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E-commerce marketing strategies: targeting online consumer markets
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E-commerce marketing strategies: targeting online consumer markets
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Content
Running head: E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
1
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES:
TARGETING ONLINE CONSUMER MARKETS
by
Sandra Colton-Medici
______________________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
December 2019
Copyright 2019 Sandra Colton-Medici
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
2
Dedication
For my husband Anthony and daughter Giulia.
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
3
Acknowledgements
Pursuing the Doctor of Education can provide more than an in-depth analysis of a
particular topic. The process can reveal how a family and faculty navigate the program as a
cohesive unit. I’m grateful to have knowledgeable instructors, program administrators, and
advisors as well as a caring group within my cohort. This process has been quite long as I began
with my first child on the way and found myself balancing schoolwork and home life in a tale for
the ages. I am completing the program as I deliver not only the defense of my dissertation as
well as my second child soon thereafter. This journey is one that I will never forget. Thank you
to my family and all who have had a hand in my success. You are truly cherished.
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
4
Table of Contents
Dedication 2
Acknowledgements 3
List of Tables 5
List of Figures 6
Abstract 7
Introduction of the Problem of Practice 8
Organizational Context and Mission 11
Purpose of the Project and the Questions 13
Stakeholder Group of Focus 15
Stakeholder Performance Goals 16
Definition of Terms 17
Review of the Literature 18
Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences 25
Interactive Conceptual Framework: Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational 36
Influences in E-commerce — Targeting Online Consumer Markets
Data Collection and Instrumentation 40
Findings 43
Solutions and Recommendations 73
Future Research 93
Conclusion 94
Appendix A: Participating Stakeholders with Sampling Criteria for Interview 96
Appendix B: Protocols 99
Appendix C: Credibility and Trustworthiness 102
Appendix D: Validity and Reliability 104
Appendix E: Ethics 106
Appendix F: Implementation and Evaluation Plan 110
Appendix G: Sample Post-Training Survey Items Measuring Kirkpatrick Levels 1 and 2 124
Appendix H: Sample Blended Evaluation Items Measuring Kirkpatrick Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4 125
Appendix I: Document & Audiovisual Digital Materials Analysis Protocols 127
Appendix J: Limitations and Delimitations of the Study 130
References 132
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
5
List of Tables
Table 1 Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Performance Goals 16
Table 2. Summary of Knowledge, Motivation, and Organization Influences, Types 35
and Assessments for Knowledge, Motivation and Organization Gap Analysis
Table 3. Study Participant Profiles 45
Table 4. Summary of ModeX Marketing Brief Template Inclusions 50
Table 5. Summary of Validated, Partially Validated, and Not Validated Influences 70
Table 6. Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations 74
Table 7. Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations 79
Table 8. Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations 84
Table 9. Sample ModeX Training Menu 90
Table 10. Summary of Solutions and Timeline 92
Table F1. Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes 113
Table F2. Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation 115
Table F3. Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors 116
Table F4. Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program 119
Table F5. Components to Measure Reactions to the Program 120
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
6
List of Figures
Figure 1. Interactive conceptual framework: Knowledge, motivation, and organizational 39
influences in e-commerce — targeting online consumer markets.
Figure 2. Summary of ModeX email message delivery times. 49
Figure 3. Adapted interactive conceptual framework Knowledge, motivation, and 72
organizational influences in e-commerce — targeting online consumer
markets.
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
7
Abstract
The study examines the e-commerce strategies used by ModeX to increase their customer base.
The purpose of the study was to explore the process utilized by ModeX, a small consumer e-
commerce start-up company, to boost customers in an underserviced market segment. A
qualitative study examined ModeX employees’ knowledge of predictive modeling and their goal
to increase their customer base and obtain the organizational goal of adding 5% more customers
and increased revenue as well. Utilizing the Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analysis Framework,
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences were analyzed. Study findings show
marketing team members’ lack of confidence to predict buyer behavior, a missing motivation
component when assessing last-click purchase attribution, and a need to provide team members
with additional resources to gain critical skills for internal and external data collection and
analysis. Based on findings, the study recommends ModeX, as an organization, provide
informational job aids, opportunities for the marketing team to train through workshops and
online tutorials to increase confidence in predictive modeling for future marketing initiatives.
Recommendations also include implementing post-training feedback to assist team members in
providing training that will consistently help in job functions and successful campaigns.
