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E-Marketing Strategies for Islamic Banking: A Case Based Study
Journal of Global Information Management
Abstract
This article describes how e-marketing is increasingly gaining interest within Islamic businesses. It is important to consider the extent to which it fits comfortably within principle notions of Islam and Sharia law. An Islamic business should ensure that its e-marketing strategy must be devoid of any contentious or exaggerated claims and there must be no excessive risk. As marketing practices include accentuating the benefits and features of products and services, and downplaying the negative attributes which potentially could lead to a consumer making an informed decision based on this unbalanced presentation. Arguably, this presents a form of risk that may be at odds with the fundamental tenets of Islam. This article presents a case-study of a large bank in Kuwait to identify how e-Marketing can be implemented more effectively to attract new customers and retain the existing ones by critically evaluating the viability of e-marketing strategies for promoting Islamic banking. A set of recommendations are also provided to support all Islamic Banks in the development of an e-marketing strategy.
... Similarly, the dynamic business world of innovation has brought digital technology as a driving force, turning around conventional marketing techniques obsolete (Kingsnorth, 2022 ) have overtime, attempted to defined digital marketing strategy as ability to explore digital technology to connect prospective customers with products and services provided by organisations through electronic commerce channels i.e. online marketing via internet. Although, this definition is based on conventional marketing theory, the non-interest banks would have to integrate the same with the principles of Islamic beliefs and cultural requirements (Roumieh et al., 2018). Hence, this suggest that non-interest banks must avoid all forms of deceptions and exaggerations in their marketing communications and ensure honesty and fairness in all marketing strategies and practices (Ghazali & Mutum, 2016). ...
... In this way, all forms of non-interest banking product and services such as Musharakah, Mudarabah, Murabahah, Ijarah etc. will maintain the exclusive characteristics and features of Islamic banking and values. A contemporary perspective to marketing strategy by most organisations is the use of social media to reach out to target markets (Gabriel & Kolapo, 2015;Rahmayati, 2021;Roumieh et al., 2018). This strategy has allowed some conventional banks such as Zenith Bank Plc a leading commercial Bank in Nigeria, to create a WhatsApp artificial intelligence (AI) application called Zenith Intelligent Virtual Assistant 'ZIVA' that enable customers direct interface with some of the bank's services. ...
... Doostar and Mohammadi (2014) explained that E-marketing means the use of internet, social networks and web to conduct marketing activities. Roumieh et al., (2018) stated that E-marketing refers to the delivery of promotional messages through the use of the internet. ...
... Now, a large number of local, national, and foreign banks integrate online platforms into their banking activities. Roumieh et al., (2018) explained that E-marketing tools like social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, SMS, and e-mail are important ways for the promotion of products & services and attracting new customers. Security is the very first priority for the customer of the banks. ...
... International Journal of Business and Management Vol. 19, No. 1;2024 Zaheer andBell (2005) Cluster 3 (blue) 7 items Hansen and Lovas (2004) Jodlbauer et al. (2022) Kelly et al. (2008) Lee (2007) Leon et al. (2017) Rodan and Galunic (2004) Ryall and Sorenson (2007) Cluster 4 (yellow) 6 items Bjork and Magnusson (2009) Dahlander and Wallin (2006) Gloor et al. (2020) Gutierrez and Perez (2010) Koka and Prescott (2008) Ronda-Pupo and Guerras-Martin (2012) In the first cluster are grouped those articles that use information about users to be used strategically in their favor. In support of this, social media is unquestionably a tool that makes a great deal of information widely accessible, which companies can use to their advantage in their internal strategies (Yang et al., 2019;Wang et al., 2021;Wanberg et al., 2015;Waheed & Ogunlana, 2019;Roumieh et al., 2018;Oestreicher-Singer & Zalmanson, 2013;Lopez Iturriaga et al., 2008;Lee et al., 2018;Kickul et al., 2007;Hambrick et al., 2019;Castro et al., 2009;Breschi & Cusmano, 2004). The second cluster highlights how the level of digitalization can help companies in the strategic choices they make. ...
The aim of this article is to shed light on the topic of strategic planning and control, with a specific focus on investigating its connection to the proliferation and utilization of social media. The analysis was conducted through a systematic and structured literature review. A co-occurrence and bibliographic coupling analysis using VOSviewer software was carried out. The research findings encompass a comprehensive analysis of paper frequency across different parameters, including publication year, country of origin, and source of publication. Moreover, the study involves identifying the five most frequently cited papers in the field of strategic planning in relation to the influence of social media. Social media represent a significant innovation from which companies can benefit in various ways. The originality of the study is derived from its comprehensive investigation and systematic review of studies within the field of social media and their interaction with strategic planning and control, which have not been consolidated until now. Practical implications of the research suggest a guideline for companies to discover the potentials of social media in terms of strategic planning and control. Theoretical implications are integrated into the perspectives proposed through the systematic literature review, providing guidance for future research.
... It makes use of a variety of technologies to link companies with their customers. Roumieh et al. (2018) contended that due to the additional channels and marketing tools made available by the internet, digital marketing encompasses a larger variety of marketing elements than traditional marketing. As a result, electronic marketing allows businesses to reach millions of individuals worldwide in a matter of minutes with their goods, services, and promotions. ...
