Direct Customer Research Articles

Integration of Technology and Marketing Activities Among Service SMEs in Emerging Economies

Service small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are typically SMEs that operate in the service industry. In emerging economies, service SMEs can benefit from integrating technology and marketing activities to compete globally and drive growth. Further, service SMEs can compete with larger businesses with technology-driven marketing. Technology can differentiate an SME and create a unique value proposition, attracting customers and setting it apart. Social media advertising and email campaigns are often more cost-effective than traditional marketing channels such as print and television. The authors included a total of 32 articles published between the years 2013 and 2023 for in-depth analysis to address the issue under investigation. Findings indicated several effective digital marketing strategies to integrate technology and marketing activities among service SMEs in emerging economies, such as personalized marketing options, direct customer engagement, 24/7 availability options, and brand-building capabilities.

A multi-channel queue model to optimize service level and staff availability in bank industry

Staff scheduling in service organizations like banks, stores, call centers, and emergency centers is critical due to direct customer interaction and uncertain service demand. This research presents a multi-objective model for scheduling bank staff, focusing on uncertain customer arrival and service rates. The model aims to optimize customer service efficiency and maximize staff satisfaction through three objective functions: minimizing the customer waiting queue length (using an M/M/C system), minimizing the number of assigned employees, and maximizing employee satisfaction by considering preferred working times. By simulating Poisson distribution for client arrival and service times, we predicted the bank's queue system performance and optimized staffing levels using the proposed model. Tested with real data from Agribank in Iran, the results showed an 8% reduction in customer waiting times and a 53% increase in employee satisfaction, demonstrating significant improvements in service efficiency and workplace morale. These percentages highlight the model's ability to effectively balance operational efficiency and employee well-being, facilitated by its transparent work pattern structure. Given the NP-hard nature of the model, we employed a meta-heuristic approach (NSGA-II) and GAMS with the ε-constraint method to solve it. Comparative results indicated that NSGA-II outperformed GAMS in both solution quality and computational time

Firearm businesses as partners in suicide prevention: a cross-sectional study of the Gun Shop Project in Colorado, USA

BackgroundThe Gun Shop Project aims to reduce firearm suicide and is widely implemented in the USA, yet little is known about the core firearm business practices and behaviours that might...

Inventory model having preservation technology with fix lifetime under two level trade credit policy

Supply-chain management involves moving storage supplies from origin to consumption, with manufacturers running production based on quadratic demand, distributors and retailers monitoring inventory. When a new product is released, demand often rises linearly and then declines dramatically when an alternative becomes available. Shortages are not allowed. Players' inventory will decrease at a rate of (1/(1+m-t)), where m is fixed lifetime, greater than the replenishment time. Deteriorating goods experience constant mass loss or usefulness, but preservation technology can help the damaged item to be consumed. Retailers with direct customer relationships can reduce stock spoilage through good warehouses. Manufacturers' storage systems have a higher deterioration rate. Two-tier trade credit financing is examined in this model. Distributors offer specific credit terms to stores, while manufacturers provide a grace period for invoicing. Distributors and retailers must pay interest on unsold inventories if invoices aren't settled on time. An integrated storage system reduces costs by minimizing costs through multiple shipments from manufacturers to distributors and retailers, and by adjusting replenishment times for each player. The resolution process is designed so that the supply chain operator gets the best possible decision. Therefore, results are authorized using mathematical examples for different scenarios. Management decisions are suggested.

Strategi Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Sebagai Tempat Wisata Kesehatan Pelayanan Medis Di Indonesia

Health tourism is an activity journey tour To get service Health. Yogyakarta is Wrong One province owns potency in the development of health tourism. this _ seen Yogyakarta recorded owner House Sick type A has 11 5 star hotels that provide spa and fitness. However moment this is health tourism yet Lots realized And Not yet developed in Yogyakarta. The objective of the study This is To know the components development of health tourism and know the strategy development of health tourism. Medical Tourism as part of Strategy Marketing House Sick in Tourism Area. An article in reviews, This is that explained Medical Tourism and strategy marketing hospital in Indonesia. House Sick as a business private use various strategy to attract more Lots patient or customers, like creating room therapy in a hybrid hotel (home-designed pain _ For comfort patient international ). House Sick also compose strategy marketing For direct patient And customer as well as identify three strategies the is with connect to patient potential through a visit to the country origin , employ intermediary journey medical And compiling 'medical check-up' packages for healthy people

