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This multimethod study develops a context-sensitive approach to subsistence consumer segmentation as advocated in the international market segmentation literature. Building on the theory of consumption values, the authors conduct multisited rapid ethnography research to collect primary data from urban subsistence consumers in South Africa and India who were presented with a simulated product choice situation. The authors convert the data into quantifiable segmentation variables for further analysis. This approach is particularly useful in subsistence consumer markets that are characterized by a dearth of quantifiable consumer data. The study reveals four distinct subsegments—Family-Oriented Workers, Low-Skilled Price-Sensitives, Young Performers, and Conscious Conservatives—that differ significantly in education level, number of children, age, consumption values, and purchase behavior. A detailed discussion of the context-sensitive segmentation approach applied in this study enables scholars and practitioners to deploy and adapt it to different environments and requirements.

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-jig-10.1177_1069031X20974326 for Studying Heterogeneity in the Subsistence Consumer Market: A Context-Sensitive Approach by Sergej von Janda, G. Shainesh and Christina Maria Hillebrand in Journal of International Marketing

Frugal innovation is on the rise (Levanen et al. 2016). Practitioners and academics increasingly acknowledge the promising potential of developing frugal products for both emerging and industrialized countries. However, the frugal innovation literature still lacks a universal conceptualization of product frugality, an adequate operationalization, and an investigation of the anticipated consequences of product frugality, for example, in the form of high adoption rates. Our study addresses these gaps in the current literature.

Loyalty programmes build attitudinal loyalty towards the loyalty programme, but not necessarily towards the company brand. This research answers the question, “How do customers navigate from programme loyalty to company loyalty?” by uncovering three mediating processes. The first process shows that programme loyalty improves perceived functional value of the brand, leading to company loyalty. The second process shows that programme loyalty increases customer's involvement with brand experience, fuelling company loyalty. Finally, the third process shows that programme loyalty increases the communication effectiveness for the brand, which enhances company loyalty. Keywords: Loyalty, Loyalty programme, Programme loyalty, Company loyalty, Perceived value, Retail, Communication

Purpose The purpose of the study is to develop a structural and a predictive model of the future purchase behavior of the consumers from value, quality and satisfaction and also finding the role of consumer loyalty in the above-mentioned model. Design/methodology/approach Based on survey and purchase data of a sample of 235 respondents, the authors have used structural equation modeling to develop a structural model and three-stage least square regression to develop and validate the predictive model. Findings In the structural model, the authors found that perceived service quality and network quality leads to customer satisfaction which also leads to loyalty intentions. However, neither past purchase behavior nor loyalty has significant predictive power to predict future usage. But the interaction effect of loyalty and past purchase predicts future purchase significantly. Research limitations/implications The study went beyond structural model and developed a behavioral predictive model which can overcome self-reporting bias. Also, the study focused on the moderating role of loyalty in predicting future purchase quantity, thus contributing toward the theoretical understanding of the effects of loyalty. Practical implications Other than providing a forecasting model, the study helps the service managers to understand the importance of the relational constructs than the tangible constructs. Moreover, it also suggests optimally target the big buyers through the loyalty programs to ensure higher future revenues. Originality/value The study provides new insight on the impact of loyalty intention of consumer’s purchase behavior and shows the boundary conditions of predictive power of loyalty intention and past purchase on future purchase. Moreover, this is one of the very few studies that have focused on these relationships in Indian context.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the impact of an additional service on existing consumers’ usage of existing services from the same service provider. Research has often focused on marketers’ efforts to sell new offerings to existing customers. However, does the consumption of these new offerings by existing customers affect their usage of the firm’s existing services? This research examines this question in the context of a subscription service. Design/methodology/approach This study uses matched consumer- and firm-level data from a leading telecom service provider in India. These data include responses from 230 consumers, as well as details on their usage of existing and additional services. The data are analyzed using three-stage least squares regressions while controlling for consumers’ past usage of the existing services. Findings The results indicate that existing consumers’ cross-buying of the new service results in a reduction of their future usage of existing services. Most consumers also managed to maintain their monthly payments constant, even though they had subscribed to the new service. Together, these findings imply that consumers reallocate their budget by reducing their usage of existing services to accommodate the usage of an additional service from the same service provider. Consequently, the revenue of the firm might not always increase when the consumer cross-buys an additional service from the firm. Originality/value Marketing research on cross-buying has so far neglected to look at the effects of existing consumers’ adoption of an additional service on existing services of the service provider. This study focused on this gap in knowledge, in the context of subscription services. Using consumers’ perceptions and matched service usage data, the authors extend the literature that tries to understand why cross-buying may not be beneficial to the firm in certain service settings.