Healthcare marketing is a broad field that includes both general and specific knowledge of marketing and business activities related to goods and services in the areas of medicine, therapy, and patient/citizen/buyer health improvement, with profits going to the society and organizations that provide the good or service. This study is undertaken to understand the healthcare sector and examine whether digital marketing is an appropriate marketing practice because the healthcare industry is seen to be lagging other industries in the field of digital marketing. This study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design, which enabled the one-time collection of data from 575 employees of four private hospitals in Beijing, namely Beijing Yandu Hospital, Beijing Chaoyang Third Hospital, Beijing United Family Hospital and Beijing New Century International Hospital for Children for analysis and findings generation. The population comprised employees of four private hospitals in Beijing. Using a confidence level of 80 percent and an error margin of 20 percent. Krejcie and Morgan formula was applied to determine the sample size for this study as follows: N=460, S=210. The findings reveal that there is a positive correlation between hospital performance and 2 of the independent variables (social media marketing and email marketing). Email marketing has the highest positive connection (0.202**) with hospital performance. In a similar vein, the findings demonstrate a positive correlation between hospital performance and social media marketing (0.145*). Therefore, H1 and H3 hypotheses proposed were accepted. As for multiple linear regression analysis, the R square is 0.514, showing that this model explained 51.4% of the variations in hospital performance. Digital strategies that affect the hospital performance include social media marketing, online advertising, and email marketing. Social media marketing and email marketing showed significant positive relationship with hospital performance, with p values of 0.014 and 0.015 respectively. P value less than 0.005 indicates 2681 there is a significant relationship between the two variables. The results state that the beta coefficients for two independent variables (social media marketing and email marketing) had a positive and significant effect on hospital performance. The results revealed that email marketing has the highest beta value (0.182) followed by social media marketing (0.108). However, for online advertising, p=0.822 and beta coefficients is-0.015. This indicates that online advertising is not significantly positive related to hospital performance. Introduction Healthcare marketing is a broad field that includes both general and specific knowledge of marketing and business activities related to goods and services in the areas of medicine, therapy, and patient/citizen/buyer health improvement, with profits going to the society and organizations that provide the good or service. People's health is a result of these products. They are governed by strict and laws on their approach to the market, starting with production restrictions, quality control, distribution, a premarketing phase, registration process, marketing license, and tracking the medication once it has been launched. We live in a digital age, which has gotten even more so since the COVID-19 epidemic, when people spend more time online looking for information and rely more on smart devices. While Google asserts that up to 77% of patients use the Internet before deciding, other studies indicate that 95% of consumers now compare and check product or service reviews before making a purchase (McCabe, 2020). As a result, an increasing number of health organizations understand the need to have an online presence and utilize digital platforms to draw in new customers. Benefits include the capacity for health companies to quickly sell a good or service to a specific demographic as well as the freedom to select the population to target for preventative campaigns and services. In the digital world, one may easily measure and improve results as well as get dependable information on a variety of activities.
... The results of this study support hypothesis 2 which said that "product information dissemination influences customer decision in choosing products of Islamic bank". The promotion has a positive relationship and influence on the interests of non-Muslim communities in choosing Islamic banks (Raumieh et al, 2018). Indra (2015) in his research also stated that advertising / information has a positive and significant relationship to saving interest in Islamic banks. ...
As Indonesia has the biggest Muslim population in the world, Islamic banks starts to bloom in Indonesia rapidly. This paper aims to investigate the determinants of Muslim people to be customers of Indonesian Islamic banks. The determinants which are empirically tested are product knowledge of Islamic bank, product information dissemination, the profit margin of Indonesia Islamic banks, and service quality provided by Indonesia Islamic banks towards the preferences of Muslim people to be customers of Islamic banks. This research uses quantitative design which there are 155 samples conducted in this research and analyzed using SPSS. The sampling technique is purposive sampling where there are some criteria required to obtain respondents. The findings show that product knowledge, product information dissemination, and profit margin affect the preferences of being Islamic banks’ customers while service quality does not affect the preferences of being Islamic banks customers.
... The use of digital interactive technologies and information technology to run a company's business is referred to as e-business. This term is frequently used interchangeably with e-commerce and e-marketing, but these latter concepts are basic components of those e-business operations (Roumieh et al.,2018). E-marketing employed those exact technologies as a logical extension of traditional market practices of building, communicating, and delivering value to customers. ...
E-marketing is a strategic marketing approach that has revolutionized how marketing is executed by transitioning from traditional to internet-based platforms. It has significantly altered how firms interact with their customers. To provide insights and offer guidance for the growth and development of e-marketing among SMEs, the chapter explored the organizational, technological, and environmental elements that may drive the adoption of e-marketing, as well as models that can be implemented to enhance e-marketing. A thorough analysis of the literature revealed a significant positive association between sustainable marketing strategy and SME performance, indicating that sustainability is significantly influenced by the level of customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and profitability.
... Marketing strategies Ang et al., 2018;Chen & Lee, 2018;Hutchins and Rodriguez, 2018;Hwang et al., 2018;Kang & Park, 2018;Kusumasondjaja, 2018;Lee et al., 2018;Parsons & Lepkowska-White, 2018;Tafesse & Wien, 2018;Teo, 2019. Company Ballestar et al., 2019;Canovi & Pucciarelli, 2019;Gil-González et al., 2018;Iankova et al., 2019;Matikiti et al., 2018;Miklosik et al., 2019;Petit et al., 2019;Ritz et al., 2019;Roumieh et al., 2018;Tous et al., 2018;Vermeer et al., messaging and communications. Kang (2018) proposed that organisations seek to identify the needs of members of online communities, create special offerings that accommodate those needs and effectively communicate with members to increase the satisfaction levels of online communities. ...
The use of the internet and social media have changed consumer behavior and the ways in which companies conduct their business. Social and digital marketing offers significant opportunities to organizations through lower costs, improved brand awareness and increased sales. However, significant challenges exist from negative electronic word-of-mouth as well as intrusive and irritating online brand presence. This article brings together the collective insight from several leading experts on issues relating to digital and social media marketing. The experts’ perspectives offer a detailed narrative on key aspects of this important topic as well as perspectives on more specific issues including artificial intelligence, augmented reality marketing, digital content management, mobile marketing and advertising, B2B marketing, electronic word of mouth and ethical issues therein. This research offers a significant and timely contribution to both researchers and practitioners in the form of challenges and opportunities where we highlight the limitations within the current research, outline the research gaps and develop the questions and propositions that can help advance knowledge within the domain of digital and social marketing.
... The banking sector requires investments in marketing innovations, which should be synchronous with the development of market culture and the improvement of organizational learning processes (Mahmoud et al., 2016). For example, based on the example of a large bank in Kuwait, Roumieh et al. (2018) showed how e-marketing could be implemented more effectively to attract new customers and maintain the existing ones by critically assessing the viability of e-marketing strategies for the promotion of Islamic banking. Research on perceptions of marketing in social media and its comparison with the perception of other marketing forms used in the Slovak banking market, taking age differences into account, was undertaken by Vejačka (2017). ...