Strategi Pemasaran Oleh Rumah Sakit Melalui Penyelenggaraan Medical Tourism

Emerging global competition in the industry of health is possible for patients from the country more proceed On do journey to a country to develop by getting maintenance quality medical _ tall And with affordable prices. _ Medical Tourism as part of Strategy Marketing House Sick in the Tourism Area. Writing This explains Medical Tourism and strategy marketing hospital in Indonesia. Study This aim is to analyze the readiness of House Sick, government, and travel agency tours in service tour medical. House Sick as a business private use various strategy For interesting more Lots patient or customers, like creating room therapy in a hybrid hotel (home-designed pain _ For comfort patient international ). House Sick Also compile strategy marketing For direct patient And customer as well as identify three strategies the is with connect to patient potential through a visit to the country origin, employ intermediary journey medical And compile 'medical check-up' package for person healthy.

Repurchase Interest Reviewed from Customer Experience and Service Quality with Consumer Satisfaction as an Intervening Variable

Purpose: The research aims to determine the effect of customer experience, service quality, and cafe atmosphere on repurchase intention with consumer satisfaction as intervening variables for Bento Kopi.Design/Method/Approach: The type of approach taken in this research is quantitative. Data analysis techniques using Structural Equation Modeling with the SmartPLS analysis tool version 3.0. The objects in this research are consumers who have made purchases at Bento Kopi. The sampling technique uses nonprobability sampling and determining the sample used purposive sampling with a total sample of 100 respondents. Data collection was carried out by distributing questionnaires online with Google Forms.Findings: The findings of research results show that a direct customer experience has a positive and significant effect on repurchase interest. Meanwhile, service quality does not directly influence repurchase interest. Repurchase interest is influenced by customer experience and service quality through the use of consumer satisfaction as an intervening variable.Originality/Values: This research is the first research to determine repurchase interest in Bento Kopi Kudus as reviewed by customer experience and service quality with consumer satisfaction as a variable intervention.

CRM Model for Smart Kid’z Preschool

Customer relationship management is abbreviated as CRM. Customer relationship management is not a new concept by any means. Businesses are investing more and more in order to better understand and serve their customers, since it is now commonly understood that this will have a significant impact on their future performance and profitability. Although the idea of customer relationship management has existed since people first began trading goods, the name "CRM" didn't officially exist until the mid-1990s. Businesses are already investing billions of dollars on customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, which are programs and services that help companies manage customer relationships more successfully across all direct and indirect customer channels. A new tool is required to move data from the current database to the server side, where it can be imported or previewed in a CRM database

Evaluating brand equity in the hospitality industry: Insights from customer journeys and text mining

To achieve effective marketing, continual enhancement of product and service quality is pivotal. Assessing brand equity encompasses diverse methods, including questionnaires and interviews, unearthing invaluable customer insights. The choice of data collection methods, driven by researchers' objectives, may extend beyond direct customer interactions to employ techniques such as text mining, extracting insights from customer posts and reviews. A study at Phuket's Amari Hotel seamlessly integrated customer journey analysis with text mining, yielding a robust hotel equity model. Notably, the findings unveiled the substantial influence of factors like location and community value on hotel equity, often overlooked in previous studies. Remarkably, the hotel accommodation room emerged as the dominant touchpoint (81 %). These insights can fuel the transformation of marketing strategies and brand equity assessment. Moreover, this framework accommodates dynamic customer behavior while delivering cost efficiencies compared to alternative machine learning methods.

Indoor Navigation System

Abstract: This research article explores the importance of indoor use in modern environments and focuses on their role in facilitating navigation in indoor spaces such as malls, malls, airports, and hospitals. These systems, which integrate various technologies such as smartphones, offer simple and easy solutions to users. Additionally, this article examines the commercial application of indoor navigation systems in retail environments in terms of their ability to direct customers to specific products and promotions. Indoor Navigation System Integrating Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) and the Quick Response (QR) specification brings a new approach to indoor navigation-related problems. This technology uses SVG to create elaborate and detailed interior design, while QR codes play an important role in determining the exact location.

