Ambiance Factors, Emotions, and Web User Behaviour:a Model Integrating and Affective and Symbolical Approach

The present paper addresses the efficiency of manipulating music in a merchant website, and it:- proposes a review of the literature on ambiance factors in advertising & shopping behaviour, capitalizing on it to:- propose a theoretical framework that enhances our understanding of the web-user behaviour in specific ambiance factors such as music, with a specific attention devoted to his loyalty, & affiliation behaviour;- a model of is proposed.Ambiance Factors; Emotions; Fit & Symbolism; On-line Behaviour

Consumer Culture and Purchase Intentions towards Fashion Apparel

This study examines the effectiveness of different fashion marketing strategies and analyzes of the consumer behavior in a cross-section of demographic settings in reference to fashion apparel retailing. This paper also discusses the marketing competencies of fashion apparel brands and retailers in reference to brand image, promotions, and externalmarket knowledge. The study examines the determinants of consumer behavior and their impact on purchase intentions towards fashion apparel. The results reveal that sociocultural and personality related factors induce the purchase intentions among consumers. One of the contributions that this research extends is the debate about the converging economic, cognitive and brand related factors to induce purchase intentions. Fashion loving consumers typically patronage multi-channel retail outlets, designer brands, and invest time and cost towards an advantageous product search. The results of the study show a positive effect of store and brand preferences on developing purchase intentions for fashion apparel among consumers.Consumer behavior, purchase intention, socio-cultural values, designer brands, store brands, fashion apparel, brand promotion, personalization, fashion retailing, psychographic drivers

Pestana CR7: brand concept case study

Tourism is an attractive market segment in expansion and continues to show diversity, turning out one of the largest fastest-growing economic sectors in the world. On the other hand, travel behaviors, factors that influence accommodation booking, the hotel services and features that guests value the most about are evolving which creates new opportunity to be explored. Pestana Group, major international Portuguese hotel chain, enlarged its portfolio and announced in 2016 the launch of its new brand: Pestana CR7 Lifestyle Hotels. A universe in which hotel units are based on a contemporary boutique lifestyle concept where the purpose is the affirmation of these new units as trendsetters in their prestigious locations to appeal to the modern-day Millennial traveler. A JointVenture between Pestana Group and Cristiano Ronaldo which developed as associates the brand concept inspired by the set of values and personality of Cristiano Ronaldo aligned with Pestana Group service experience. The case study provides an overview of Pestana CR7 brand identity and positioning as well as the spectrum of the tourism and hospitality sector in order to apply academic knowledge to a real practical case study for future academic interest. In this case, the project aims to provide concepts of Marketing and Branding specifically applied to the tourism field, mainly to a hotel brand concept. More precisely, it will amplify the knowledge about Pestana Hotel Group and CR7 brand, while it introduces the environment in which Pestana CR7 is perceived. The main goal was collect insights, reactions, and expectations from Millennials about the implementation of a Lifestyle Hotel concept and understand the unique value proposition of the brand Pestana CR7 in order to analyze the essence of the brand and test concept and target compatibility.O turismo é um segmento de mercado atrativo em expansão e que continua a mostrar diversidade, tornando-se um dos maiores setores econômicos e de mais rápido crescimento do mundo. Por outro lado, os comportamentos das pessoas numa viagem, os respetivos fatores que influenciam a reserva da sua estadia, e os serviços e características dos hotéis que os clientes mais valorizam estão em evolução, criando novas oportunidades a serem exploradas. O Grupo Pestana, principal cadeia hoteleira portuguesa a nível internacional, ampliou o seu portfólio e anunciou em 2016 o lançamento da sua nova marca: Pestana CR7 Lifestyle Hotels. Um universo cujas unidades hoteleiras são baseadas num conceito de boutique e num estilo de vida contemporâneo onde o objetivo é a afirmação dessas unidades como trendsetters nas localizações de prestígio onde se encontram, para atrair o viajante moderno Millennial. É uma JointVenture entre o Grupo Pestana e Cristiano Ronaldo, que em parceria desenvolveram o conceito da marca inspirado no conjunto de valores e personalidade de Cristiano Ronaldo alinhados à experiência de serviço do Grupo Pestana. O caso de estudo proporciona uma visão geral da identidade e posicionamento da marca Pestana CR7, bem como o espectro do setor do turismo e hotelaria. Neste caso, o projeto visa aprofundar conceitos de Marketing e Branding especificamente aplicados ao campo do turismo sobre um conceito de marca hoteleira. Mais precisamente, ampliará o conhecimento sobre o Grupo Pestana e a marca CR7, enquanto introduz o meio envolvente onde a marca Pestana CR7 está inserida, a fim de aplicar conhecimento acadêmico num verdadeiro caso prático para futuro interesse acadêmico