Keywords: E-commerce, marketing, strategy, predictive modeling, buyer behavior
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
8
Introduction of the Problem of Practice
Retailers respond to evolving consumer buying behaviors by employing “campaign-
oriented cross-selling” initiatives to entice new market segments (Brashear, Kashyap, Musante,
& Donthu, 2009; Jarvis, 1998; Li, Sun, & Montgomery, 2011; Ramcharran, 2013). In evaluating
purchase patterns, organizations are pressured by competitive isomorphism and cannot overlook
the consumer shift from traditional shopping methods at brick and mortar stores to increased
usage of e-commerce websites and mobile applications (Chun, Rhee, Park, & Kim; 2011;
Dimaggio & Powell, 1983; Kauffman & Walden, 2001; Ramcharran, 2013). The growing e-
commerce market has forced businesses to abandon older marketing channels and seek new
digital technology to determine how and where they should entice new customers (Baye, 2002;
Benoy Joseph, Cook, & Javalgi, 2001). Businesses must transition marketing strategies from
traditional models to maintain their customer bases and capitalize on e-commerce consumers
(Melewar & Stead, 2002; Williams, 2000).
Creating new strategies involves understanding what products customers want as well as
when and how they choose to purchase goods and services (Freid & Freid, 1995; Osterwalder,
Pigneur, Bernarda, Smith, & Papadakos, 2014). Evidence suggests that businesses do not know
what the average consumer wants (Frey, 2012; Grainer, Noble, Bitner, & Broetzmann, 2014).
Customizing communication with customers in addition to message automation through artificial
intelligence (AI), marketing can be an asset to organizations looking to increase business online
(Capel & Ndubisi, 2011; Matsuo & Colomo-Palacios, 2013). E-commerce marketing strategies
that incorporate decision automation, predictive marketing, and market intelligence are integral
to sustaining a business’s current customer base while adding new market segments (Melewar &
Stead, 2002; Stern & Barton, 1997). The old marketing funnel considers the 4 Ps (product, price,
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
9
placement & promotion), but organizations can adopt a new model of the 6 Cs (contact, connect,
conversation, consideration, consumption & community) and change strategies to survive in the
new online marketplace (Lexa & Berlin, 2006; Patterson, 2014). To identify data needed to
create successful communication strategies, organizations use market intelligence to outline an
overview of the market, competitors, and growth strategies (Haynes, Helms, & Casavant, 1992;
Hedin, Hirvensalo, & Vaarnas, 2011). Data derived from market intelligence is used to capture
consumer profiles and may consist of a customer’s “duration and page views” (Panagiotelis,
Smith, & Danaher, 2013, p. 14). Businesses employing market intelligence can access more than
simply action-based data (i.e., when or where a customer purchases an item), they can act on
customer-initiated feedback such as point-of-purchase online satisfaction surveys, online reviews
and viral social media posts (Akinkunmi, 2018; Haynes et al., 1992; Kalia, Arora, & Kumalo,
2016). Organizations who utilize what contends to be a more liquid marketing strategy can help
their businesses to successfully pinpoint consumer buying trends and use it to their advantage for
profit.
E-tailers navigating consumer channel selection and emerging buyer purchase patterns
can commingle traditional shopping methods at brick and mortar stores with e-commerce
websites and mobile applications to increase a company’s customer base (Marone & Lunsford,
2005; Subramaniam, Shaw, & Gardner, 2000; Yang, 2015). Digital marketing channels that are
most prominently utilized to entice new market segments include search engine marketing, e-
mail, and social media (Funk, 2013; Johansson & Kask, 2017; Subramaniam et al., 2000).
Incorporating effective promotional strategies, which rely on shopper motivations and loyalty
patterns (e.g., low price and bulk-sale concepts) through the aforementioned digital channels, can
attract consumers in an overcrowded marketplace (Ganesh, Reynolds, Luckett, & Pomirleanu,
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
10
2010; Gustafsson, Johnson, & Roos, 2005; Kadiyali, Vilcassim, & Chintagunta, 1996; Nunes,
Bellin, Lee, & Schunck, 2013; Olivares, Wittkowski, Aspara, Falk, & Mattila, 2018; Wei Shi &
Zhang, 2014). Companies that implement cyberinfrastructure to develop detailed shopper
profiles can more efficiently target customers who embrace a multi-channel shopping
methodology (Childers, Carr, Peck, & Carson, 2001; Gardner & Lehnert, 2016; Tan &
Mookerjee, 2005; Wei Shi & Zhang, 2014).
