Motivating Events at the Point of Online Purchase: An Online Business-to-Business Retail Experiment

The point of online purchase refers to the location and conditions in which an online transaction takes place. It includes how products are presented to consumers and the means of completing the transaction. Understanding how the online setting and specific situations impact consumers behavior at the point of online purchase may improve online marketing efforts.

An online experiment was conducted to analyze the factors that influences purchases during the online buying process. Results show that the treatment group had a 39% conversion rate for up-sell offers. Which lead to an 87.94% increase in revenue compared to the control group. The findings of the experiment are discussed in relation to consumer behavior and rules governing inline purchases. For further reading, the full study can be found in the Procedia Computer Science.

Special Section on “Health, Technology, & Behavior Science”

Valdimar Sigurdsson (Reykjavik University) and Asle Fagerstrøm (Kristiania University College) are guest editors for a special section on “Health, Technology, & Behavior Science” in Perspectives on Behavior Science. The aim of this section is to provide reviews and empirical research that integrates the latest technological innovations and behavior science. The contributors in this special section demonstrate that behavior science can aid an understanding of why people do or do not engage in a healthy lifestyle and help identify what is needed to design a successful health behavior intervention through the use of technology

The relative importance of healthy food labels when shopping for groceries online

Healthy food labels are popular tools to encourage consumers to make healthier food choices. This study, published in Procedia Computer Science, explores how online grocery shopping decisions is influenced by healthy food labels. A conjoint study with 111 participants discovered that factors, such as price, brand and country of origin, had a stronger impact on purchase decisions than healthy food labels. Still, the presence of a healthy food label increased the likelihood of a product being selected. Results of the study also show gender differences, as healthy food labels had a stronger impact on female consumers. These findings present the opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of healthy food labels in influencing consumers food choices. It is evident that simply presenting healthy food labels on products is equally beneficial for consumers, manufacturers, and policymakers alike.

Investigating the impact of Internet of Things services from a smartphone app on grocery shopping

This study investigates how Internet of Things (IoT) features in a grocery store’s smartphone app affect shopping behavior. In a simulated scenario, 226 participants used the app to purchase items, such as fresh salmon. The study found that IoT services like “updated expiry date”, “Aggregated national customer experience index” and “personalized offer based on product in the basket. increased engagement with the app and encouraged more purchases. The “real-time price” IoT feature had a mixed effect on user interaction. Analysis showed that certain IoT features can be a dealbreaker in a competitive grocery market. The study is published in Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, presented at Forskning.no and Kristiania.no.

Exploring customer online reviews for new product development: The case of identifying reinforcers in the cosmetic industry

This study analyzes online customer reviews to understand preferences for certain cosmetic products. The research explores the possibilities to strengthen relationship between customers and brands in the cosmetics industry. This is explored by using the marketing firm theory. Furthermore, the study analyze customer reviews by applying market research techniques. The reviews are analyzed with text analytics to identify key factors and reinforces that influence customer expectations and sentiments about cosmetic products. Findings suggest that certain product features appeal for all customers, while others vary by their age and skin tone. This shows the importance of having segment-specific insights. The study is published in Managerial and Decision Economics and presented in Kunnskapsmagasinet Kristiania.

Call for papers: Internet of Things Applications in Healthcare: A Focus on Improving Patient Safety

Internet of Things Applications in Healthcare: A Focus on Improving Patient Safety: A special issue of Journal of Healthcare Engineering

Call for papers

This special issue seeks to attract original research articles that discuss emerging IoT technologies with regard to their impact on patient safety in healthcare. This special issue especially welcomes analytical, computational, experimental, and clinical research, state-of-the-art reviews, and conceptual and theoretical developments and designs.

The marketing firm and co-creation

Using the theory of the marketing firm, two articles discuss how marketers in an organization can respond to behaviors resulting from co‐creational customer–customer exchanges. These two papers examine marketer and customer co‐creation processes within the context of bilateral contingencies. The studies are published in Managerial and Decision Economics; 1 and 2.

Examining the Relative Impact of Professional Profile Images and Facial Expressions in Small Business-to-Business Marketing Online

This study explore how facial expressions in profile images impact contact tendencies on small business-to-business websites visitors. This paper is responding to a need for research on context-specific effects of human images. It examines how a consultant’s smiling profile photo influences the likelihood of website visitors initiating contact. The results from a conjoint study reveals that a smiling profile image significantly increased contact likelihood, while a neutral expression had less impact, and no profile image reduced contact likelihood the most. These insights offer practical implications for small businesses and guide future research directions. The full research paper can be found in Interacting with Computers and is presented at Forskning.no.

Co-creation of Value Using Social Media in the Service Industry: An Empirical Case Study of Service Innovation in a Banking and Finance Company

This study explores social business processes to enhance co-creation in the service industry. A case study of a Norwegian banking and finance company shows how they successfully co-create value with users through a co-creation lab. Since launching, the lab has contributed to the development of several new online products and services. Although the lab has a small but stable user base, findings suggest that even more value could be created. This could be through increased interaction from the company and the introduction of a user incentive program. The full study is published at the 2018 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM).

On the relative impact of male and female sellers’ profile image and its facial expressions upon peer users’ behavior on Airbnb

This study, published in Procedia Computer Science, examines how profile image and facial expressions of male and female sellers’ influence rental decisions in peer-to-peer accommodation platforms like Airbnb. In a simulated scenario, participants rated their likelihood of renting an apartment on Airbnb. The results from the conjoint analysis reveal that, compared to factors like price and customer reviews, a seller’s profile image and facial expressions significantly impact the likelihood of booking. More specifically, male seller images has the strongest influence both positively and negatively. Additionally, profiles with no image showed a strong negative impact on rental likelihood. Sellers on Airbnb should note that their profile image can affect potential renters’ choices.