Three Essays on the Role of Unstructured Data in Marketing Research

This thesis studies the use of firm and user-generated unstructured data (e.g., text and videos) for improving market research combining advances in text, audio and video processing with traditional economic modeling. The first chapter is joint work with K. Sudhir and Minkyung Kim. It addresses two significant challenges in using online text reviews to obtain fine-grained attribute level sentiment ratings. First, we develop a deep learning convolutional-LSTM hybrid model to account for language structure, in contrast to methods that rely on word frequency. The convolutional layer accounts for the spatial structure (adjacent word groups or phrases) and LSTM accounts for the sequential structure of language (sentiment distributed and modified across non-adjacent phrases). Second, we address the problem of missing attributes in text in constructing attribute sentiment scores---as reviewers write only about a subset of attributes and remain silent on others. We develop a model-based imputation strategy using a structural model of heterogeneous rating behavior. Using Yelp restaurant review data, we show superior accuracy in converting text to numerical attribute sentiment scores with our model. The structural model finds three reviewer segments with different motivations: status seeking, altruism/want voice, and need to vent/praise. Interestingly, our results show that reviewers write to inform and vent/praise, but not based on attribute importance. Our heterogeneous model-based imputation performs better than other common imputations; and importantly leads to managerially significant corrections in restaurant attribute ratings. The second essay, which is joint work with Aniko Oery and Joyee Deb is an information-theoretic model to study what causes selection in valence in user-generated reviews. The propensity of consumers to engage in word-of-mouth (WOM) differs after good versus bad experiences, which can result in positive or negative selection of user-generated reviews. We show how the strength of brand image (dispersion of consumer beliefs about quality) and the informativeness of good and bad experiences impacts selection of WOM in equilibrium. WOM is costly: Early adopters talk only if they can affect the receiver’s purchase. If the brand image is strong (consumer beliefs are homogeneous), only negative WOM can arise. With a weak brand image or heterogeneous beliefs, positive WOM can occur if positive experiences are sufficiently informative. Using data from Yelp.com, we show how strong brands (chain restaurants) systematically receive lower evaluations controlling for several restaurant and reviewer characteristics. The third essay which is joint work with K.Sudhir and Khai Chiong studies success factors of persuasive sales pitches from a multi-modal video dataset of buyer-seller interactions. A successful sales pitch is an outcome of both the content of the message as well as style of delivery. Moreover, unlike one-way interactions like speeches, sales pitches are a two-way process and hence interactivity as well as matching the wavelength of the buyer are also critical to the success of the pitch. We extract four groups of features: content-related, style-related, interactivity and similarity in order to build a predictive model of sales pitch effectiveness

PERCEIVED SOURCE CHARACTERISTICS OF e-WOM SENDERS EFFECTS ON PURCHASE INTENTIONS AND BEHAVIOURS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY IN THE UAE

The popularity and power of Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM) have raised the attention of academia and businesses in the past decade. A plethora of relevant literature investigated the motives of the sender to engage in e-WOM, besides the actual content of the message, leaving unanswerable questions concerning the receiver’s perception of the message and the interpersonal similarities with the sender. This study aimed at filling this gap by assessing the potential impact of e-WOM cues on the receiver experimentally by consulting i) social comparison theory, and ii) social judgment theory. Two experiments were designed and conducted incorporating mixed-method research to address gender and cultural similarities between the sender and receiver within the concept of eateries in the UAE. The generated results unveiled that the sender credibility of e-WOM is influenced by the relationship between the sender and the receiver. The research implications for the researchers in the domain added theoretically further knowledge of e-WOM that influences from a receiver perspective. Professionally, it could enhance managerial knowledge of cross-cultural effects on consumer choices and purchase intentions to direct future marketing strategies. This research also adds to the welfare of both senders and receivers of e- WOM regarding understanding motives for sending and receiving e-WOM

The impact of product tagging on trust and purchase intention:A cross-cultural perspective in visual e-commerce

The present study aims to examine the opportunity of in-app shopping, more specifically, analyzing the influence of product tags and cultural background on consumers’ trust and purchase intention. For this purpose, a comparison was made between European and South American female consumers from two cultures: the Netherlands and Paraguay. A total of 225 subjects, 143 from the Dutch background and 82 from the Paraguayan background, participated in an experimental survey where they judged an Instagram product page (product tag: present vs. absent). The analysis of the results revealed that the Paraguayans had higher purchase intentions than the Dutch. Additionally, the presence of a text appeal in the visual product presentation had a direct positive effect on consumers’ purchase intentions and perceived trust in the shopping environment, for both the Dutch and Paraguayan cultural groups. In virtual web shops, perceiving trust is a decisive point for purchase intentions. This study contributes to the fast-growing investigations on social media effectiveness and visual marketing as an informative and persuasive tool. The findings pinpoint the synergic value of visual and textual cues of product presentation online in the atmospheric trust of in-app shopping. O presente estudo tem como objetivo examinar a oportunidade de compras no aplicativo, mais especificamente, analisando a influência das marcas do produto e da formação cultural na confiança e na intenção de compra dos consumidores. Para tanto, foi feita uma comparação entre consumidoras europeias e sul-americanas de duas culturas: Holanda e Paraguai. Um total de 225 indivíduos, 143 de origem holandesa e 82 de origem paraguaia, participaram de uma pesquisa experimental em que julgaram uma página de produto do Instagram (tag do produto: presente vs. ausente). A análise dos resultados revelou que os paraguaios tinham maior intenção de compra do que os holandeses. Além disso, a presença de um apelo de texto na apresentação visual do produto teve um efeito positivo direto nas intenções de compra dos consumidores e na percepção de confiança no ambiente de compras, tanto para grupos culturais holandeses quanto paraguaios. Nas lojas virtuais da Web, perceber a confiança é um ponto decisivo para as intenções de compra. Este estudo contribui para o rápido crescimento das investigações sobre a eficácia da mídia social e o marketing visual como uma ferramenta informativa e persuasiva. As descobertas apontam o valor sinérgico das dicas visuais e textuais da apresentação do produto online na confiança atmosférica das compras no aplicativo

