The preferred Complex Purchase Process in-store – A case study on IKEA

The purpose of this study is to find what opportunities retailers should capture in order to improve the complex purchase process in-store, through integrating online channels. This in order to create the best possible way to meet customers’ demands in the ever-changing multi-channel retail environment.Syftet med denna studie är att hitta vilka möjligheter detaljister bör fånga för att förbättra den komplexa inköpprocessen i butik, genom att integrera online-kanaler. Detta för att möta kundens krav i den ständigt föränderliga multi-kanal miljön

What different types of Facebook marketing objectives are there, and what tactics can you use to reach those.

Social media is creating attractive business opportunities for brands and companies worldwide. It is because of the huge amount of businesses and costumers on Facebook, which reflects the importance of research on future marketing. The purpose of this dissertation is first to identify different types of marketing objectives on Facebook, and secondly to identify tactics to reach the different objectives. We conducted an inductive and a deductive approach based on a grounded theory method. Grounded theory differs from other qualitative methods because of the explicit guidelines that explain researchers how to proceed. We conduct eight in-depth interviews with four different communication agencies and four different businesses already integrated in social media marketing on Facebook. We built concepts and categories based on grounded theory and built a theory for our purpose of this dissertation. To get some more verification of our grounded theory we approached a Norwegian software agency that works with building platforms for creating Facebook applications. We analysed data given to us by the agency and compared their data with ours. Our findings suggest that sales, branding, customer service and conversions, are the overlying objectives businesses can achieve on Facebook. All of these objectives have more specified objectives underlying them, and to reach these objectives on Facebook our findings suggest four important success factors. It is important for businesses to define and gather their audience on Facebook in order to achieve any of the objectives, and they need to communicate their brand and create value on their Facebook page. It is a constant battle on Facebook to entertain your audience through engaging content. In order to know what your audience thinks is engaging, our data suggest that constant research on your audience is importuning. We create a model for engaging content based on our findings, and define tactical elements to achieve the different objectives. Our findings contribute to earlier research on social media objectives and create an overview of the objectives that can be achieved on Facebook. We believe that our findings will help businesses to make better decisions in their future marketing campaigns and strategies

MOTIVATIONS BEHIND CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT BEHAVIOR ON SOCIAL MEDIA : The mediating role of culture