Organizations must balance conveying a controlled message and one that also engages
the consumer (Balducci & Marinova, 2018; “Message control,” 2018). Driving “customer
engagement behavior” is best when businesses use a transformational messaging strategy, one in
which they form a foundational link with the consumer on an emotional level (“Message
control,” 2018; Roy, Balaji, Soutar, Lassar, & Roy, 2017, p. 281). Value-based marketing
strategies leverage relationship-building, product expertise, content capital, and sales through
storytelling (Cundari, 2015; Freid & Freid, 1995; Geiger, Dost, Schönhoff, & Kleinaltenkamp,
2015; Marone & Lunsford, 2005). Creating consumer connections is a challenge for new
businesses looking to distinguish themselves in an already saturated e-commerce marketplace
(Sharma, Luk, Cardinali, & Ogasavara, 2018; Vrontis & Thrassou, 2007). Evidence suggests
that smaller businesses are making significant e-commerce gains because they are “more savvy
about how they use technology both to become more agile and to compete on a level playing
field with bigger organisations” (Thomas, 2006, para. 15).
An e-commerce start-up launched in 2013, ModeX (a pseudonym), found it critical to
generate sales to compete with top bulk-selling e-commerce companies like Amazon and Costco.
To increase sales, ModeX must add customers. ModeX’s core customer has an average online
value (AOV) of $100 per purchase on each website visit. During the review of customer data,
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
11
ModeX identified the lack of college-age student customers, which ModeX calls “the roommate
market,” as a gap in their market segmentation. ModeX needs to increase its total number of
customers by 5% (1,000 customers) by July 2020 to obtain its organizational performance goal.
This problem is critical to address because, as e-commerce grows, businesses need to identify
effective marketing strategies to target and retain new customers through e-commerce marketing
campaigns (Jarratt & Thompson, 2012; Ramcharran, 2013). ModeX needs to zero in on this
customer segment gap to identify and secure the 5% in a new customer base.
Organizational Context and Mission
ModeX’s mission is to be the go-to company for buying-in-bulk online. ModeX is a B2C
direct-to-consumer wholesale e-commerce company, established in 2013, that offers free access
to its product selection of consumer packaged goods, private-label brand as well as a
membership-based loyalty program for subscribers. The organization’s product categories
include grocery, health, office, cleaning, baby, and pet supplies. The company’s overall mission
is to assist customers in locating bulk products in a smart, cost-effective, and organized way.
Building relationships with its customers began in the garage of the CEO, and for the past five
years, the company has opened four distribution centers and raised $100 million in start-up
funding. With the short-term success achieved, it is imperative for ModeX to continue to seek
new monetary opportunities for growth to secure its long-term viability.
To increase its customer base, the marketing team can create a cooperative indirect
customer marketing strategy that allows it to engage with its core customer and “together with
. . . direct customers, introduces itself and its products to indirect customers” (Homburg,
Wilczek, & Hahn, 2014, p. 64). By targeting younger consumers, new revenue can be obtained
(“Improving insight,” 2015; Norum, 2008; Pettigrew et al., 2015; Soundarapandiyan & Ganesh,
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
12
2017). ModeX can outline specific goals that incorporate e-marketing campaign content and
budgets as they relate to the cost-per-acquisition to target and retain new customers (Prashar,
Vijay, & Parsad, 2016; Saleh & Ayat, 2011).
The organizational goal, created by company founders in consultation with the marketing
and sales team, is to target the college-age children of ModeX’s core customer, the “roommate
market.” According to Lester, Forman, and Loyd (2006), “95% of the college-age market uses
the Internet and over 91% of that group completes online purchases” (p. 123). Evidence
suggests that the target market spends $11 billion per year on snacks and beverages, the precise
product categories ModeX supplies (Gardyn, 2002). The college-age consumer averages an age
of “25 or older, 75% live off campus and 80% have paying jobs” (Gardyn, 2002, p. 18).
Through more persistent engagement, (i.e., e-mail, survey, promotions, and sales offerings),
ModeX can create an effective marketing strategy to attract its target audience while maintaining
its core customer.