Online Review Analysis from a Customer Behavior Observation Perspective for Product Development

Observing customers is one of the methods to uncover their needs. By closely observing how customers use products, we can indirectly experience their interactions and gain a deep understanding of their feelings and preferences. Through this process, companies can design new products that have the potential to succeed on the market. However, traditional methods of customer observation are time-consuming and labor-intensive. In this study, we propose a method that leverages the analysis of online customer reviews as a substitute for direct customer observations. By correlating a customer journey map (CJM) with online reviews, this research establishes a verb-centric analysis that produces a CJM based on online review data. Various text analysis techniques were utilized in this process. When applying online retail site review data, our method of customer observation required one week. This proved to be more efficient in comparison with traditional customer observation methods, which typically need at least one month to complete. Additionally, we observed that the customer behavior-based VOC (voice of customer) identified during the CJM mapping process offers broad insights that are distinct from traditional product feature-centric review analyses. This behavior VOC can be effectively utilized for product improvement, new product development, and product marketing. To verify the usefulness of the behavior VOC, we asked product development experts to evaluate the quantitative analysis results of the same reviews. The experts evaluated the CJM as useful for product conceptualization and selecting technology priorities.

Compromise in hard times? The impact of deglobalization on corporate social responsibility in the US–China supply chain

AbstractThis study examines the effect of the US–China trade tensions on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance of the Chinese suppliers most affected by the 2018 US tariff surges. Using a difference‐in‐differences approach, we find that Chinese suppliers with direct US corporate customers experience a significant decline in CSR performance, compared with their peers without direct US corporate customers. We also show that the adverse effect of tariff surges on Chinese suppliers’ CSR performance is concentrated among those with a strong cost leadership strategy. However, the CSR performance of Chinese suppliers that have direct US corporate customers with high CSR awareness is not affected by the tariff surges. Further analyses reveal that the negative effects of the trade tensions on CSR performance are felt most strongly by the employees of Chinese suppliers. Taken together, despite the challenges posed by the deglobalization wave to the diffusion of CSR across global supply chains, the increasing demand for CSR involvement from US corporate customers can exert significant pressure on Chinese suppliers’ CSR performance.

The Impacts of Ethical Sales Behaviour on Customer Loyalty in the Life Insurance Industry in Pakistan

The life insurance industry in Pakistan is highly competitive, with customer loyalty playing a crucial role in long-term success. Ethical sales behaviour emerges as a key differentiator, potentially fostering trust and driving positive customer experiences. This research investigates the relationship among ethical sales behaviour, customer trust in company and trust in sales agent, which directly affect customer loyalty in the life insurance industry. The quantitative survey targets customers of five major life insurance companies, ensuring a representative sample across diverse demographics. The questionnaires were sent to all companies customer on a random basis. The questionnaires are distributed with the help of office employee of the companies.The finding of the study shows that there is a direct and positive relation between sales agent ethical sales behaviour and customer loyalty. Furthermore, the trust of the customer in the sales agent and trust of the customer in a company has direct positive mutual relation and customer trust both affect customer loyalty. By demonstrating the tangible benefits of ethical sales behaviour, the study can encourage companies to implement and prioritize ethical practices. The identified key drivers of customer loyalty can guide training programs and performance evaluations for insurance agents, ultimately fostering a culture of ethical conduct within the industry.

Customer Segmentation Based on RFM Analysis as the Basis of Marketing Strategy Case Study of PT Pertiwi Agung Pharmaceutical Industry (LANDSON)

