The Role of Pricing in the Internet Market Strategies, Implementation Tactics and Web Design

The growth of the Internet market has been extraordinary, strategically changing the nature of business interactions (Jarvenpaa and Todd, 1996/97). Many Internet retailers have adopted competitive pricing strategy, such as discount pricing strategy to increase sales and to obtain competitive advantage (Spiller and Lohse, 1997/98; Higinbotham, 2000). Web-sites are used as a communication medium for providing business information, such as corporate, price and product information. Despite of the popularity of the Internet, there are few studies to guide a company’s decisions about the extent of its involvement in the Internet market and to identify effective Web-design factors for encouraging customers’ positive decisions. In this research, we identify factors that determine the choice of the Internet market strategy and explore critical factors for effective Web design. Major research questions to be addressed in this study include: (1) what market factors should a firm takes into account in deciding whether to sell its product solely on the Internet or make it also available in traditional market? (2) what are the factors that influence a firm’s decision to have just a Web presence as opposed to engage in e-commerce and customer service? and (3) how do the Web-design factors for discount pricing impact customers’ price perception and attention, and consequently their willingness to buy? We posit that pricing strategies would be an important factor that can have significant influences on the choice of Internet market strategy, implementation tactics, and customers’ price perception and attention

Cost Model for Global Software Development

Recent business trends have been characterized by global competition. Furthermore, the severe shortages and increasing costs of Information Technology professionals are forcing software development companies to explore global system development strategies. A conceptual framework representing factors affecting global software development decision and selection of development center locations is developed. Drawing from the literature in economics, global manufacturing and global R & D, this paper presents an economic cost model to support global software development decision and help select appropriate locations. The model considers economic, political, managerial, and technical environment in home and host country

The Success of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): An Investigation on Course Relevance

MOOCs have provided online learners easy access to education for professional development, helping them acquire new skills to advance their careers during the pandemic. However, the importance of linking MOOCs with job market demands has not been explored in the existing literature. This study investigates the role of course relevance in MOOC success by examining the effect of the alignment between courses and job market demands on learner satisfaction. By adopting the DeLone & McLean information system success model as a framework, we propose that course relevance positively influences learner satisfaction. This relationship is moderated by course level and accessibility. We tested our model using information about 1,987 MOOCs and 485 job postings. The results show that learners will be more satisfied with courses if instructors enhance course relevance on trending topics. The effect of relevance is greater for advanced courses and magnified by lifetime accessibility. This paper contributes to MOOC research from three perspectives: 1) it examines the role of course relevance in MOOC success; 2) it points out the importance of considering learners’ characteristics in evaluating MOOC success; 3) it provides valuable guidance on course design, which helps course providers maintain the prosperity of MOOCs in the post-pandemic

Determinants of Market Strategies in Electronic Markets

Electronic markets have opened a new type of market for customers and organizations, and have become a serious alternative to traditional, non-electronic markets. There has been little comparative analysis of these two market types, and the market strategies that are adopted in each. This paper explores the differences between traditional and electronic markets, identifies possible market strategies related to electronic markets, and investigates factors associated with the adoption of these strategies. Our empirical analysis will provide an insight to reasons for adopting different market strategies

The Impact of Mobile Application Information on Application Download: A Text Mining Approach

The effects of customers’ reviews on products have been understood in the initial digital purchase context. This study extends this literature by exploring the reviews in the mobile environment. It calls for understanding the context of reviews which types of information in the review have significant impact on customers’ behavior. This study applied text mining in analyzing customers’ reviews in purchasing mobile applications and find out important applications’ features valuable for customers by discovering meaningful information in influential words. We find that for mobile applications, specific expressions in online customer review, companies’ reply to the review, and quality certifications from application store have significant impacts on the number of download. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed

Web Design in E-Commerce: A Theory and Empirical Analysis

In the Internet market, websites are the main interface between online merchants and their customers. Effective website design plays a critical role in attracting and maintaining customersí interest and in influencing their purchase behavior. Despite the singular significance of website design, little theoretical knowledge is available regarding how web-design elements impact the purchase behavior of online shoppers. By drawing on the theory of planned behavior and interpersonal influence, we develop and empirically test a conceptual model for the process by which web design elements could influence the purchase intention of online customers. This research provides a theoretical framework for the design decisions regarding websites in order to accommodate the salient features of online shopping

Image or Text: Which One is More Influential? A Deep-learning Approach for Visual and Textual Data Analysis in the Digital Economy

In a digital economy, different types of information about products communicate their quality and characteristics to prospective consumers. However, it remains unclear which type of information plays the most important role in individuals’ decision-making processes. In this study, we explore the effect that unstructured data has on and the importance of congruence between textual and visual data in consumers’ purchase decisions. We apply a deep neural network model to rank the importance of different information types and use a regression model to investigate the impact that information consistency has on sales predictions. Based on our empirical analysis, we found that both image-based and text-based information influenced consumers’ purchase decisions but that the former influenced their purchase decisions about “search goods” more and that the latter influenced their purchase decisions about “experience goods” more. Furthermore, congruence between image- and text-based information was positively associated with purchase decisions, which indicates that information congruence impacts products’ sales performance in the digital economy. In this study, we also demonstrate how to apply advanced deep-learning techniques to measure the congruence between different information types