Well-designed marketing activities and the use of modern marketing tools can increase the competitiveness of banks on the market. Given this fact, the main purpose of the study is to develop theoretical and practical provisions for estimating the level of marketing activity of banking structures. This is based on the definition of the integral index and takes into account all the elements of the marketing-mix and their partial indicators. The urgency of solving this problem comes from the fact that it is precisely the estimation of the level of marketing activity of the banking structures that directs managers to make the appropriate adjustment of marketing activities and make use of modern marketing instruments that will increase the competitiveness of banks on the market (e.g. increase market share and expand the boundaries of the target segments, help to create a positive image of the bank and maintain its business reputation). The article proposes a calculation methodology for bank marketing activity, which has been tested through the definition of the level of marketing activity of the leading Ukrainian banks. The computation of the level of bank’s marketing activity is based on the calculation of the integral indicator by summarization the input statistics, that characterize the bank’s marketing activity, with help of two methods: the standardization method and the hierarchy analysis method (Saaty method). The results of the expert survey were used for determining the weight of partial indicators within the hierarchy analysis method. Based on the results, the analyzed banks are ranked according to the level of their marketing activity in the investigated period, and a system of particular measures for raising the level of their marketing activity has been established.
Fast food businesses are known to be affected by some existential problems. This economic sector faces problems ranging from insufficient capital, lack of efficient manpower, inefficient management, fraud, and inability to analyse and capture market opportunities. Other problems also include marketing problems, research inefficiencies and production problems such as poor standardisation and low-quality products to mention but a few. In a quest to find lasting solutions to these problems, governments in Bayelsa State both at the state and local levels have been embarking on programs geared towards the development of businesses in the state especially the fast food sector which is very popular in the state. Authors have argued that the adoption of e-marketing has been found to improve firm performance. E-marketing is gradually gaining prominence as a tool for gaining competitive advantage and this has implications for marketing practice in Nigeria. The primary objective of this paper, therefore, is to review the current situation of e-marketing in Fast food restaurants in Nigeria and will also digress to understand its effect on customer retention, given that there are different levels of development of e-marketing in all countries. In line with the foregoing, the study used a cross-sectional survey design method based on an array of information collected from the population. The study target Sample size for the study was 138 customers drawn from the five selected fast food restaurants in Yenegoa. After an extensive analysis of the data gathered from administering structured questionnaires, the study revealed, among others, that Social media marketing has a significant influence on customer retention among customers of fast foods in Yenegoa, Bayelsa state. From the analysis of the hypothesised variables, the study concluded that there is a positive relationship between the independent variables (social media marketing, email marketing and online advertising) and the dependent variable (customer retention). Thus, on the basis of the findings and conclusion of the study, the researcher recommended, among others, that Fast food restaurants should pay strong attention to social media tools like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp etc to reach both potential and current customers to enhance retention.
The internet and social-media have altered customer behaviour as well as the methods in which businesses operate. Organizations may benefit from digital and social-media marketing (DSMM) by lowering expenses, increasing brand-recognition, and increasing revenues. However, poor electronic word-of-mouth as well as obtrusive and unpleasant online-brand presence poses substantial obstacles. This chapter brings together the aggregate wisdom of various renowned experts on DSMM concerns. This study provides a significant and prompt contribution to both practitioners and investigators in the context of issues and challenges, highlighting the shortcomings of the existing research, identifying research gaps, and developing questions and propositions that can help promote knowledge in the area of DSMM promotions.
You can reach my book, 'Digital Marketing' via the following link:
https://www.morebooks.shop/store/gb/book/digital-marketing/isbn/978-613-8-96557-2
This study examined E-marketing strategies and performance of small and medium-sized enterprises: A new-normal agenda. It aimed to explore the effects of social media marketing, online advertising, and email marketing on the performance of SMEs in the new-normal era. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. It used a structured questionnaire to obtain primary data from 295 operators of SMEs. The hypotheses developed for the study were statistically tested using multiple linear regression with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 23). The findings of the study revealed that social media marketing, online advertising, and email marketing had significant positive effects on the performance of SMEs in the new-normal era. Therefore, the study recommended that SMEs adopt social media platforms (such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp); online advertising tools (such as search engine, display, and website advertising); and email marketing tools (such as welcome email, email newsletters, and dedicated email promotions) to promote their products and services in order to enhance sales and marketing performance. Suggestions for further studies are also made as a guide for intending researchers.
Today, achieving the stable competitive advantage is one of the most important tools in the business world. To this aim, with creating and using the powerful brand equities,the firms have entered into different competitive fields. Also, in the marketing activities the relationship with customer is the main pivot and getting the customers’ attraction is the priority of all the firms. On the other hand, with the advancement of the nutrition industry of the world, the relationship brand equity for the nutritional companies in order to attract more customers as well as seeking more income has been accentuated which is one of the main components of the firms’ success. In this study, the marketing mix effect on the relationship brand equity and its effect on the customers’ purchase intention of the two well-known brands of the dairy industry of Iran have been discussed. The sample of the study included 522 consumers in Iran. The data analysis has been done using LISREL 8.5 and SPSS 16.00 Software. The results indicate that two factors of advertisement and the target brands promotions of this industry have a significant effect on the perceived quality, while with increasing the price component of the perceived quality by customers have been decreased. On the other side, the perceived quality has also a significant effect on the brand equity. Finally, the results indicate that the relationship brand equity has a significant effect on the customers’ purchase intention on these brands. At the end, some suggestions for improving the active companies’ function in this industry as well as suggestions for the future studies have been provided.