VAASAN YLIOPISTO Markkinoinnin ja viestinnän yksikkö Tekijä: Jemina Berglund Tutkielman nimi: Motivations Behind Customer Engagement Behavior On Social Media. The mediating role of culture. Tutkinto: Kauppatieteiden maisteri Oppiaine: Kansainvälinen liiketoiminta Työn ohjaaja: Minnie Kontkanen Valmistumisvuosi: 2020 Sivumäärä: 83 TIIVISTELMÄ: Yritysten tavoitteena on sitouttaa kuluttajia ja saada heitä tykkäämään, jakamaan, kommentoimaan ja tuottamaan yritykseen liittyvää sisältöä sosiaalisessa mediassa. Vaikka aikaisemmassa kirjallisuudessa on tutkittu käyttäjien motiiveja syventää suhdettaan yrityksiin, on se silti vielä hajanaista ja sidottua tiettyyn käytökseen tai kontekstiin, kuten brändiyhteisöihin. Lisäksi yksilön kulttuuritaustan on esitetty mahdollisesti vaikuttavan käyttäytymiseen sosiaalisessa mediassa, mutta kulttuurin vaikutuksesta on vain vähän tutkimusta. Aikaisempi tutkimus kulttuurin vaikutuksista on hajanaista ja käyttää usein kansallisen tason dimensioita mittaamaan yksilötason käytöstä. Lisäksi tutkimuksissa on esiintynyt erilaisia tuloksia sen suhteen mitkä dimensiot vaikuttavat käyttäytymiseen ja motiiveihin sosiaalisessa mediassa. Tämä tutkimus pyrkii lisäämään ymmärrystä siitä mitkä motiivit vaikuttavat kuluttajan käyttäytymiseen sosiaalisessa mediassa etenkin brändeihin liittyen ja millaisia eri käytöksiä linkittyy kuhunkin motiiviin. Lisäksi yksilön kulttuuritaustaa ymmärtämällä pyritään analysoimaan mitkä dimensiot voisivat vaikuttaa käyttäytymiseen. Tutkimukseen valittiin vastaajia kahdesta eri kulttuuritaustasta, Turkista sekä Tanskasta, sillä nämä maat eroavat individualismi dimensiolla, joka on aikaisemmin linkitetty eroavaisuuksiin online käytöksessä. Tietoa motiiveista ja köytöksestä kerättiin puolistrukturoidulla haastattelumenetelmällä. Lisäksi vastaajia pyydettiin täyttämään kysely, jolla on aikaisemmassa tutkimuksessa mitattu kulttuuridimensioita yksilötasolla kansallisen tason sijaan. Kulttuurisia arvoja käytettiin taustatietona haastattelumateriaalin analysoinnissa. Aiempien tutkimusten kanssa yhtenäistä oli vastaajien halu löytää informaatiota ja inspiraatiota sosiaalisesta mediasta ja etenkin Instagramista. Lisäksi yleinen sosiaalisen median käytön motiivi oli pitää yhteyttä ystäviin ja jakaa sisältöä kuten kuvia tai tarinoita omassa profiilissa. Aikaisempi tutkimus on myös ehdottanut, että itseilmaisu ja omien mielipiteiden esiin tuominen olisivat keskeisiä motiiveja käytökselle. Kuitenkaan tässä tutkimuksessa, vastaajat eivät pitäneet itseilmaisua tärkeänä motiivina brändeihin liittyen. Tämä tutkimus osoittaakin käyttäjien olevan suhteellisen passiivisia brändejä kohtaan ja usein käytös rajoittuukin vain sisällön seuraamiseen eikä niinkään tuottamiseen, vaikka jotkut käyttäjistä ilmaisivatkin olevansa inspiroituneita yritysten tuottamasta sisällöstä ja sen vaikutuksesta heidän ostokäyttäytymiseensä. Kulttuurin vaikutuksia ei voitu suoraan päätellä tutkimuksen luonteen takia. Muutama vastaaja, joilla oli korkea individualismi, kertoivat seuraavansa vain uniikimpia brändejä, ehkä viestiäkseen erilaisuutta. Kuitenkin lisää tutkimusta tarvitaan määrittämään kuinka kulttuuri vaikuttaa motiiveihin ja käytökseen. Tämän tutkimuksen tulokset auttavat yrityksiä luomaan sosiaalisen median strategiaa, joka houkuttelee käyttäjiä syventämään suhdettaan yritykseen. _______________________________________________________________________ AVAINSANAT: Customer engagement behavior, Social media engagement, Social media marketing, Motivations, Culture

Beyond the point of purchase: Conveying brand values through experiential retailing. A case study of the Iittala brand

Brands are no longer isolated entities that only represent the products they offer; now they are often closely associated to their environmental contexts, cultures, and shared values. This presents a challenge for companies that are experienced in their domestic markets but desire to expanding globally, as the strong cultural connotations they have worked so hard to form may become lost in translation. The brand that this study focuses on is Iittala, a premium Scandinavian home goods brand owned by the company, Fiskars. This thesis aims to explore the methods of storytelling that are effective in brand communication and education for international brands such as Iittala, when expanding globally. To this end, this study looks specifically into the Asia-Pacific, a market of interest, to explore the qualities of Scan- dinavian design and products that appeal to its consumers. Furthermore, this thesis seeks to de- termine ways for brands to better understand its international customers. The research was conducted with a purpose of understanding the perspectives of the key players, including the local store clerks, the target consumers, and management. Literature reviews and ethnographic interviews were employed, as well as in-store observations and shadowing at various Iittala retail locations. The results indicated a need for rapid response to the ever-changing needs of Asia-Pacific consum- ers, and the need for a better understanding of their customers’ shopping behaviours in order to align the brand’s retail strategies. This study will propose a re-designed customer journey that incorporates the MyIittala platform as a tool of data collection, and offer a method of introducing this initiative through the implementation of a pop-up pavilion