How sensory marketing elements attract customer to return to theme restaurant / Nuratirah Kamaludin ... [et al.]

Foodservice consumers in Malaysia continued to record powerful performance in 2018 as Malaysians continued to boost their appetite in eating away from home. Foodservice industry copes with the opportunity to manage customers and making sure all their needs and preferences are fulfilled. Sensory marketing has been recognized as one of the factors that could attract customers. The elements of sensory marketing such as visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile and gustative might be useful for every food service industry especially for customers in a theme restaurant to become fully immersed with sensory experiences. However, could sensory experiences attract them to return? This conceptual paper seeks to understand the sensory elements of sensory marketing that could have been adopted or adapted in theme restaurant to engage customers to return. This area of study is rarely discussed in Malaysia although it could be proven beneficial to boost restaurant industry generally. Keyword

Overtravels: a business plan that aims to change the portuguese holiday paradigm

Tourism is a rapidly increasing sector, and ecotourism is its fastest-growing component, mainly where it is feasible to explore the area freely. The Portuguese consumer seeks meaningful experiences to have fun while also being challenged, taking charge of his travels and holidays. Furthermore, customers seek more environmentally responsible trips and the opportunity to visit natural places and interact with the environment. The following thesis intends to be a business plan for Overtravels, a camping and overlanding retail firm. This company will be more than just a merchandise distributor. Overtravels aspires to be a go-to resource for campers, overlanders, and motorhome owners, a place where they can get everything they need, backed up by excellent and knowledgeable customer service. Overtravels is the best place to find the products customers need to allow an independent and exclusive camping experience. It differentiates by providing an impeccable and thrilling customer experience, by providing an extensive range of camping, caravanning, and overland niche products, meeting the consumer's value for money requirements, making the desired products available in the country, and increasing the availability of the desired products.O turismo é um setor em rápido crescimento, e o ecoturismo é seu componente de crescimento mais rápido, principalmente onde é viável explorar a área livremente. O consumidor português procura experiências significativas em que se divirta ao mesmo tempo que é desafiado, proporcionando viagens e férias inesquecíveis. Além disso, os clientes procuram viagens mais ambientalmente responsáveis e a oportunidade de visitar lugares naturais e interagir com o meio ambiente. A tese a seguir pretende ser um plano de negócios para a Overtravels, uma empresa de retalho de produtos de campismo e overland. Esta organização será mais do que apenas uma distribuidora de mercadorias, a Overtravels aspira ser um recurso de referência para campistas, overlanders e proprietários de autocaravanas, um lugar onde possam obter tudo o que precisam, apoiado por um serviço de atendimento ao cliente excelente e experiente. Overtravels é o melhor lugar para encontrar os produtos de que os clientes precisam para permitir uma experiência de acampamento independente e exclusiva. Ele se diferencia por proporcionar uma experiência impecável e emocionante ao cliente, por oferecer uma ampla gama de produtos de camping, caravanismo e overlanding, atendendo às necessidades de custo-benefício do consumidor, disponibilizando os produtos desejados em Portugal

THE IMPORTANCE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MARKETING MIX ELEMENTS IN A FASHION RETAILING

Significant and fast changes in the retail market, and especially in the retail market of fashion products, require constant care to create the most effective marketing mix. Consequently, the aim of this paper was to investigate the significance of certain elements of the marketing mix in the retail of fashion products in the Croatian market. For this purpose, empirical research was conducted on a sample of 537 subjects. It was conducted using an electronic questionnaire, which was distributed through the social network “Facebook” and was also e-mailed. The SPSS software package was used for data processing. The research findings indicate that the features of the range as a whole are the most important for consumers in fashion retail. The same research suggests that services to the consumer are somewhat less important while price as an element of the marketing mix in the retail of fashion is the least important element. The research further shows that there is no great importance and significance to the appearance and atmosphere of a retail store for fashion products. The location of fashion retail is important only in terms of the proximity of fashion retail to the place of residence. Although we do not find the importance of promotion as a whole in the retail of fashion products in the Republic of Croatia in the research, we can emphasize that the importance, when it comes to promotion, should be devoted to giveaway programs, seasonal discounts, etc