The concept of e-marketing is one which has gained increasing interest within Islamic businesses in recent years. Amin [3] asserts that one of the most critical issues to consider is the legal and moral aspects of e-marketing and the extent to which they fit comfortably within principle notions of Islam and Sharia law. He states that "e-business is a permissible means of doing business provided it is performed in the boundary of Shariah Islamiyyah”. By this he means that any form of e-marketing must clearly demonstrate the key principles of Islam, meaning that marketing must be devoid of any contentious or exaggerated claims and there must be no excessive risk. Of course, one of the principal features of marketing as noted by Kotler and Keller [46] is that marketing is known for accentuating the benefits and features of products and services, and downplaying the negative attributes which potentially could lead to a consumer making an informed decision on the basis of this unbalanced presentation. Arguably, this presents a form of risk which may be at odds with the fundamental tenets of Islam. This paper presents a critical literature review of alternative e-marketing approaches.
The introduction of e-banking has often been believed to be inhibited by security threats among other issues. Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of e-banking security strategies in spite of its apparent impact on adoption of e-banking. This research evaluated the effectiveness of e-banking security strategies in Zimbabwe. The adoption of e-banking by commercial banks increases security risks, potentially exposing their isolated systems to open and risky environments. The increasing popularity of e-banking has attracted the attention of both legitimate and illegitimate banking practices, thereby, exposing customers to criminal activities, fraud, thefts and various other threats of similar nature. Thus, it is imperative to deliver a secure e-banking system to avoid the risk of negative effects which include clients accounts being tampered with, phishing or identity theft. In order to achieve our broad aim, a representative sample of 31 participants from 15 commercial banks completed questionnaires which were analysed using SPSS. From the analysis, it was found out that the majority of banks are using between four and five e-banking security strategies. The strategies included passwords, firewalls, encryption, virtual keyboards, pins and access codes and secure socket layers. It was therefore concluded that Zimbabwean banks are effective in offering secure e-banking services. © Tafadzwa Zimucha, Ngonidzashe Zanamwe, Tinovimbanashe Maduku, Petronella Mapungwana, Elijah Chakwizira and Kerina Chimwayi, 2012.
In many companies, there has been a marked fall-off in the influence, stature and significance of the corporate marketing department. Today, marketing is often less of a corporate function and more a diaspora of skills and capabilities spread across the organization. By itself, the disintegration of the marketing center is not a cause for concern, argue the authors, but the decline of core marketing competence certainly is. For this article, the authors undertook a series of in-depth interviews with leading marketing executives and chief executive officers to clarify the root causes of the decline. Their research identifies eight distinct factors that contribute to marketing's waning influence among them a worrying "short-termism," significant shifts in channel power and marketing's inability to document its contribution to business results. The consequences are not immediate, but they are far reaching: Absent a core of marketing competence, say the authors, the corporate brand will suffer, product innovation will weaken, and prices will be less robust. However, the fact that marketing does continue to influence corporate strategy in some companies suggests there are opportunities and viable approaches for building marketing competence as a source of competitive advantage. The article suggests four key issues facing marketing management, placing the focus not on restoration of the corporate marketing function but on the rebuilding of marketing competence across the organization.
There are growing concerns among e-commerce customers particularly Muslims in
Malaysia regarding on-line transaction both from security aspect and Sharia’
perspective. There are two main issues arise concerning purchasing on-line using credit
cards. First is the medium of transaction via on-line or Internet itself and secondly, the
mode of payment being used to purchase online in which using credit card in this case.
As Malaysia is heading towards e-commerce and purchasing on-line via credit cards has
no longer a new trend; the challenges arise for solution which compliance with Sharia’
principles. This paper will address and highlight several challenges and issues and
present recommendations based on the existing technology without overlooking legal
provision provided in this country to solve the above concerns.
How do consumers represent their identities on online social media platforms? In this article, we focus on consumers' use of brands on their Facebook pages as subtle cues to represent their selves. Although recent research suggests that consumers present an actual, not an ideal self, our data reveal that veridical presentations of the actual self through brands rarely exist. Furthermore, we contribute to an understanding of how multiple selves interact to inform brand connections. We offer insights into how and why consumers either blend or integrate their actual and ideal selves or choose one of them exclusively when these selves conflict. Additional contributions and future directions in the areas of self, branding, and social media are discussed.
QR (quick response) codes are two dimensional images that when scanned by a smart phone's camera, prompt the smart phone to open a web-page or display an image, video, or text. QR codes are, therefore, essentially pictographic hyperlinks that can be embedded in the physical environment. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way libraries deliver instruction, connect patrons to information about library materials, and market their services. Although use of QR codes has not yet become prominent in Kansas communities, there are several reasons to believe that it soon will be. These reasons include burgeoning popularity of QR codes on the coasts, rapid increases in smart phone use in our communities, and expected enhancements in cellular data capacity in much of Kansas. By implementing QR codes now, academic libraries in Kansas can help expedite the adoption of this exciting technology and can concomitantly enhance their reputations as user-centered, innovative, sites for discovery and exploration. In this paper I describe how individuals with smart phones can download free QR code reading applications and use their phone's camera to read the code; show several examples of creative ways libraries and other organizations are using QR codes to provide rich, point-of-need information to patrons, customers, and prospective user; describe in detail the process of creating QR codes and distributing them throughout physical and online environments; and highlight some of the recent literature discussing the relevance of QR codes for libraries and for education in general.
This paper looks at the idea of tribes and how this marketing concept has not been alien to the very success of Islam itself. It concludes by suggesting ways different groups in society can move forward and solve some of our most pressing challenges today.
This study explores the working pattern of Islamic banking by considering its main functions. Islamic banking proved its success to compete with the deep rooted conventional banking system in Pakistan. The Islamic bank performs multiple functions to facilitate the different stakeholder according to their specific needs. Banks pool the funds by accepting deposits from the savers and provide these funds to entrepreneurs for productive ventures to generate profits. It provides interest free products to serve the different segments of the economy according to Shariah principles. The primary function of the Islamic bank is to promote trade activities as an active interaction with Surplus Units and Deficit Units of the economy. The secondary function of Islamic bank aims at provision of agency services and other market compatible products to facilitate its customers. Finally, it also provides consultancy and Hajj services to compete with the conventional banks. This study gives a snapshot of functions performed by Islamic banks in Pakistan. This study is an effort to list out the main functions being performed by the Islamic banks that may guide different segments of the society to understand the working pattern of the Islamic banks in Pakistan.
