Customer engagement with websites: a transactional retail perspective

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to focus on customer engagement (CE) in the underexplored context of transactional retailing websites, providing insight into the drivers, manifestations and dimensionality of the construct. The website is viewed as a collection of environmental stimuli, and focus is placed on identifying the website environmental cues that promote CE. Design/methodology/approach This focussed study follows an exploratory research design. A total of 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted with one segment group: over-55-year-old female online shoppers in the most commonly purchased product category online, clothing. The stimulus–organism–response model forms the theoretical framework. Findings The unique findings identify that product-related environmental cues drive CE on a website, suggesting that CE occurs at the level of the product, as opposed to the website. Research limitations/implications CE with websites exists beyond the customer–brand dyad, with the website forming the third node in a triadic relationship between customer, brand (at level of the product) and website (at level of the product-related cues). Practical implications This study reveals the relationship between website environmental cues and the manifestation of CE, providing managers with insight on how best to drive CE. Confirmation is provided that the website represents a vital touchpoint in the engagement journey of a retail customer. Originality/value Websites as a focal object for CE are markedly under-researched. This study empirically supports the relevance of considering CE in this context and reveals the influence online environments have on CE.

Examining the influence of user-generated content on the fashion consumer online experience

“…Social shopping platforms support user-generated content and user interactions, in contrast to the traditional shopping practices of e-commerce where consumers shop individually (Zhang and Benyoucef, 2016;Vazquez et al, 2020). Social shopping advances have challenged fashion marketers to modernise marketing practices by developing a range of user-generated social shopping activities to increase consumer interaction via sharing of user generated content (UGC) in blog style platforms (Jin and Ryu, 2019;Hollebeek, 2019;Connell et al, 2019;Liu et al, 2016;Dulabh et al, 2017;Miell et al, 2018). A notable characteristic of fashion UGC is "Looks" features, which are defined as photographs of individuals in a styled setting (McQuarrie et al, 2013).…”

Customer engagement in evolving technological environments: synopsis and guiding propositions

“…which technologies do they enjoy using integratively, such as social media, online product information, and secure blockchain-based payment options; see e.g. Connell et al, 2019or Piehler et al, 2019. Based on this rationale, we follow Hollebeek et al's (2019), Hollebeek and Macky's (2019) and Brodie et al's (2011Brodie et al's ( , 2016 approach, among others, to develop a set of Propositions of CE Within Evolving Technological Environments.…”

Rationalization of Digital Media in Developing Market Potential for Retail Products: Case Study in Welcoming Industry 5.0

“…Website can provoke customer engagement [56], purchase intentions [57], and generate satisfaction [58] toward product or service offering so that the website is suitable as a marketing media [18], where in this study, the website was used as an advertising media as well as publicity and public relations. Email can also generate customer engagement.…”