In numerous industries, companies are challenged by increasing resource scarcity, severe waste problems, and the necessity to minimize the environmental impact of their operations. At the same time, companies need to cope with a heightened price sensitivity among consumers. Frugal products, such as the extremely durable d.light solar lantern, the entry-level version of the TATA Swach water purifier, or the rubber-based prosthesis Jaipur Leg represent a suitable means to address these challenges. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, product frugality remains underexplored from both an academic and managerial perspective. In this multi-method study, the authors develop a comprehensive conceptualization and operationalization of product frugality. Based on a thorough analysis of multi-source and multi-country data, the authors define product frugality as a set of product characteristics that particularly appeals to consumers who, by necessity or choice, value products with a low cost of consumption that, at the same time, are sustainable, simple, and offer basic quality. Applying established procedures of index construction to a large and diverse set of consumer data from the U.S., the U.K., Germany, India, and South Africa (n = 2398), the authors develop and validate an index of product frugality. The results depict product frugality as a formative construct with four dimensions: cost of consumption, sustainability, simplicity, and basic quality. The findings point out that low cost and environmental sustainability have to be combined rather than weighed against each other to create truly frugal products. The present study generates a common understanding of product frugality that acknowledges the multi-dimensional nature of this construct. Nomological examination of the developed index reveals that product frugality increases consumers’ willingness to generate word of mouth. This research proffers guidance for managers seeking to explore the potential of frugal products in addressing consumers’ need for higher value products while minimizing environmental impact.

The explosion in information on the web is being revolutionized by the multitude of ways in which information is created, distributed and consumed. Media aggregator sites are connectors in the supernetwork of the Internet that depend on providers for most of their content. The basic principle that explains the dynamic nature of networks and their constant expansion is the principle of triadic closure and strength of tie. These technology Internet sites are very popular and have their dominant presence across myriad subnetworks. In addition to their presence in multiple networks, they have very close access to user behavior in each of the subnetworks. Today most players fall short when it comes to their presence on third-party sites frequented by their users. This paper explores how such aggregator sites can devise their strategies to leverage their connector status on the Internet, study how they can be present in all places where their users are, and more effectively bridge the gap between the mavens and interested adapters of the web community. We also explore how these companies can design their content such that it has a very high adoption index.

The increased importance and acceleration of service globalization during the first decade and a half of the twenty-first century has resulted in multinational firms serving customers with divergent needs and expectations shaped by different cultural background and values. This divergence in consumer perceptions across countries may be attributed to cultural differences. Yet, several cross-cultural studies in services marketing have assumed cultural homogeneity within countries, i.e., country and culture are assumed to be synonymous. In this study, we investigate the influence of cultural values in shaping consumers’ perception of service quality and satisfaction through cross-national vs. cross-cultural analysis. We also analyze the moderating role of the cultural values of individualism/collectivism and uncertainty avoidance on service quality dimensions and the relationship between perceived service quality and satisfaction. We present the conceptual background on service quality, customer satisfaction, and cultural values and develop our hypotheses by integrating these domains. Both cross-national vs. cross-cultural models are empirically tested using customer survey data in three countries. We discuss our SEM-based methodology, present our results, and discuss research implications. Our study makes a number of theoretical, methodological, and managerial contributions that highlight the shifting paradigm in global marketing.

Service firms routinely enhance their offerings to satisfy and retain current customers and to attract new customers. We show theoretically that service improvements can be prioritized by simultaneously taking into account the likely incremental revenue (through increased customer value) and the incremental cost of making the improvement. The customer values obtained from a sample of respondents, and cost estimates obtained from managers of the service providing organization are combined to prioritize improvements using a ‘bang for the buck’ (i.e. value/cost) rule. Such a prioritization would be helpful to come up with a ‘short list’ of service improvements. The items on the short list can be evaluated in detail for their ‘Return on Quality’. The approach for prioritization is illustrated in the context of improving passenger train service between a pair of cities in India. An adaptive self-explicated approach is used for obtaining customer values and cost estimates. The customer values so elicited displa...

Service are prone to a higher degree of failure and strategies have been recommended to deal with aggrieved customers and to ensure that firms enjoys their continued patronage. Service recovery is critical to manage customer relationship by (1) restoring customer satisfaction, (2) decreasing the change of customer’s exit, and (3) preventing the spread of negative word-of-mouth by dissatisfied customer.

