold actors: passengers, airport and airlines. Four different PSSs for the self-drop bag were identified and further analyzed through the EVA method in order to identify which is the best one to be adopted in the studied airport in the north of Italy considering the preferences of the three actors: the passengers, the airport and the airlines.

The impact of reference effects on online purchase intention of agricultural products

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of reference effects on online purchase intention (OPI) of agricultural products in B2C context and to examine how consumers’ food safety consciousness (FSC) moderates that impact.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical survey was used to test the hypotheses. Data were collected from a total of 297 online consumers in China. A structural equation modeling is utilized to assess the relationships proposed in the research model.FindingsThe findings of this study show that reference effects have a significant impact on OPI of agricultural products. Both perceived value (PV) and perceived risk (PR) play a mediating role in the relations between reference effects and OPI, but the mediating effect of the PV is found to be significantly greater than that of the PR. Consumers’ FSC significantly and positively moderates the impact of reference effects on OPI, meaning that the more attention consumers pay to food safety, the greater the impact of reference effects on OPI will become.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, this study mainly analyzes the positive impact of reference effects on OPI. Future research could discuss the negative impact of reference effects and compare the differences between them. Second, this study only takes the PV and PR as mediators into the research model. Future research could consider adding trust, attitude, and other variables and further explore and clarify the influencing mechanism between reference effects and OPI. Third, this study examines the moderating role of consumers’ FSC but does not fully discuss the moderating role of product categories. Further research could compare the influence of reference effects among multiple product categories.Practical implicationsThis study provides valuable insights for agricultural enterprises and online vendors that reference effects are one of the most important factors to influence OPI. It suggests to agricultural enterprises and online vendors that reference effects can be used as a new instrument to influence consumers’ online purchase decisions.Originality/valueThis study for the first time defines reference effects in an online setting and introduces the perspective of reference effects to establish a theoretical model to explain consumers’ OPI of agricultural products. The study reveals the influencing mechanism of reference effects on OPI and thus enriches the theory of online purchase behavior.

Validating INDSERV (Industrial Service Quality) Scale in Business to Business Context: A Study Based on the Sri Lankan Hotel Sector

Service quality is generally measured on the SERVQUAL scale, developed by Parasuraman, Berry & Zeithaml (1985). However, the appropriateness of SERVQUAL is disputed as it is specifically designed for the B2C (business-tocustomer) context (Gounaris 2005a, 2005b, Lee 2011). Thus, Gounaris (2005a, 2005b) developed an instrument called INDSERV that specifically measures business-to-business (B2B) service quality performance. The purpose of this study is to validate the INDSERV scale in Sri Lanka as well. Cross-sectional data of service quality in the outsourcing context was collected through a survey of managers in the hotel sector in Sri Lanka using self-administered structured questionnaires. A total of 183 usable responses were collected. Unidimensionality, reliability and validity of the scale were assessed accordingly. Among the four dimensions of the scale, Hard Process Quality shows the highest contribution on the vendors’ service quality performance (β= 0.98) followed by Output Quality (β= 0.86). Statistical tests were proposed to exclude the ‘potential service quality’ dimension from the scale as it reported weak reliability (α = 0.25, all item total correlations were below 0.1). There were 22 items in the INDSERV scale and the refined model contains only 12 items. In conclusion, this study identified the need for a field survey to uncover unique factors that measure industrial service quality in Sri Lanka as it may be a reason for the contextual mismatch of a borrowed scale.

Usability perspective on social media sites' adoption in the B2B context

While social media sites have been successfully adopted and used in the B2C context, they are perceived to be irrelevant in B2B marketing. This is due to marketers' perception of poor usability of these sites in the B2B sector. This study investigates the usability of social media sites when adopted for B2B marketing purposes in the one of world's largest social media market: China. Specifically, by extending the Technology Acceptance Model with Nielsen's Model of Attributes of System Acceptability, we assess the impact of usefulness, usability and utility on the adoption and use of these sites by B2B marketing professionals. The empirical investigation reveals that marketers' perception of the usefulness, usability and utility of social media sites drive their adoption and use in the B2B sector. The usefulness is subject to the assessment of whether social media sites are suitable means through which marketing activities can be conducted. The ability to use social media sites for B2B marketing purposes, in turn, is due to those sites learnability and memorability attributes.

