Showing papers in "International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising in 2009"
TL;DR: Findings from a study investigating the effect of integrating sponsored and nonsponsored search engine links into a single web listing show that for more than 35% of queries, there are no clicks on any result.
Abstract: This paper reports findings from a study investigating the effect of integrating sponsored and nonsponsored search engine links into a single web listing. The premise underlying this research is that web searchers are chiefly interested in relevant results. Given the reported negative bias that web searchers have concerning sponsored links, separate listings may be a disservice to web searchers as it might not direct them to relevant websites. Some web meta-search engines integrate sponsored and nonsponsored links into a single listing. Using a web search engine log of over 7 million interactions from hundreds of thousands of users from a major web meta-search engine, we analysed the click-through patterns for both sponsored and nonsponsored links. We also classified web queries as informational, navigational and transactional based on the expected type of content and analysed the click-through patterns of each classification. The findings show that for more than 35% of queries, there are no clicks on any result. More than 80% of web queries are informational in nature and approximately 10% are transactional, and 10% navigational. Sponsored links account for approximately 15% of all clicks. Integrating sponsored and nonsponsored links does not appear to increase the clicks on sponsored listings. We discuss how these research results could enhance future sponsored search platforms.
59 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a qualitative case study conducted with leading search engine marketers and experts in Finland suggests that search engine marketing is still in its infancy among Finnish companies, whereas small-sized dot-com companies operating in the Business-to-Business (B2B) sector have been most active in Search engine marketing, traditional brick-and-mortars are just starting to set plans for Search Engine marketing.
Abstract: The objective of this study is to examine advertisers' perceptions of search engine marketing. The theoretical part of the study investigates the two aspects of search engine marketing, namely advertising and optimisation. With the use of a qualitative case study conducted with leading search engine marketers and experts in Finland, the paper suggests that search engine marketing is still in its infancy among Finnish companies. Whereas small-sized dot-com companies operating in the Business-to-Business (B2B) sector have been most active in search engine marketing, traditional brick-and-mortars are just starting to set plans for search engine marketing. Finally, the study discusses the implications and provides future research directions.
23 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined how two aspects of an online shopping environment can influence the emotional states of consumers, and how these emotions subsequently affect their intentions to purchase products online, and found that a linear relationship exists between the level of interactivity provided by an online store and pleasure.
Abstract: This study examined how two aspects of an online shopping environment can influence the emotional states of consumers, and how these emotions subsequently affect their intentions to purchase products online. A web-based experiment (using a 3 × 3 between-subjects factorial design) was conducted, where respondents were exposed to a simulated online retail store. A total of 360 responses were collected from web users. The two independent variables examined were level of interactivity and amount of information. Emotion was measured using the two emotional states of pleasure and arousal. Results suggest that a linear relationship exists between the level of interactivity provided by an online store and pleasure. Moreover, pleasure (and in some cases arousal) was found to be a significant predictor of the likelihood that a consumer would purchase products online.
17 citations
TL;DR: The authors describes the history of internet advertising from 1994 to 2007 by looking back to understand its future direction, and describes how advertising has evolved from banners to experiential promotions, and how advertisers viewed the internet in the same way they considered traditional media (TV, newspapers, magazines).
Abstract: In 14 short years, internet advertising has evolved from banners to experiential promotions. In the beginning, advertisers viewed the internet in the same way they considered traditional media (television, newspapers, magazines). The idea of using a new medium like an older one was described by McLuhan's concept of the rearview mirror. This article describes the history of internet advertising from 1994 to 2007 by looking back to understand its future direction.
16 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a conceptual-methodological approach is proposed to assess the similarities and differences among those national markets in preferred site features and identify two independent components of site feature preferences (elevation and priority) to distinguish societal-level and individual-level effects.
Abstract: Tailoring consumer shopping sites to fit diverse national markets requires a grasp of the similarities and differences among those national markets in preferred site features. The past literature indicates five issues that can cloud attempts to gauge the national differences in the preferability of Business-to-Consumer (B2C) site features. This paper proposes the 'Preference Component Perspective', a conceptual-methodological approach to overcome these challenges and more meaningfully assess these national differences. The framework identifies two independent components of site feature preferences (elevation and priority) and provides a means to distinguish the societal-level and individual-level effects. A survey of online shoppers in the USA, the People's Republic of China and Poland demonstrated the approach's ease of application and the validity of its core assumptions in the data sample. It was shown that the approach can yield insights that are valuable to practitioners who devise effective B2C websites for international markets and to marketing/behavioural/information scientists who develop theoretical models of online shopping adoption.
11 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a new theoretical construct, Online Community Experience (OCE), is proposed to enhance the understanding of customers' interactions in online product communities and to address the above questions.