In the 21st century's information-oriented era where extreme competition is the standard, small and medium exporting companies are gradually decreasing their dependence on the traditional old media and are expanding their dependence on new media that claims to stand for the value of participation and sharing, such as search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing), SNS (Social Networking Sites), Hogs, etc. From among these, export marketing through search engine optimization is the representative marketing tool of the new media marketing channel that takes immediate effect by utilizing the limited marketing resources of small and medium exporting companies and brings flexible realization and successful results. With this background, this research performed quantitative analysis after collecting and utilizing log data of 346 companies and classing the firms into 6 representative sectors. It will he used for data mining analysis based on Google Analytics in order to measure the performance of the search engine marketing of small and medium exporting companies. For a more reliable qualitative analysis, the research also implemented verification by business sector through a survey about the performance of search engine marketing for 98 companies. The result of the analysis on overseas marketing performance using search engine optimization by 6 representative business sectors has empirically proved that optimizing the company's homepage appropriately on search engines brought an increase of visitors and page views. Consequently, there was an increase in inquiries, which is the actual expression of purchase intent, and this was a great help to the export marketing of SMCs.
Purpose
– Studies of marketplace cultures emphasize the benefits of communal consumption and explain the ways that brand managers can leverage subcultures and brand communities. The ephemeral and often non‐commercial nature of consumer tribes means that they are more difficult to manage. This paper, aims to suggest that a necessary pre‐requisite for understanding how to engage with consumer tribes is to identify how consumers become members of tribes.
Design/methodology/approach
– Data are drawn from a five‐year ethnographic study of the archetypical club culture tribe that utilized a variety of data collection methods including participant observation and in‐depth interviewing.
Findings
– The paper identifies “learning to be tribal” as a communal practice that occurs through three interconnected processes of engagement, imagination and alignment.
Originality/value
– This paper makes three contributions: it clearly distinguishes between the three main forms of communal consumption found in the marketing literature; it identifies how consumer tribes are formed; and it questions received wisdom and shows how tribal theory can guide managers to offer products and services as learning resources that facilitate tribal practices.
Purpose
The primary aim of this article is to identify theoretical foundations that can be used in research on social media in the context of international advertising research. An additional objective is to identify future research directions for theory building in this research area.
Design/methodology/approach
The article draws on the extant literature to identify three key theoretical foundations that can be used in research on advertising in media from an advertising perspective: networking capability; image transferability; and personal extensibility. For each of these perspectives, the current state of knowledge, theoretical challenges, and future research directions are summarized.
Findings
The three key theoretical perspectives (networking capability, image transferability, and personal extensibility) provide strong potential for better understanding the advantages and disadvantages of social media use for advertisers. They are also useful for identifying important research gaps that need to be filled in the future.
Research limitations/implications
Research on social media advertising in an international context is still in its infancy, and needs further attention. As few cross‐cultural studies have been conducted, the theories and their application will likely evolve in the future.
Originality/value
A review and conceptual framework pertaining to theoretical perspective used in social media research in an international advertising context has been practically non‐existent. Thus, this article is designed to serve as a solid starting point for future research endeavors.
Purpose
Innovations, coupled with the advancement of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the evolution of the internet, have had a profound impact on the structure of firms and have altered the decision‐making process. In the new economic and social environment, the understanding of the developments and transformations undergone by ICTs with the advancement of social networks and Web 3.0 technology is vital because of the influence of recent innovations in the competitiveness of organizations. The aim of this paper is to achieve an in‐depth understanding of the new environment that has emerged with these developments.
Design/methodology/approach
The study focuses on the use of social networks and the conception of the corresponding new business models, highlighting the importance of community managers and crowdsourcing processes.
Findings
The paper explores the possible sources of competitive advantages open to organizations in the light of recent innovations, and highlights the developments that they should implement to improve the decision management process and exploit new situations.
Practical implications
The paper analyzes the impact of social networks and Web 3.0 technology in the management and marketing of organizations, highlighting certain mechanisms to improve competitive advantages for organizations.
Originality/value
The impact of social networks and Web 3.0 technology on organizations has not been analyzed in the literature. The paper also highlights the importance of community managers and crowdsourcing processes in coping with the new environment.
Customers develop switching costs when they invest time and effort to develop capabilities required to optimally use a given product. Such capabilities are likely to be firm specific and cannot be transferred perfectly to competitors' product offerings. Customers who face switching costs are likely to remain with the same firm and consume complementary products that meet their needs. Thus, firms can achieve competitive advantage by exploiting customers' switching costs. In this paper, we hypothesize that the extent to which firms can benefit from customers' switching costs is contingent upon the firms' internal cross-selling capabilities. We use online banking data to test our hypotheses and find that customers' switching costs contribute to banks' profitability only in the presence of high levels of internal cross-selling capabilities.
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate customer satisfaction and its effect on image,
trust, and customer loyalty for Islamic banks.
Design/methodology/approach – The study uses data from Islamic banks and dual-window
Islamic banks, pertaining to two different customer segments (Muslims and non-Muslims).
Findings – The results indicate that customer satisfaction has a significant relationship with image,
image has a significant relationship with trust, and trust has a significant relationship with customer
loyalty for both customer segments. Furthermore, significant differences occur in the effect of
customer satisfaction on image, image on trust, and trust on customer loyalty between Muslim and
non-Muslim customers.
Practical implications – The findings suggest that Muslim customers establish relationships with
Islamic banks because they trust that Islamic banks are Shariah compliant. Therefore, providing
secure banking products that are fully compliant with Islamic principles are necessary.
Originality/value – This research is important as it clearly demonstrates that the loyalty of Muslim
and non-Muslim customers to Islamic banks is influenced by customers being satisfied, as well as the
image of and trust in Islamic banks. In this context, when customers are unwilling to trust Islamic
banks, they are also unwilling to be loyal.