MARKETING DE RELACIONAMENTO (CRM): ESTADO DA ARTE, REVISÃO BIBLIOMÉTRICA DA PRODUÇÃO NACIONAL DE PRIMEIRA LINHA, INSTITUCIONALIZAÇÃO DA PESQUISA NO BRASIL E AGENDA DE PESQUISA

RESUMOJá é consensual entre os principais autores da área de customer relationship management (CRM) ou marketing de relacionamento, a relevância da gestão estratégica do relacionamento entre as organizações e seus clientes, especialmente em um contexto de competitividade recrudescente. Destarte, este estudo enseja desenhar um panorama dos estudos sobre CRM, apresentando os resultados de uma revisão bibliométrica que abrange sínteses do estado da arte e dos estudos empíricos produzidos em periódicos nacionais de primeira linha (≥ Qualis Capes B1), no período compreendido entre 2001 e 2013, para destacar a produção no novo milênio. Tal análise permitiu o delineamento de uma agenda de pesquisa, bem como a institucionalização da pesquisa sobre CRM no Brasil. As informações extraídas dos artigos para análise foram: nome do periódico, ano de publicação, enquadramento do estudo, instituições de origem dos autores dos estudos e assuntos mais estudados dentro do tema CRM. No caso de estudos teórico- -empíricos, selecionaram-se os seguintes dados: a natureza do estudo, o setor em que a empresa pesquisada se insere, o ramo de atuação, os instrumentos de coleta de dados utilizados pelos pesquisadores e os métodos de análises de dados realizadas. Foram encontrados 52 artigos. As revistas REAd, RAC e Faces são as que possuem mais artigos publicados sobre CRM, sendo a USP a instituição que liderou as publicações no período analisado. O CRM no contexto business-to- -consumer (B2C) e suas variáveis correlatas (por exemplo, satisfação e lealdade) foram os assuntos mais trabalhados nos artigos, cuja maioria constituiu-se em trabalhos teórico-empíricos, de natureza quantitativa e com foco no setor privado da economia, mormente nos ramos bancário e varejista. Os resultados engendrados apontaram, de fato, a relevância estratégica para as organizações dos estudos sobre CRM, o que foi demonstrado por um patente aumento no interesse de pesquisadores, considerando a criação de grupos de pesquisa sobre CRM no Brasil e os indicadores de produção científica, técnica e de assessoria da base de dados da Plataforma Lattes.

Identifying the dimensions of logistics service quality in an online B2C context

There is theoretical and practical evidence indicating the existence of significant differences between the needs and wants of firms and end consumers, as well as the existence of significantly different needs between offline and online environments. Therefore, it is not clear how effectively measures of logistics service quality developed in an offline, B2B context can be applied to an online, B2C environment. This manuscript explores the elements of logistics service quality that end consumers value in an online context. The literature on logistics service quality in B2B and the literature on online consumer satisfaction are integrated. This results in the development of a set of dimensions for measuring online logistics service quality in online, B2C environments. Specifically, the dimensions of a new scale for measuring online logistics service quality (labeled oLSQ) were identified and defined. Managers can use the dimensions of logistics service quality identified in the oLSQ scale as a guide when designing and managing online retail stores.

Striking an Accord - Fiddling the Alternative in Alternative Dispute Resolution Systems within the Electronic Communications Sector

This paper evaluates the current legal framework of the communications market within the European Union and concludes that despite efforts to strengthen consumer protection within a B2C dispute context, there is still a gap between conferred rights and guarantees and the ability to effectively exercise them. The paper proposes the creation of a system, holistic in its approach, to bridge that gap and improve access to justice. The mapped system’s intended contribution is its articulation with the market and its responsiveness to consumers. Being conducive to binding and enforceable decisions, it aims at establishing structural and procedural safeguards that ward due process, impartiality and rule of law, while benefiting from the swiftness and lessened formality of traditional ADR. Information and communications technology plays a key part in enhancing those benefits even further. Finally a few considerations are made concerning an eventual harmonisation of ADR in a B2C context throughout the European communications market. These include the establishment of a collaborative network between equivalent ADR bodies on a national level.