PurposeThis study aims to explore Indian online shopping via the concept of shopping orientations.Design/methodology/approachSurveys were collected from 536 consumer panel members. Online shopping segments were identified by using a two‐step process that clustered respondents in terms of the similarity of their scores across four shopping orientations.FindingsThree segments were identified: value singularity, quality at any price, and reputation/recreation. The quality at any price and reputation/recreation segments were the predominant online shoppers. Although their orientations toward shopping differed, their behaviour, web site attribute ratings, and demographics were very similar except for occupation (managerial versus clerical, respectively). The finding that the value singularity segment is not the pioneer online shopper in India contrasts with the early online shoppers in the USA, who were often motivated by price.Research limitations/implicationsThis is the first empirical study to use shopping orientation research in the Indian marketplace. It is also among the first to link shopping orientations with a wide complement of correlates. Research should continue to track the development of this emerging market.Practical implicationsBesides revealing that the orientations of Indian consumers are not price‐based, the relatively unfractionated factor analysis solutions for shopping orientations and web site dimensionality suggest that, in the emerging Indian economy, consumer conceptualizations of shopping have not yet undergone full elaboration. Thus, this cross‐sectional study could be extended with longitudinal research to reveal how Indian consumers' perceptions of the marketplace change with market development and growing consumer sophistication.Originality/valueAlthough online shopping in India is on the verge of rapid growth, relatively little is known about most aspects of Indian consumer behaviour. This study begins to build a foundation of knowledge of Indian online shopping.

PurposeThe objective of this research is to empirically validate the underlying mechanisms by which consumers develop trust in service providers and investigate the impact of consumer's perceptions of trustworthiness and trust on their loyalty intentions. It also aims to study the differential impact of consumers' trustworthiness beliefs on two distinct aspects of a service, namely the front line employees (FLEs) and management policies and practices (MPPs).Design/methodology/approachThe paper proposes and empirically validates a parsimonious but multidimensional and multifaceted model of consumer's trustworthiness beliefs, trust and loyalty intentions. Retail banking services in India provide the setting for the study. The analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results support a multidimensional and multifaceted model linking the influence of consumers' trustworthiness beliefs related to the competence, benevolence and problem solving orientation of FLEs and MPPs on their trust in FLEs and MPPs and loyalty intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThe research highlights that consumers' evaluation of trust operates at multiple dimensions for employees as well as the organization. The study is based on a cross‐sectional survey. A possible extension is to conduct longitudinal studies to map the evolving nature of trust and loyalty over time and customer life stages.Practical implicationsOrganizations can measure trustworthiness beliefs and manage them to build trust and reinforce loyalty intentions among their consumers.Originality/valueThe study proposes and validates a parsimonious model of trust and loyalty intentions in the context of retail banking. Thus this research supports and extends the extant knowledge of relationship marketing.

Because of suggested beneficial effects of word-of-mouth (WOM) referral, service companies have invested large amounts of money in customer referral programs as well as programs aimed at fostering positive communication among their existing customers. The question of cross-cultural differences in the effectiveness of WOM has recently gained increased prominence. The authors contribute to research on this topic by proposing a positive effect of received WOM on service quality perceptions among existing customers. Moreover, they predict that cultural values moderate this effect. They test the model on 1910 bank customers in 11 countries. The results show that received WOM has a positive effect on customer service quality perceptions. Furthermore, received WOM has a stronger effect on the evaluation of customers in high-uncertainty-avoidance than in low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures. No other cultural value is a significant moderator. The results imply that received WOM is also important to existing customers and that managers should adjust their strategy of referral marketing to match their target group's uncertainty-avoidance level.

Customer trust is of vital importance for relationship marketing in services. Service providers increasingly market their services globally, yet few researchers have addressed differences in customer trust across cultures. Our research fills this void by proposing a model, based on existing trust literature, that suggests the overall feeling of trust in the service provider depends on customers’ beliefs about service providers’ ability, benevolence, predictability, and integrity. The model, tested in a banking context with data from 2,284 customers in 11 countries, explains trust well across culturally diverse countries. The results of a hierarchical linear model, however, show that customers differ in the way they build trust in their service provider across cultures. Moderating effects of the cultural values of the target group largely explain this variation. Only the effect of ability on trust is robust across countries. Global service firms should consider all four trust drivers when striving to build trust. The emphasis they put on each of these trust drivers, however, should differ across countries. When applying these principles to the design of marketing activities or market segmentation, marketing managers should collect data on the cultural values of their specific target groups in particular countries or cultural milieus.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to look back at the first year of publication of the Journal of Indian Business Research (JIBR) and to provide details of the current issue.Design/methodology/approachIt is time to look back at the first year of launch of the JIBR. After all, it is widely believed in the academic publishing world that the first year of a new journal is the most crucial one. This editorial gives details of the current issue, paper by paper.FindingsFilling a much‐felt gap for a high‐quality publishing outlet on Indian business research, JIBR has attracted the attention of leading scholars in the discipline in the very first year of its existence. Renowned scholars such as Jagdish Sheth, Alok Chakrabarti, Raj Aggarwal, Madhukar Angur, G.K. Kalyanaram and Rajendra Sisodia have published their research and/or viewpoints/commentaries in JIBR in its very first year. This issue begins with “Corporate social responsibility communication in the Indian context” wherein Brigitte Planken, Subrat Sahu, and Catherine Nickerson report on research, which investigates the CSR platforms and the communication surrounding those platforms in India. In the second paper titled “Effectiveness of integrated marketing communications: empirical analysis of two brands in India,” Mehir Baidya and Bipasha Maity utilize quarterly, time‐series data over 2000‐2005 for two competing brands in packaged goods business to assess the impact of marketing communication on sales. Pramila Rao, in the third paper titled “A resource‐based analysis of recruitment and selection practices of Indian software companies: a case study approach” enhances our understanding on senior‐level staffing practices of Indian software companies. The next paper by Federica Collato is a case study titled “Is Bangalore the Silicon Valley of Asia? Analysis of the evolution and the structure of this Indian local economy organization.” The final paper of this issue is a viewpoint article on “Overcoming decision flaws from framing” by V.N. Bhattacharya.Originality/valueThe Editorial provides an overview of the inaugural volume of JIBR.