The Pharmaceutical Company is a company that has quite large raw material import activities and has many benefits for society and institutions such as hospitals. Pharmaceutical companies play an important role in improving the quality of life of the human population in modern times because, in the field of marketing, pharmaceutical companies face increasing sales performance and profits, as well as maintaining customer loyalty. Pharmacy retail customers usually make drug purchases influenced by the selling price and suitability factors (suggestions) for certain drug brands. Based on these conditions, drug purchasing patterns for the Indonesian people become unpredictable, and it is difficult to increase sales and profits. One effort that pharmaceutical business players can make is to carry out sales promotions based on customer segmentation. Customer segmentation in pharmaceutical companies can be done using clustered data mining analysis methods, such as modified Recency Frequency Monetary (RFM). This method allows companies to group customers based on purchasing patterns of pharmaceutical products, thereby allowing companies to prioritize energy and resources to different segments. After the scoring and data processing process, the number of customers for each RFM Score is obtained, then the Monetary group is segmented which is divided into 4 (four) parts, namely Best Customers by quantity (36), Loyal Customers by quantity (188), Potential Customers by quantity (34) and Lost Customers by quantity (61). Then we continue to map it into only 3 (three) parts, namely Best Customers, Loyal Customers, and Potential Customers using blue as a sign to see the score range. From the results of dividing the 3 (three) group segmentations, the Loyal Customer Score segmentation is greater in quantity (188) so the blue color is darker than the others, which shows that the more customers spend their money. Of the 3 (three) customer segmentation sections, we put all of them into the Best Customer category, because they have introduced new products or products they have not purchased. By using RFM analysis, you can quickly find out customer targets that will be prioritized in carrying out marketing, campaigns, promotions, and rewards using digital channels and direct customer relations. Keywords: Farmasi Company, Group Segmentation, Recency Frequency Monetary (RFM).

Direct Marketing and Customers’ Patronage of Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

Direct Marketing and Customers’ Patronage of Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

Yashram Lifestyle Brands Pvt Ltd: strategizing for omnichannel approach

Learning outcomes After completion of the case study, the students will be able to illustrate issues in offline marketing and strategy for an in-store business, familiarize students with the challenges involved in the decision-making in integrating online and offline marketing strategies, evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of online and offline marketing and motivate students to apply marketing strategies to real-world business situations Case overview/synopsis Deepa Kumar, the founder of Yashram Lifestyle, had successfully built a niche brand with a strong online presence in the lingerie industry. Yashram Lifestyle was known for its innovative products and commitment to addressing the real-life vulnerabilities faced by women at different stages of life. With a vision to be a one-stop destination for all intimate and practical needs of women and girls, Yashram had introduced unique products such as period panties, starter bras, incontinence underwear and hygiene panties. On the contrary, Kumar acknowledged that offline marketing strategies, such as pop-up stores, collaborations with physical retailers and participation in industry events, could provide valuable insights into customer preferences, enhance brand visibility and foster direct customer engagement. Offline channels might also enable Yashram Lifestyle to better understand the market dynamics and further drive product innovation. However, owing to the associated costs, logistics and potential risks, Kumar was apprehensive about venturing into offline marketing. She wondered whether Yashram Lifestyle had the necessary assets and expertise to successfully scale up its operations while making these alternate decisions. Furthermore, she questioned herself whether offline marketing efforts would be worth the investment and whether they could lead to substantial growth and increased market share for Yashram Lifestyle. Complexity academic level The purpose of this case study is to provoke critical thought among undergraduate and postgraduate business and management students about Kumar’s potential course of action for Yashram Lifestyle to engage in offline marketing. It applies to the implementation of marketing strategy. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing.

Ranking Up The Social Media Factors on Purchasing Decision of Malaysian Generation Y Customers

Social media platforms offer marketing, information dissemination, direct customer contact and optimised availability of product and service information, which influences consumer behaviour, especially among Generation Y. Therefore, this study ranking up the social media factors such as electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), customer engagement, trust, brand image and advertising on the purchasing decisions of Generation Y consumers in Malaysia. 193 data were collected using Google Forms and face-to-face questionnaires. The data was then analysed using the Best-Worst method, which ranks the most important factors according to respondents' gender, income, and education level. One response was rejected because the value of consistency ratio (CR) was above the associated threshold value of 0.3062. Across all demographics, trust was found to be the most important factor in the purchase decision. Brand image and advertisement, on the other hand, are the least important, indicating a departure from traditional marketing strategies. A detailed explanation of these findings is presented in the paper. This study provides further insight and deepens knowledge for businesses by enabling them to adapt their marketing approaches and gain an understanding of the changing buying patterns and behaviours of Malaysian Generation Y consumers.

