Search

In this study, we look at the relationship between shopping and travel trips, especially by car, and ask whether the travel trip has intrinsic value and/or costs for shoppers. We first describe recent trends in shopping travel, based on recent travel statistics. We then seek, through the transportation and marketing literatures, different approaches to the question of why people travel to stores. This leads us to pose specific hypotheses about shopping-related trips which we then test using activity-based demand modeling. Our results suggest that the behaviors associated with the adoption of electronic home shopping are complex and that it is naive to view home shopping as just another channel. Home shopping will not evolve independently of other changes in work, daily routines and leisure time use.

The article recommends four uses for new media: communicating a clearly defined customer promise, creating trust via delivering on the promise, regularly improving on the promise, and innovating past what is familiar.

A study on how managers can ensure that their products and services stay relevant to customers is presented. Managers have to make sure everyone on the organization really understands and supports the brand's promise. Insights on five questions that managers must pose to diagnose and determine where the weaknesses lie are also given.

Planning innovation according to what the consumers and shareholders of a business require rather than bold, out-of-the-box thinking, is discussed.

The companies wrongly presume that customer always seeks uniqueness in the product and that all existing products and services have no further potential for exploitation. In reality, the customers can be drawn away from the competitors by improving upon quality and services. Six rules are listed to ensure that a company's product would still be the consumer's preference.

'The customer is king' has long been proclaimed by businesses large and small the world over. But how many customers feel like royalty today? Ask people about their purchasing experiences [...]

A study of marketing expenditure in five most industrial nations, USA, Japan, Germany, UK, and France is presented. The growth in the use of marketing metrics and the comparative study from the five countries is analyzed.

Several types of technologies are being developed for business-to-consumer e-commerce. These include the wireless Internet. However, it is expected that the dominant device will eventually be something like the current PC. The article discusses this trend in detail.

Companies have had to gear themselves more to markets as competition has increased. Trends in marketing include globalization, relationship marketing and the usage of new technology. Staff involved in marketing need to understand their existing customers through direct contact with the main clients. They should also study their competitors. They should forecast future developments and combine their understanding of the present and possible changes to develop a strategic perspective for marketing.

A study was conducted to evaluate the progress of research in the field of brand equity. Results show that despite the voluminous amount of studies conducted on the topic, conclusions on brand equity remain subject to further research evidence. Progress on studies involving it has been hindered by a lack of focus on the strategic, financial, managerial, and international aspects of brand equity.

Byline: Sarah Pearson, Patrick Barwise This paper reports results from a video ethnographic study of TV advertising exposure for 22 individuals in eight UK homes with Personal Video Recorders (PVRs). PVR usage varied widely both within and between homes. For 21 of the 22 individuals, the PVR was used if at all as a backup when there was nothing on viewers' favourite channels which they wanted to watch live. As a result, of the 3480 individual opportunities to see commercials during the study, 70% were viewed live and only 30% were time-shifted. In combination with other, complementary, studies these results suggest that the impact of PVRs on advertising exposure will be limited. The paper also explores a number of other audience attitudes and behaviours.