Keywords Cross-cultural, Customer satisfaction, Image, Trust, Customer loyalty, Islamic banks,
Banks, Malaysia
This study examines the relationship among service quality, customer satisfaction and behavioral responses across public and private banks in Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted and data was gathered from 437 customers of public and private sector banks located in Islamabad city, the Capital of Pakistan. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted to measure frequency, ranking of services, and correlation and multiple regression analyses. Findings of this study revealed that service quality is a significant determinant of customer satisfaction across public and private sector banks. However different dimensions of service quality were found significant in both public and private sector banks. Customer satisfaction has a positive impact on propensity to recommend whereas no significant relationship is found between customer satisfaction and switching intention. The study is unique in its finding and provides insightful thoughts for determinants of favourable customer's responses across public and private sector banks of Pakistan.
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate customer satisfaction and its effect on image,
trust, and customer loyalty for Islamic banks.
Design/methodology/approach – The study uses data from Islamic banks and dual-window
Islamic banks, pertaining to two different customer segments (Muslims and non-Muslims).
Findings – The results indicate that customer satisfaction has a significant relationship with image,
image has a significant relationship with trust, and trust has a significant relationship with customer
loyalty for both customer segments. Furthermore, significant differences occur in the effect of
customer satisfaction on image, image on trust, and trust on customer loyalty between Muslim and
non-Muslim customers.
Practical implications – The findings suggest that Muslim customers establish relationships with
Islamic banks because they trust that Islamic banks are Shariah compliant. Therefore, providing
secure banking products that are fully compliant with Islamic principles are necessary.
Originality/value – This research is important as it clearly demonstrates that the loyalty of Muslim
and non-Muslim customers to Islamic banks is influenced by customers being satisfied, as well as the
image of and trust in Islamic banks. In this context, when customers are unwilling to trust Islamic
banks, they are also unwilling to be loyal.
Keywords Cross-cultural, Customer satisfaction, Image, Trust, Customer loyalty, Islamic banks,
Banks, Malaysia
Paper type Research paper
The State of Kuwait is characterized by settlers from Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other regions of the Arabian Peninsula. The settlements and subsequent admixtures have shaped the genetics of Kuwait. High prevalence of recessive disorders and metabolic syndromes (that increase risk of diabetes) is seen in the peninsula. Understanding the genetic structure of its population will aid studies designed to decipher the underlying causes of these disorders. In this study, we analyzed 572,366 SNP markers from 273 Kuwaiti natives genotyped using the illumina HumanOmniExpress BeadChip. Model-based clustering identified three genetic subgroups with different levels of admixture. A high level of concordance (Mantel test, p=0.0001 for 9999 repeats) was observed between the derived genetic clusters and the surname-based ancestries. Use of Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP) data to understand admixtures in each group reveals the following: the first group (Kuwait P) is largely of West Asian ancestry, representing Persians with European admixture; the second group (Kuwait S) is predominantly of city-dwelling Saudi Arabian tribe ancestry, and the third group (Kuwait B) includes most of the tent-dwelling Bedouin surnames and is characterized by the presence of 17% African ancestry. Identity by Descent and Homozygosity analyses find Kuwait's population to be heterogeneous (placed between populations that have large amount of ROH and the ones with low ROH) with Kuwait S as highly endogamous, and Kuwait B as diverse. Population differentiation FST estimates place Kuwait P near Asian populations, Kuwait S near Negev Bedouin tribes, and Kuwait B near the Mozabite population. FST distances between the groups are in the range of 0.005 to 0.008; distances of this magnitude are known to cause false positives in disease association studies. Results of analysis for genetic features such as linkage disequilibrium decay patterns conform to Kuwait's geographical location at the nexus of Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Using a Netnographic Grounded Theory approach to an online fan forum, a Virtual Community (VC), this article considers brand culture and value co-creation. The research site is a VC containing football fans who are viewed as stakeholders of the organisation Liverpool Football Club. Following a service-dominant logic (SDL) and consumer culture theory (CCT) approaches, analysis is conducted on fan consumer behaviour leading to the submission of a Typology of Seven Consumer Community Cultural Co-creative Roles. The authors reflect on existing theoretical consumer responses to market offerings of exit, voice, loyalty, and twist, found in extant literature, adopting these as four co-creative roles. This study contributes three new consumer co-creative roles of entry, re-entry, and non-entry. Managerial implications of the typology are discussed.
Smartphone-based mobile advertising is a promising marketing vehicle, especially in retail and point-of-purchase environments, yet we still do not know enough about what motivates consumers to turn to mobile advertising. This is particularly true of new forms of mobile advertising, like quick response (QR) codes, which rely on pull-based approaches, rather than push-style advertising. The study clarifies this omission by exploring various antecedents that encourage consumer use of mobile advertising. Relying on the uses and gratifications approach as a theoretical framework, this study tests three antecedents of new media adoption: institutional trust, involvement and market mavenism. Data are drawn from a representative sample of 401 American adults and their willingness to use QR codes in shopping environments within the context of purchasing sustainable products. The data were analysed using ordinary least squares regression. Results indicate government trust,
buycotting and market mavenism are positively related to consumers’ willingness to use mobile phone-based QR code advertising whereas corporate trust is negatively related. The results offer important theoretical and managerial implications: first, there is a need to include broader institutional trust variables in the uses and gratifications framework of new media use; second, QR code content should be carefully crafted to provide meaningful, usable information for involved consumers; and third, market mavens’ tendency to share
information should be harnessed by providing QR code content that is relevant, interesting and easily passed on to other consumers.