Effects of customer equity drivers on customer loyalty in B2B context

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the effects of customer equity drivers on customer loyalty via customer trust in a B2B context.Design/methodology/approachA self‐administered online survey was conducted to collect data from the organizational customers of an on‐hold service company in Australia. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data.FindingsThe study reveals that in a B2B context, value equity and relationship equity have significant influence on customer loyalty through the mediating effect of customer trust. On the other hand, brand equity is found to have no effect on customer trust and loyalty.Practical implicationsIn order to obtain business customers' loyalty, managers should focus more on value and relationship equity than brand equity.Originality/valueWhile most of the previous studies on “customer equity” focused on the B2C context, this study focuses on a B2B context. It demonstrates the impact of customer equity drivers on business customers' loyalty.

Innovation-related benefits of social media in Business-to-Business customer relationships

The aim of this research is to explore social media and its benefits and impacts especially from Business-to-Business B2B innovation and customer interface perspective, and to create a more comprehensive picture of the possibilities of the social media for the B2B sector. The B2B context is in many ways a very different environment for social media than Business-to-Consumer B2C context, and is still very little academically studied. A systematic literature review on B2B use of social media and achieved benefits and impacts in the innovation context was performed to answer the questions above and achieve the research goals. The study clearly demonstrates that not merely B2Cs, as commonly believed, but also B2Bs can benefit from involving customers in innovation by social media in a variety of ways. The reported benefits of social media use referred broadly to increased customer focus and understanding, increased level of customer service and decreased time-to-market.

Offshore outsourcing of customer services – boon or bane?

PurposeOffshore outsourcing of customer services is growing rapidly but there is little known about its impact on customer perceptions and behavior. This paper aims to combine the learnings from the country‐of‐origin and service research to address this gap.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted by contacting a sample of 5,000 customers randomly chosen out of a database of over 100,000 customers provided by a large American retail financial services company, immediately after they had an interaction with an offshore service representative, resulting in 548 complete and usable questionnaires.FindingsConsumer ethnocentrism has a negative influence on the attitude towards offshore outsourcing and the perceived service quality and customer satisfaction with offshore call centers. Customer satisfaction also mediates the influence of perceived service quality on customer complaint behavior, brand image, brand loyalty, and repeat purchase intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper focuses on the effects of consumer ethnocentrism and attitudes towards offshore outsourcing on several perceptual and behavioral variables in a B2C context with American customers and Indian customer service executives. Hence, its findings may not apply to the B2B context and other country settings.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the need for greater employee training as well as customer education for firms using offshore customer service centers, to minimize customer complaints and protect their brand image, loyalty, and repeat purchase intentions.Originality/valueThe study offers new insights on the impact of consumer ethnocentrism and attitude towards offshore outsourcing on customer perceptions and behavioral intentions, mediated by customer satisfaction and perceived service quality.

Online Trust: The Influence of Perceived Company’s Reputation on Consumers’ Trust and the Effects of Trust on Intention for Online Transactions

Trust is a basic ingredient in the creation, the evolvement and the conservation of a long-term relationship between suppliers and buyers. It is also a key differentiator in defining the success or failure of many e-business companies, in order to endorse the importance of online trust. In this paper we present a study on online trust in the B2C context. More specifically, we focus on the issues of perceived company’s reputation, online trust and intention for online transactions. The aim of this study is to examine if there is a positive relationship between perceived company’s reputation and on- line trust, and between online trust and consumer’s intention for online transactions.

