Master Thesis Defense
By Ilse Mein
S3540545
University of Groningen
Faculty of Economics and Business
MSc Marketing
Table of
contents
Objective of the research
3
Theoretical framework
5
Methodology
9
Findings
10
Nowadays, increasingly complex online customer
journeys.
People can easily switch between:
➔
Customer-initiated touchpoints and
firm-initiated touchpoints.
➔
Using fixed devices and using mobile devices.
How do people engage with touchpoints and devices
during their path to purchase?
Understanding these effects:
➔
Clarify opportunities for budget allocations.
➔
Identify wasted marketing spend.
To what extent do branded customer-initiated touchpoints, generic customer-initiated touchpoints and
firm-initiated touchpoints influence an online purchase decision and do these effects differ between
using mobile or fixed devices?
Theoretical framework
TOUCHPOINTS
➔
Firm-initiated touchpoints➔
Customer-initiated touchpoints➔
Branded customer-initiated touchpoints•
The active use of the retailer’s brand name to initiate the contact.➔
Generic customer-initiated touchpoints•
Unbranded keywords (Anderl et al., 2016a).DEVICES
➔
Fixed devices•
Laptops and desktops➔
Mobile devicesTheoretical framework
➔ Firm-initiated touchpoints affect people that have not yet recognized a specific need.
➔ Customer-initiated touchpoints require a level of interest from the consumer.
➔ Customer-initiated touchpoints are more effective than firm-initiated touchpoints (De Haan et al., 2016).
➔ Mobile devices as the preferred option in the pre-purchase stage.
➔ Fixed devices are the preferred option in the purchase stage (De Haan et al., 2018).
H1a: Firm-initiated touchpoints positively affect a
customer’s purchase probability. H1b: The effect of firm-initiated touchpoints is stronger across fixed devices compared to mobile devices.
H2a: Customer-initiated touchpoints positively affects a
customer’s purchase probability. H2b: The effect of customer-initiated touchpoints is stronger across fixed devices compared to mobile devices.
H3: Customer-initiated touchpoints are more effective than
Theoretical framework
➔ Branded customer-initiated touchpoints positively affect purchase probability.
➔ Generic customer-initiated touchpoints positively affect purchase probability (Anderl et al., 2016a). ➔ Branded customer-initiated touchpoints account for
the highest purchase probability across mobile devices.
➔ Generic customer-initiated touchpoints account for the highest purchase probability across fixed devices (Kaatz et al., 2019).
H4a: Branded customer-initiated touchpoints positively affect
a customer’s purchase probability. H4b: The effect of branded customer-initiated touchpoints is stronger across mobile devices compared to fixed devices.
H5a: Generic customer-initiated touchpoints positively affect
Theoretical framework
➔ The purchase probability is higher if the path-to-purchase started with firm-initiated touchpoints and ended with customer-initiated touchpoints (Anderl et al., 2016a).
➔ The purchase probability is significantly higher when customers switch from a mobile device to a fixed device (De Haan et al., 2018).
➔ Fixed devices are more suitable for high-involvement products (Lin et al., 2019).
H6: The purchase probability is higher if people first
encounter firm-initiated touchpoints and then use customer-initiated touchpoints compared to only firm-customer-initiated touchpoints or customer-initiated touchpoints.
H7: The purchase probability is higher if people first use a
➔
A binary logistic regression with interaction effects between all forms of touchpoints and devices.➔
The dependent variable, the purchase decision, is a binary outcome variable.•
The purchase decision is a 0/1 decision. 0 indicates a non-purchase decision and 1 indicates a purchase decision.➔
The independent variables are classified as continuous and factor predictors.•
The different touchpoints consumers are exposed to, classified as firm-initiated touchpoints, branded customer-initiated touchpoints and generic customer-initiated touchpoints.•
The type of devices that are used, classified as mobile devices and fixed devices.Findings
➔ Customer-initiated touchpoints are more effective on a final purchase decision compared to firm-initiated touchpoints.
➔ Branded customer-initiated touchpoints are more effective on a final purchase decision compared to generic customer-initiated touchpoints.
➔ For travel agencies, the most effective firm-initiated touchpoints are e-mail, retargeting and pre-rolls.
➔ E-mail and retargeting are most effective across fixed devices, while pre-rolls are most effective across mobile devices.
➔ Fixed devices are the preferred option for a purchase decision among all touchpoints.
Recommendations
➔ Invest in e-mail and retargeting to increase the effect of firm-initiated touchpoints on a purchase decision.
• The effect is highest among fixed devices. ➔ If firms invest in pre-rolls, the effect is highest among
people reached via mobile devices • Use one pre-roll at a time.
➔ Adapt marketing activities to fixed devices. ➔ Invest in an omnichannel strategy as people use
mobile and fixed devices interchangeably.
PRACTICAL RELEVANCE
➔ A richer data set, resulting in more insights.
➔ Useful information since only a few studies have done this before.
➔ The study clarifies opportunities for budget allocation for travel agencies.
Anderl, E., Schumann, J. H., & Kunz, W. (2016a). Helping firms reduce complexity in multichannel online data: a new taxonomy-based approach for customer journeys. Journal of Retailing, 92(2), 185-203.
De Haan, E., Wiesel, T., & Pauwels, K. (2016). The effectiveness of different forms of online advertising for purchase conversion in a multiple-channel attribution
De Haan, E., Kannan, P. K., Verhoef, P. C., & Wiesel, T. (2018). Device switching in online purchasing: examining the strategic contingencies. Journal of Marketing, 82(5), 1-19.
Kaatz, C., Brock, C., & Figura, L. (2019). Are you still online or are you already mobile?-Predicting the path to successful conversions across different devices. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 50, 10-21.
Lin, P. J., Jones, E., & Westwood, S. (2009). Perceived risk and risk-relievers in online travel purchase intentions. Journal of Hospitality
Marketing & Management, 18(8), 782-810.
Hypothesis 1a:
Partially confirmed
Hypothesis 1b:
Partially confirmed
Hypothesis 2a:
Confirmed
Hypothesis 2b:
Partially confirmed
Hypothesis 3:
Confirmed
Hypothesis 4a:
Confirmed
Hypothesis 4b:
Not confirmed
Hypothesis 5a:
Confirmed
Hypothesis 5b:
Partially confirmed
Hypothesis 6:
Not confirmed
Hypothesis 7:
Confirmed
Appendix
Classification Touchpoint Device
Generic customer-initiated Accommodations search Fixed
Flight ticket search Fixed
Accommodations app Fixed
Information/comparison Mobile Branded customer-initiated Tour operator website focus brand Fixed
Firm-initiated E-mail Fixed
Retargeting Fixed