Research in the domain of value co-creation has progressed extensively over the last twelve years, but the conceptualization of value co-creation is still equivocal. We try to fill this important gap through a systematic review of the co-creation research that appeared in leading Marketing journals during the period 2000-2013. We used the keyword search for the word co-creation and its different variations in the ABI/INFORMS - Proquest and Business Source Complete (EBSCO) databases. After initial round of screening, we reviewed around 175 papers.

Relationship marketing has been recognized as a new paradigm in marketing. Although the practice of relationship marketing has expanded rapidly across the globe, most of the published researches in this area of study are based on data collected from North America or Europe. This research studies the relationship between relationship strategy, relationship effectiveness, and responsiveness to customer needs using data collected through the administration of the One-to-One Gap Tool (Peppers, Rogers, and Dorf 1999) in the Indian service sector. The results of statistical analysis using LISREL provide strong support for the positive relationship between relationship effectiveness and responsiveness to customer needs. The Organizational Activity of relationship strategy was also found to possess relationships consistent with theory. However, findings regarding the Informational Activity and the Operational Activity are less conclusive. Managerial implications and directions for future research in rela...

Aim: To report the Karnataka Internet Assisted Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (KIDROP) program for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening in underserved rural areas using an indigenously developed tele-ROP model. Materials and Methods: KIDROP currently provides ROP screening and treatment services in three zones and 81 neonatal units in Karnataka, India. Technicians were trained to use a portable Retcam Shutt le (Clarity, USA) and validated against ROP experts performing indirect ophthalmoscopy. An indigenously developed 20-point score (STAT score) graded their ability (Level I to III) to image and decide follow-up based on a three-way algorithm. Images were also uploaded on a secure tele-ROP platform and accessed and reported by remote experts on their smart phones (iPhone, Apple). Results: 6339 imaging sessions of 1601 infants were analyzed. A level III technician agreed with 94.3% of all expert decisions. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for treatment grade disease were 95.7, 93.2, 81.5 and 98.6 respectively. The kappa for technicians to decide discharge of babies was 0.94 (P

This article identifies the attributes which customers use to evaluate the quality of railway freight services and develops a comprehensive instrument, RAILQUAL, that can be used by the railways for collecting feedback from customers. This would help them to monitor, control, and improve their service and competitiveness. It can also be used as an evaluation tool for comparing the performance of its zones and divisions.

The success story written by Indian IT and technology companies in the past years has no doubt been impressive. While 10 years ago companies such as Infosys, Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services, or HCL were hardly known even to industry insiders, they have now evolved into important and highly visible players in the global IT sector. However, the high growth rates as well as the profit margins of the past are expected to come under increasing pressure. In other words, a new burst of growth is needed to extend the success story of the past. Expanding their foray into the European territory requires these firms to develop technological maturity and capabilities that are more advanced in terms of developing business relations in the European region. Moreover, regional expansion into the DACH region—the Germanic countries Germany (D), Austria (A), and Switzerland (CH)—will require these firms to identify new growth engines. Although Indian IT providers, e.g., Tata Consultancy Services, have been on the ground in Germany for 20 years with their own subsidiaries, they still lack the presence of global players such as IBM and Accenture or local heroes such as T-Systems. This chapter aims to look at the degree of regional adaptation of the Indian IT players especially in the non-Anglo-Saxon regions.

Post print uploaded as per publisher's request. Link to publisher's version with doi must be available.http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/doi/full/10.1108/02651330510602204, Purpose – Despite the rapid growth and internationalization of services, marketers of services realize that to successfully leverage service quality as a global competitive tool, they first need to correctly identify the antecedents of what the international consumer perceives as service “quality.” This paper aims to examine the differences in perception of service quality dimensions between developed and developing economies.

Marketing in the New Era, J. S. Panwar, Response Books, A Division of Sage Publications, New Delhi,(1997), Price Rs. 350, pp. 277