Hayleys PLC: corporate responsibility as stakeholder relations

PurposeThis paper aims to answer the following questions: Is corporate responsibility only a cost, or is it also a profitable business strategy? If so, can the strategy work in a B2B context, as well as in the B2C context typically covered by research on corporate responsibility? Finally, how does the geopolitical context of a developing Asian nation affect corporate responsibility, from both a managerial and a stakeholder perspective?Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts a case study approach, building from observed data to grounded theory.FindingsIn a firm where trust and transparency are both ingrained and enforced among managers, Hayleys PLC used those values as tools to transform relations with key stakeholders from costs to marketing assets. In the process, it created an ethical market network in which membership depends on adherence to the same values. Thus emergent ethical marketplaces are directly related to the spread of CR practices.Research limitations/implicationsThe effects of transparency beyond financial disclosure or sustainability reporting on stakeholder relations would be a particularly valuable object of further research. The structure of ethical markets, and the costs and benefits of participating in them, require and justify further study.Practical implicationsAn ethical markets strategy can lead to stable long‐term relationships with major buyers. However, in the present circumstances, it also entails dependence on a limited number of major customers. Another issue is that, if “the factory becomes a sales tool”, it may also kill a sale if and when standards slip or a stakeholder creates conflict.Social implicationsA corporate responsibility strategy may transform not only managerial practices, but also the social environment, by enabling or disabling stakeholder partners or adversaries. The means to this objective include providing services and empowerment to stakeholders (in this case, workers) who cannot obtain them from their traditional interlocutors.Originality/valueThis paper adds insight into the implications of corporate responsibility for firms involved in B2B markets, as well as for Asian multinationals. It also contributes to answering the question of how corporate responsibility adds value, by demonstrating how corporate responsibility may strengthen key productive and commercial relationships with stakeholders essential to the sustainability of the firm.

The Influence of Hotel Website Factors on E-Loyalty in a B2C Context

The Internet allows firms to serve customers more effectively than ever before. In a B2C (business-to-consumer) context, the authors examine the interrelationships among hotel website factors, e-satisfaction, e-trust, e-loyalty and switching costs. They extend prior research by incorporating these constructs into a more comprehensive conceptual framework. This study answers three research questions. First, will the three components of website factors (communication, transaction and customization) have a significant effect on e-loyalty through e-satisfaction and e-trust? Second, do e-satisfaction and e-trust mediate e-loyalty? Third, do switching costs have a moderating effect between e-satisfaction, e-trust and e-loyalty? The authors examine data compiled from customers who have booked hotel accommodation online. The results support their hypotheses and confirm both the mediation role of e-satisfaction and e-trust and the moderation role of switching costs. Conceptually, this study provides an empirical validation of website factors, e-satisfaction, e-trust and loyalty linkage. At the managerial level, the research provides insights into the critical drivers of loyalty in the emerging online marketplace.

Brands: Just for consumers? Introduction to the special issue on B2B branding

Although there is significant interest in branding in a B2C context substantially less research has been conducted in B2B marketing. The research in B2B marketing is somewhat fragmented and a research agenda to develop coherent models and provide guidance to practitioners is required. Despite the disjointed nature of the research in this area, B2B branding has been found to convey a number of benefits e.g. conferring uniqueness. This special issue consists of eleven papers covering a range of topics including brand alliances, brand personality, brand equity and brand relationships, brand identity, corporate branding and social media.

The EEE encounter model: Applying the service dominant logic to B2B e-marketplaces

The Internet has provided tools offering marketplaces the opportunity to expand through the Web. Businesses have taken hold of these possibilities and have started to engage in online business-to-business (B2B) transactions. Still, though B2B e-marketplaces have produced early excitement, they have failed to hold transaction volumes. Though there are many reasons for failure, it is contended that the goods dominant approach used to develop these e-marketplaces is a reason why B2B systems have had difficulty in sustaining transaction volumes. The emerging service dominant logic (SDL) however addresses the problems caused by the goods dominant logic. Having an SDL-based reference model would therefore be advantageous to the B2B sector. Business-to-consumer (B2C) e-marketplaces have made moves to implement SDL. In addition, frameworks for value co-creation exist in the B2C context. However, little research has been done on its application on the B2B context. This research attempts to fill up that gap.

Relationship marketing in A B2C context: The moderating role of personality traits

More and more, retailers are investing in relationship building as a strategy for enhancing customer retention in the business-to-customer (B2C) context. However, some marketing scholars have expressed concern over the usefulness of relationship marketing under certain conditions. As such, this study investigates the moderating role of personality traits on the relationship between satisfaction-driven relationship quality and behavioral loyalty. Based on a sample of 158 retail shoppers, we find that customers’ overall satisfaction with the retailer leads to quality customer–firm relationships and ultimately, behavioral loyalty to the retailer. We also found that the impact of relationship quality on behavioral loyalty depends on the consumer's personality traits, i.e., consumer innovativeness, variety seeking, and relationship proneness. These findings extend the extant relationship literature by showing that the value of relationship marketing is not universal, thereby refining our understanding of the relationship between customer behavior and relationship marketing. Implications for academics and managers are discussed.