Abstract: Online or web-based product communities are 'social spaces' and customers could go through various experiences when they visit and interact in such communities. What is the nature, or what are the dimensions, of 'customer experience' in such online communities? Can positive customer experiences be proactively facilitated by companies? This study proposes a new theoretical construct, Online Community Experience (OCE), to enhance our understanding of customers' interactions in online product communities and to address the above questions. We draw on diverse theoretical areas including computer-mediated communication, consumer psychology, information processing and brand communities to identify the critical antecedents of OCE. The research model was validated using an experimental study involving 108 subjects. The study findings offer strong support to the research model and imply the importance of OCE as a construct in studies of online product communities and consumer behaviour. The key implications for future research and managerial practice are discussed.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an exploratory perspective on search engine loyalty through the use of a relational framework consisting of a two-dimensional commitment and hedonic versus utilitarian attitudes and test a conceptual model that includes both the direct effect of commitment on action loyalty and the moderating effect of internet users' attitude towards the search engine.
Abstract: Although loyalty remains a popular subject in traditional contexts, the loyalty of internet users rarely gets studied, especially in noncommercial settings (e.g., search engines, portals, informative websites). This article provides an exploratory perspective on search engine loyalty through the use of a relational framework consisting of a two-dimensional commitment and hedonic versus utilitarian attitudes. The author tests a conceptual model that includes both the direct effect of commitment on action loyalty and the moderating effect of internet users' attitude towards the search engine. A search engine can offer affective and hedonic value to users, which enhances loyalty; switching costs have a negative impact, in the form of calculative commitment; and a 'depreciating effect' emerges from the interaction of commitment dimensions.
8 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose a search engine marketing (SEM) process for nonprofit organizations that optimises organic search results, which is easy to adapt to the particular goals of different nonprofits and is within reach of nonprofits' limited personnel and financial resources.
Abstract: The authors propose a Search-Engine Marketing (SEM) process for nonprofit organisations that optimises organic search results. It is easy to adapt to the particular goals of different nonprofits and is within reach of nonprofits' limited personnel and financial resources. This process enables the organisation to fine-tune its web presence according to its values and the feedback from the marketplace regarding keywords and search terms that potential constituents might find useful to them. It answers the call in the literature to nonprofits for a finer-grained approach to segmentation, more specific targeting and better branding differentiation through values.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that even postmodern conceptualisations of the branding paradigm fail to take into account the search economy and the surge in search engine marketing (SEM) technologies, and propose four key concepts to explain this new challenge to current branding paradigms: thematic spatialisation, temporal hierarchisation, consumer promiscuity and the consumer-as-brand-creator.
Abstract: The dynamics of virtual branding remain poorly understood. This paper argues that even postmodern conceptualisations of the branding paradigm fail to take into account the 'search' economy and the surge in 'Search Engine Marketing' (SEM) technologies. One of the key characteristics of this new economy is what Baudrillard calls the 'constraint of signification', allowing search engines to manipulate temporal, spatial and brand-consumer constructs in unprecedented ways. This paper proposes four key concepts to explain this new challenge to current branding paradigms: thematic spatialisation, temporal hierarchisation, consumer promiscuity and the-consumer-as-brand-creator. Finally, implications for marketers and researchers are discussed.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a laboratory experiment to explore the determinants of the five effectiveness dimensions, i.e., evaluation, willingness to pay (WTP), perceived sampling usefulness, sampling cost and likelihood of being a free rider, of online digital music sampling.
Abstract: Despite the popularity of online digital music and the broad application of digital music sampling, in the existing literature, there is a lack of substantial studies that examine online digital music sampling. This study uses a laboratory experiment to explore the determinants of the five effectiveness dimensions, i.e., evaluation, Willingness-to-Pay (WTP), perceived sampling usefulness, sampling cost and the likelihood of being a free rider, of online digital music sampling. Digital music samples with a higher quality and longer segments were found to increase the sampler's music evaluation and make the evaluation process more useful. Also, the sampler's music evaluation significantly determines his/her WTP. Higher music evaluations not only decrease the sampler's sampling cost during the sampling process, but also reduces the probability that the sampler will take the music sample as a substitute for the original music. This study also shows that the current practice of online digital music sampling is not ideal and music retailers could improve their music sampling strategies by providing digital music samples with longer segments and of higher quality. All of these findings have significant implications for music retailers to use digital music sampling strategies better.
6 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate how counterproductive time spent on a website affects consumers' online task completion and find that the time lost on pages that were useless to the task at hand had a negative impact on consumers' task completion.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate how counterproductive time spent on a website affects consumers' online task completion. Two hundred and twenty-eight consumers were asked to perform a task on determined websites. Verbal protocols and clickstream data were collected. The results of Study 1 showed that the time spent waiting for pages to download had no effect on task completion, but that the time lost on pages that were useless to the task at hand had a negative impact on consumers' task completion. Study 2 indicated that the downloading time related to pages that were useful to consumers had no effect on task completion, but downloading times related to pages that were useless had a significant impact on task completion. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.
TL;DR: Analysis of the antecedents and implications of using search engines as prepurchase information tools shows that the experiences as internet user and as internet shopper are negative key drivers of search engine use.