The development and the increasing progress that is being experienced in the Information and Communication Technology have brought about a lot of changes in almost all facets of life. In the Banking Industry, it has been in the form of online banking, which is now replacing the traditional banking practice. Online banking has a lot of benefits which add value to customers’ satisfaction in terms of better quality of service offerings and at the same time enable the banks gain more competitive advantage over other competitors. There are some associated risks identified in the study that seem to hinder the success of e-banking services and thus constitute major concern to both financial institutions and customers. This paper therefore, examines, if customers’ choice of banks is influenced by the quality of e–banking services provided. Stratified sampling was used; while the survey Instrument was a developed Questionnaire comprising open ended and Likert type of questions. The Likert type questions have a 4 point scale (indicating 1 = very comfortable and 4 = uncomfortable) divided into two (2) sections: personal details and customers’ e-banking preference in Sierra Leone. The instrument contained 36 items and was administered to about 400 respondents, while 360 completed and returned their Questionnaire. The statistical techniques used for the analysis were the Chi–Square and correlation. The Chi–Square analysis revealed that the quality of e–banking services offered by banks have significant influence on their customers at 95%, 3 degree of freedom. The paper recommends that various measures should be put in place to ensure more security such as installation of encrypted software, verification system of customer’s identification cards, frequent change of password, examining test questions and using mixed password such as the use of alphanumeric amongst others. The paper concludes that e –banking has become important phenomenon in the banking industry and it will continue as more progress and innovations are made in information technology.
The Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing offers both basic and advanced treatments intended to serve academics, students, and marketing research professionals. The 42 chapters begin with a history of qualitative methods in marketing by Sidney Levy and continue with detailed discussions of current thought and practice in: research paradigms such as grounded theory and semiotics,. research contexts such as advertising and brands, data collection methods such as projectives and netnography, data analysis methods such as metaphoric and visual analyses, presentation topics such as videography and reflexivity, applications such as ZMET applied to Broadway plays and depth interviews with executives, special issues such as multi-sited ethnography and research on sensitive topics.
Butler-Kisber, L. (2018). Qualitative inquiry: Thematic, narrative and arts-based perspectives (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
This is an approachable guide to a range of inquiry perspectives grounded theoretically and illustrated with many examples. It explores the traditional approaches of constructivist grounded theory (constant comparison) and phenomenological inquiry as well as narrative and the varied artful approaches that continue to push the boundaries of qualitative research.
Beginning PHP and MySQL E-Commerce: From Novice to Professional, Second Edition covers every step of the design and building process involved in creating powerful, extendable e–commerce web sites. Based around a real–world example involving a web site selling t–shirts, you'll learn how to create and manage a product catalog, build and integrate a shopping cart, and process customer accounts and PayPal/credit card transactions.
With the e–commerce framework in place, authors Emilian Balanescu and Cristian Darie show you how to integrate advanced features sure to set your web site apart from the competition. You'll learn how to expand your catalog using Amazon Web Services, optimize the web site for the search engines, and take advantage of Ajax to build an even more user–friendly shopping cart.
Other highlights:
• The authors show you how to build a complex, extendable e–commerce web site using sound development practices
• This second edition has been updated to take advantage of a more flexible templating system, and new chapters cover Ajax integration and search engine optimization
• The text goes beyond basic product and customer management, showing you how to integrate product reviews, process payments using both credit cards and PayPal, and expand your web site catalog using third–party services such as Amazons affiliate program
ToCollege.net does not exist in a bubble. It needs users. In fact, it needs lots of them. A fair piece of the value that we’d like to provide our users comes from the value provided in our school-specific forums. This is a great way for users to get the scuttlebutt on which schools are really good places to be and which are just an extraordinarily expensive way to spend your formative years drinking light beer. Of course, if $160,000 sounds like a decent price for free beer, the forums will let you know who’s got the best. In short, the forums are a repository for the real scoop on colleges. The only problem? Right now, they’re empty.
The Dominance of GooglePageRank and the Art of RelevanceHTML OptimizationsGoogle ToolsSummary
Is your web site featured in the early pages of results when you type a keyword into the search field of Bing, Yahoo!, or Google? You can improve the chances of appearing in the first few pages, but an early appearance cannot always be guaranteed without paying for a favorable position.
Traditionally, the marketing mix comprises four elements: product, price, promotion and place (the 4Ps). These elements are typically seen as encompassing the range of marketing variables which are directly controlled by the organization. In order to meet the needs of the target market, organizations seek to develop a balance between these elements which reflects the organization's desired competitive position. In many senses, the marketing mix provides a bridge between marketing strategy and marketing tactics. The aim of marketing strategy in any organization is to establish a match between the organization's skills and capabilities and the needs of the target market. Marketing tactics, by contrast, are more closely concerned with decisions about how to deliver the product or service offer which reflects this matching process. The marketing mix has both strategic and tactical dimensions. The strategic dimension of the marketing mix is primarily concerned with decisions about the relative importance of the mix elements for a particular product-market combination. For example promotion, particularly television advertising, may play an important role in the marketing mix for many retail financial services, but may be almost irrelevant for specialized corporate financial services. The tactical dimension of the marketing mix works within the framework created by decisions regarding the balance of the mix and is concerned primarily with the specification of precise details for each element in the mix. To develop an effective marketing mix requires a clear understanding of the chosen product position and of the way in which consumers are likely to respond to the individual mix elements. This chapter reviews the concept of the marketing mix as it applies to financial services. Particular attention is focused on the relevance of the traditional 4P concept and on examining the components of the various elements of the mix. Section 4.2 provides an overview of the financial services marketing mix while section 4.3 examines important themes which must be developed within the context of the traditional 4Ps framework. A summary and conclusion are presented in section 4.4.
The emergence of strong Islamic movements in last three decades has generated a renewed interest in Islamic economics, especially in Islamic interest free banking. Currently Islamic bank strategically offering high quality products and services to satisfy their customers due to the strong competition, customer expectation for high quality services and rapidly changes of technology. The purpose of this study is to investigate major factors that are reflecting to customers' perception and satisfaction on Islamic banking. This study hope to analyze and determine the perception, quality of services, availability of services, confidence in bank and social and religious perspective about Islamic banking system. A Logit model is employed to anticipate the effects of the explanatory variables. The analysis confirms the significant positive relationship of quality of services, availability of services, social and religious perspective and confidence in bank with customers' perception about Islamic bank. These factors are expected to have great role for influencing customer mind. In conclusion, customers can derive a better understanding of the activities that are undertaken by bank and how the way these activities are being dealt with.