Customer Engagement, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Commitment And Customer Loyalty

This research is quantitative research with a causal relationship to determine the direct influence customer engagement, customer satisfaction, customer commitment to customer loyalty and knowing the indirect effects, customer engagement, customer satisfaction, customer commitment to customer loyalty on the Tokopedia application. Data collection was carried out using the information gathering method through a survey with a questionnaire. The population in this study is someone who has used Tokopedia, regularly uses Tokopedia, lives in Jabodetabek and is at least 17 years old. The questionnaire collected 120 respondents using the Hair et al. (2019) Questionnaires collected from 120 respondents. The sampling method used is non-probabilitysampling with techniques purpose sampling. Based on the research results, 7 hypotheses can be accepted, namely customer engagement influential customer commitment, customer satisfactioninfluential customer commitment, customer engagement influential customer loyalty, customer satisfaction influential customer loyalty, customer commitment influential customer loyalty, customer engagement influential customer loyalty in mediation customer commitment, customer satisfaction influential customer loyalty mediated customer commitment. Therefore, it is important for the Tokopedia platform to improve customer engagement which can improve customer loyalty. The aim of this research is to determine the direct effect customer engagement, customer satisfaction, customer commitment to customer loyalty and also to determine the indirect influence of customer engagement, customer satisfaction, as well as customer commitment to customer loyalty shown to consumers using the Tokopedia application.
 
 Keywords: customer engagement, customer satisfaction, customer commitment, customer loyalty

Latent Autoregressive Student-t Prior Process Models to Assess Impact of Interventions in Time Series

With the advent of the “Internet of Things” (IoT), insurers are increasingly leveraging remote sensor technology in the development of novel insurance products and risk management programs. For example, Hartford Steam Boiler’s (HSB) IoT freeze loss program uses IoT temperature sensors to monitor indoor temperatures in locations at high risk of water-pipe burst (freeze loss) with the goal of reducing insurances losses via real-time monitoring of the temperature data streams. In the event these monitoring systems detect a potentially risky temperature environment, an alert is sent to the end-insured (business manager, tenant, maintenance staff, etc.), prompting them to take remedial action by raising temperatures. In the event that an alert is sent and freeze loss occurs, the firm is not liable for any damages incurred by the event. For the program to be effective, there must be a reliable method of verifying if customers took appropriate corrective action after receiving an alert. Due to the program’s scale, direct follow up via text or phone calls is not possible for every alert event. In addition, direct feedback from customers is not necessarily reliable. In this paper, we propose the use of a non-linear, auto-regressive time series model, coupled with the time series intervention analysis method known as causal impact, to directly evaluate whether or not a customer took action directly from IoT temperature streams. Our method offers several distinct advantages over other methods as it is (a) readily scalable with continued program growth, (b) entirely automated, and (c) inherently less biased than human labelers or direct customer response. We demonstrate the efficacy of our method using a sample of actual freeze alert events from the freeze loss program.

The Last-Mile Delivery of Heavy, Bulky, Oversized Products: Literature Review and Research Agenda

Background: Last-mile delivery (LMD) is a challenging and costly supply chain process that involves direct customer interaction. In a recent study by the World Economic Forum, it was emphasized that last-mile logistics is an emerging research area. In particular, the European Commission Directorate General for Energy and Transport provides guidelines for abnormal road transport, such as heavy, bulky, and oversized (HBO) products. In the last few years, many research articles have been published on the topic of LMD. Several literature review studies from the perspective of different stakeholders have also been published. The delivery of HBO products is more challenging in many ways compared to parcel delivery. Although HBO products yield the most profitable sales, the LMD of HBOs is less studied compared to parcel deliveries. Methods: This research employed a descriptive review method to scan 195 published articles and reports related to LMD and HBOs. Results: Our results identified the challenges in the field and identified the need for separate approaches for different customer segments, such as rural and urban customers, as well as older and younger customers, when formulating delivery strategies. Conclusions: This paper highlights the research gap in this field by using a descriptive literature review methodology and presents academic contributions available so far, as well as challenges for further research.