Developing a supply chain framework for omni-channel presence: retailer omni-channel knowledge framework

Confidential until 18. May 201

The future of grocery stores : Omnichannel and AI technologies and Next-Generation Brick-and-Mortar Grocery Stores

In recent years the grocery retail industry has been experiencing tremendous change, driven mainly by advances in technology. Traditional brick-and-mortar grocery stores are under threat from industry disruptors who incorporate new technologies into their business models and operate with online channels. Therefore, this paper introduces omnichannel and artificial intelligence (AI) use cases as factors influencing the future success of brick-and-mortar grocery stores. To identify critical drivers for success, semi-structured expert interviews were conducted to discover how grocers can implement an omnichannel strategy and combine various AI technologies to remain competitive. Furthermore, a customer survey tested the acceptance of specific use cases and scrutinized the resulting increase or decrease in shopping frequency due to omnichannel in conjunction with AI. The analysis indicates an upcoming change in the grocery industry. A move towards a combination of an online and offline world is rising. Moreover, use cases like online shopping, personalized prices and offers, and cashier-free checkouts have the highest potential to increase the points-of-delight by consumers while grocery shopping. Therefore, grocers must adopt an omnichannel strategy and incorporate several AI-driven technologies to increase profits and remain competitive.Nos últimos anos, a indústria retalhista de mercearia tem vindo a sofrer mudanças tremendas, impulsionadas principalmente pelos avanços da tecnologia. As mercearias tradicionais de tijolo e cimento estão ameaçadas pelos disruptores da indústria que incorporam novas tecnologias nos seus modelos de negócio e operam com canais em linha. Por conseguinte, este documento introduz casos de uso omnichannel e de inteligência social (AI) como factores que influenciam o sucesso futuro das mercearias de tijolo e de marfim. Para identificar factores críticos para o sucesso, foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas com peritos para descobrir como os merceeiros podem implementar uma estratégia de omnichannel e com-bine várias tecnologias de AI para se manterem competitivos. Além disso, um inquérito aos clientes testou a aceitação de casos específicos de uso e examinou o aumento ou diminuição da frequência de compras resultante devido ao omnichannel em conjunto com a AI. A análise indica uma próxima mudança na indústria de mercearia. Está a aumentar uma tendência para uma combinação de um mundo online e offline. Além disso, casos de utilização como as compras online, preços e ofertas personalizadas, e caixas sem caixa têm o potencial mais elevado para aumentar os pontos de venda dos consumidores enquanto fazem compras de mercearia. Por conseguinte, os merceeiros devem adoptar uma estratégia omnichannel e incorporar várias tecnologias impulsionadas pela AI para aumentar os lucros e permanecer competitivos

Gourmet Food Trucks: An Ethnographic Examination Of Orlando\u27s Food Truck Scene

Gourmet food trucks have emerged as increasingly popular dining alternatives for consumers in today’s urban landscape. Existing literature, as well as my own ethnographic research within Orlando, Florida’s mobile food vending scene, reveals that food truck owner/operators utilize various strategies to establish a viable niche for themselves in this diversified and burgeoning market. Among other things, these strategies include online social networking, creating and maintaining a recognizable brand identity, collaborating with local retailers and bar owners, and incorporating organic and locally produced ingredients in their dishes whenever possible. As in other parts of the country, there appears to be a growing concern in greater Orlando about local diets and the profound and subtle messages it conveys about contemporary eating habits. I contend that dining at gourmet food trucks represents a legitimate declaration of consumer identity about individual beliefs and values. In my thesis, I examine how Orlando’s gourmet food trucks offer consumers a greater selection of food options and allow locals to participate in a viable social network and community

Business model innovation reshaping the grocery retail

Analisi dell'evoluzione portata nell'ambito del business modelope