The constant growth of the World Wide Web (WWW) creates a demand for new strategies that are useful for Internet searchers as well as for information suppliers. While relevant and structured results became harder to find by search engines, the importance for businesses to be found on visible positions of the WWW has immensely increased. Sönke Lieberam-Schmidt analyzes the impact that search engine optimization (SEO) has on the economic goals of Web businesses. He structures available SEO means, integrates them in a Website creation process proven to be successful in practice, and develops models for selecting the right keywords. For search engines, he presents new methods of grouping and presenting results.
Hispanic Americans' purchasing power and Internet usage are on the rise, but published research on the influence of Web advertising on their purchase intentions online is still scarce. This study explores Hispanic-American attitudes toward banner, e-mail, pop-up advertising, and purchase intentions and accounts for ethnic identification (i.e., strength of association to the Hispanic culture) and selected demographics. The results vary among the three types of online advertising and indicate that attitudes toward online advertising and purchase intentions online are significantly related to ethnic identification... but not in the expected direction. The major findings and their implications are discussed.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the theory of planned behavior (TPB) can be used to explain financial salespeople ' s ethical selling intentions and behaviour in developing countries. Understanding salespeople ' s ethical intentions and behaviour is important as consumers in developing countries are more at risk of ethical abuse arising from higher information asymmetry, their lower levels of financial literacy and less effective services regulation relating to ethical sales practices. Developing countries also have fewer governmental social support mechanisms, making the purchase of insurance more important for protecting consumers ' financial well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
– The paper examines 205 Bangladeshi financial salespeople ' s ethical selling intentions and behaviour using the TPB. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the constructs and overall model.
Findings
– The findings identify that attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behaviour control (PBC) affect ethical selling intentions which, in turn, predict salespeople ' s ethical sales behaviour. However, PBC does not directly relate to ethical sales behaviour.
Research limitations/implications
– Understanding of the determinants of financial salespeople ' s ethical selling intentions and behaviour is important for firms in developing countries and identifies that they need to develop effective management systems and foster organisational cultures that engender ethical behaviour. This is important in developing countries where ethical abuses and lapses will result in harm to consumers who have limited financial resources.
Originality/value
– The results identify that the TPB applies to the selling of financial services in developing countries and, thus, broadens the applications and contexts of the TPB model. It also provides some managerial guidance as to how potential ethical breaches might be limited.
Do business better online with Business Web Design Solutions. Business web sites require specialized design techniques to ensure an effective online presence. Information not only needs to be structured so that it's easy to understand, but must also be accessible to customers with disabilities. In a lively, entertaining style, this book teaches you all you need to know to create effective web sites for businesses of all sizes. It's packed with useful tips and practical examples. First you are taken through the planning stage, including overall site structure, grouping content, using content and language effectively, planning for accessibility, and much more. Next, you are shown how to effectively design the different parts of your site, from product information pages, contact information and navigation to corporate blogs and support pages. In addition, you are shown how to add further specialized improvements to your corporate site, including feedback forms and search functionality. The examples focus largely on CSS and HTML, client-side wise, but the principles are applicable to any site, regardless of the technology used, and some useful Flash exa.
Companies are increasingly recognising that social networks are a force to contend with in reputation management. There are numerous examples of how single voices using viral systems have, in a matter of days, reached out to millions about poor service or flawed products. Managing social networks is, however, not without cost and thus one could reasonably assume that larger companies would have better defined strategies for social network reputation management than smaller ones. The paper explores this assumption and offers an integrity management model. The social network activities of 99 different size companies (33 small, 33 medium and 33 Large) were examined and results supported that larger companies are slightly more responsive but smaller firms seem to respond more quickly. Of interest was the number of firms (of all sizes) without social media sites. There appears to be a general lack of a strategic framework for thinking about communities as most firms in the study were not monitoring, integrating and leveraging social media adequately.
Advertising clutter and declining audience attention means advertisers need pretesting to ensure the effectiveness of their advertisements. This study uses, for the first time, a variable-resolution display to measure viewers’ visual attention to advertising. The display features only the part of an ad that corresponds with the observer's eye gaze with high acuity, whereas the resolution of the other parts reflects the decline in spatial resolution of the human visual system. Participants keep the highest resolution area aligned with their foveal vision using manual cursor movements. In accordance with neuroscientific theory, recorded cursor movements parallel the eye gaze patterns observed in a control group. However, unlike tracking eye movements, the instrument offers a simple, unobtrusive, low-cost, and time-efficient way to measure the effectiveness of visual advertising. The results encourage the use of goal-directed manual pointing movements to indicate attentional signals generated in the brain.
Corporate securitization is a structured finance product that retail companies use to raise funds on the back of their operating assets. We investigate whether corporate securitization enhances the retail firm's marketing and operational capacity through a set of structural enhancements including operating covenants. Operating covenants are designed to mitigate the financial and operating risks of a securitized business and improve its marketing potential. Using the case of a retail firm's securitization, the United Kingdom's Mitchell's & Butler's, we find some support for this conjecture. We also find that corporate securitization is more successful where managers have considerable scope for making changes in the retail firm's operating and marketing environment.
We report results of 48 semi-structured interviews about online behavioral advertising (OBA). We investigated non-technical users' attitudes about and understanding of OBA, using participants' expectations and beliefs to explain their attitudes. Participants found OBA to be simultaneously useful and privacy invasive. They were surprised to learn that browsing history is currently used to tailor advertisements, yet they were aware of contextual targeting.
Our results identify mismatches between participants' mental models and current approaches for providing users with notice and choice about OBA. Participants misinterpreted icons intended to notify them about behavioral targeting and expected that they could turn to their browser or antivirus software to control OBA. Participants had strong concerns about data collection, and the majority of participants believed that advertisers collect personally identifiable information. They also misunderstood the role of advertising networks, basing their opinions of an advertising network on that company's non-advertising activities. Participants' attitudes towards OBA were complex and context-dependent. While many participants felt tailored advertising could benefit them, existing notice and choice mechanisms are not effectively reaching users.