Abstract: The aim of this research is to analyse the antecedents and implications of using search engines as prepurchase information tools. The impact of internet use experience, internet shopping experience and online shopping motivations on the use of information provided by search engines in online purchases is analysed together with attitudinal changes deriving from search engine use (online purchase intention). Data analysis shows that the experiences as internet user and as internet shopper are negative key drivers of search engine use. The use of search engines in online purchase decisions is more likely in consumers with utilitarian shopping motivations than in consumers with hedonic shopping motivations and it predicts online purchasing behaviour. This research enables companies to know the factors that potentially affect search engine use in e-shopping decisions and the importance of using search engines in their communication campaigns. Internet agents should exploit the advantages that search engines offer to facilitate the online purchasing process.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the determinants and consequences of online security concerns and assessed the interrelationships among these constructs with a path analysis using secondary survey data from a representative sample of the US adult population.
Abstract: Drawing from the perspective of consumers' risk perception, this study examines the determinants and consequences of online security concerns and assessed the interrelationships among these constructs with a path analysis. Using the secondary survey data from a representative sample of the US adult population, this study finds that consumer characteristics such as psychographic, behavioural and demographic factors serve as determinants in explaining online security concerns which, in turn, affect e-transactional activities. This study also highlights that online security concerns play a mediating role on the effects of various consumer characteristics on e-transactions. In addition, the implications for public policy-makers and e-marketers are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of country, gender, urbanization and marketing communications (i.e., TV advertising) on consumers' attitudes towards firms' various marketing activities (e.g., advertising, products, pricing).
Abstract: Understanding how consumers perceive corporate marketing activities is important for academic researchers and practitioners alike. Using a cross-national survey in the USA and South Korea, we examine the effects of country, gender, urbanisation and marketing communications (i.e., TV advertising) on consumers' attitudes towards firms' various marketing activities (i.e., advertising, products, pricing). The results suggest that there are no significant differences between the US and Korean consumers' attitudes towards advertising. However, the US consumers have more favourable attitudes towards products and pricing than the Korean consumers. Furthermore, we find that gender is an important predictor of the attitudes towards firms' advertising in both countries. Finally, the results suggest that there is a positive relationship between the Korean consumers' television exposure and their attitudes towards pricing and advertising.
TL;DR: In this article, a conceptual model of the determinants of online auction interest and final selling price was proposed, and data was gathered by observing 431 real online auction site transactions, over the four product categories DVD movies, Books, Laptops and Cars, reflecting high versus low personal involvement categories.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual model of the determinants of online auction interest and final selling price. Using an innovative quasi-experimental methodology, data was gathered by observing 431 real online auction site transactions, over the four product categories DVD movies, Books, Laptops and Cars, reflecting high versus low personal involvement categories. Key findings suggest that seller reputation is important for high-involvement goods and impacts on the final selling price, as does the starting price for low-involvement goods. In addition, there appears to be a direct correlation between the number of bids and the level of interest in the auction for all the product categories examined in this study. These findings provide some empirical evidence about the influence of selected auction characteristics on the auction's final outcome, using real-world transactions on a large online auction site. Finally, the study examines the contrasts between traditional in-person auction theory and the rapidly growing online auction market. Managerial implications and directions for future research are also presented.
TL;DR: In this paper, a game-theoretic approach was used to examine the effect of the population internet penetration rate on the performances of the manufacturer and traditional retailer under the Stackelberg and Bertrand competitive models.
Abstract: With the rapid development of the internet, the population internet penetration rate plays a strategic importance in the dual-channel supply chain. In this research, we use a game-theoretic approach to examine the effect of the population internet penetration rate on the performances of the manufacturer and traditional retailer under the Stackelberg and Bertrand competitive models. Our results suggest that an increase in the population internet penetration rate always has a negative impact on the manufacturer and traditional retailer's profits. Furthermore, when the product is more suitable for the online market, the traditional retailer will be hurt more by the population internet penetration rate. For the manufacturer, although a larger product web fit can increase profits, the population internet penetration rate has a stronger impact on profitability, thus decreasing profits even as the product web fit increases. Our results also suggest that both the manufacturer and the retailer can adopt either of the Stackelberg and Bertrand competitive market structures in the dual-channel supply chain since their profits are unaffected by the two models. The managerial implications of our results are discussed and the probable paths of future research are identified.
TL;DR: In this paper, the influence of individual characteristics Need for Cognition (NFC) and product experience on brand attitude was examined in a laboratory experiment (n = 120) and the results indicated that consumers high in NFC report more favorable brand attitudes during virtual experience evaluations than from direct experience.
Abstract: Three-Dimensional (3D) product visualisation has been conceptualised as a new form of virtual product experience that enables consumers to simulate consumption experiences online. Virtual experience has most notably been characterised as imitating direct experience because of interactive user-control which allows consumers to alter, freely rotate, zoom-in or out and examine in detail products online. Current research in this area, however, has predominantly focused on understanding the technology with very little work exploring the impact of information processing styles. Therefore, in a laboratory experiment (n = 120) the influence of individual characteristics Need for Cognition (NFC) and product experience on brand attitude was examined. The results indicate that consumers high in NFC report more favourable brand attitudes during virtual experience evaluations than from direct experience.