Importance of Addressing the Problem
This problem is critical to address because businesses need customers to survive, and the
global economy, driven in part online, responds to buyer behaviors and organizations updating
marketing strategies (Lacka, Chan, & Yip, 2014; Marone & Lunsford, 2005; Melewar & Stead,
2002). Drucker (1973) identified that the purpose of a company was to explicitly create
customers. Businesses who correctly identify online shopper profiles are in a unique position to
gain significant monetary gains (Kim & Kim, 2008; Norum, 2008). Consumers spend over 110
billion dollars online each quarter, solidifying an acceptance of web-based businesses (Hortaçsu
& Syverson, 2015; Kalia et al., 2016; Pavlou, 2003; U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). The growth of
e-commerce has allowed companies to become global brands reaching audiences outside of their
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
13
home countries (Lacka et al., 2014; Lim, Leung, & Sia, 2004). Brands engaging with global
consumers through e-commerce must understand buyer behavior and shopper motivations to
capitalize on the reach of e-tailing (Close, 2012). Retailers need to learn how to attract new
customers to capitalize on e-commerce (Ganesh et al., 2010; Li, Chi, Hao, & Yu, 2018;
Ramcharran, 2013). Without finding strategies to increase online customer bases, smaller
businesses will fail to reach global markets and in turn find themselves incapable of competing
with companies with more economic resources to spend on marketing and advertising (Bolos,
Idemudia, Mai, Raisinghani, & Smith, 2016; Melewar & Stead, 2002).
Purpose of the Project and the Questions
The purpose of this project was to evaluate the degree to which ModeX’s campaign
strategies will allow it to meet its goal of increasing its total number of customers by 5% (1,000
customers) by July 2020. Additionally, the study also intended to learn more about how
employees in a start-up environment maintain motivation to obtain company goals. The analysis
focused on knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences related to achieving the
organizational goal. The stakeholder group is the ModeX marketing team. Group members have
backgrounds in the technology industry and have varied skills in sales and marketing,
partnerships, and public relations. Advanced marketing skills are needed to better calculate
strategy for social networking channels like Facebook and Twitter. Knowledge of how to
successfully navigate channels with specific segmentation engagement added key value to how
ModeX chooses to sub-target its core customer and encourage secondary customers to purchase
their products (Subramaniam et al., 2000).
Each marketing campaign services a current customer population and aims to attract
additional consumers to purchase ModeX products through sharable content. Typical ModeX
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
14
marketing campaigns target 1–5,000 customers. The marketing team generates communication
and sales strategy and is motivated to achieve higher customer retention and increase its
customer base (Carnegie, Wilcox, & Zhu, 2008). The marketing team works with several
ModeX departments, including the CRM Team, Data Science Team, Creative Team, Product
Team, Finance Team, and the Design Team. Currently, ModeX has 20,000 customers and
executes eight major site-wide marketing campaigns per year. ModeX also initiates three private
label marketing campaigns and launches a minimum of 20 products throughout the year as well.
Future themes to be addressed through the study’s evaluation include; organization’s self-starter
culture, marketing team’s ability to hold themselves accountable individually, and the
organization as a whole through strategy creation, implementation, and analysis. While a
complete performance evaluation would focus on all stakeholders, for practical purposes, the
stakeholder of focus for this analysis is ModeX’s marketing team.
The questions that guided the evaluation study addressed knowledge, skills, motivation,
and organizational influences for the stakeholder:
1. To what extent is the ModeX Marketing Team meeting its goal of increasing the
customer base by 5%?
2. What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences related to
achieving the organizational goal?
Organizational Performance Goal
The organizational goal of ModeX is to increase its customer base by 5% or 1,000
customers by July 2020. By setting and achieving this goal, ModeX will add $10,000 in revenue
to its annual earnings. Additional earnings may allow the organization to open other distribution
centers, provide more benefits/rewards to customers, reduce shipping times, and place more
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
15
targeted advertising. Success for ModeX is increased sales to justify its expansion efforts. The
organizational goal, created by company founders in consultation with the marketing and sales
team, is realistic because core customers make up 85% of their customer base. Of the 85%, 56%
have one or more children in college. To increase the number of customers, ModeX will target
its core customer’s children, “the roommate market.” A significant strategy must be developed
to captivate the new market without alienating the core customer through the oversaturation of
promotional offerings. The standard for success was developed based on the company founder’s
rate of success (i.e., the total number of distribution centers, brand name product selection, and
shipping contracts).
Between December 2013 and December 2016, ModeX opened four distribution centers
and raised $100 million in funding. The organizational goal of adding consumers will be
digitally tracked by both the sales and marketing and data science departments by using key
metrics (i.e., customer click-through process). Through telephone and online surveys, ModeX
will determine consumer purchase motivations that include an inquiry into consumer living
conditions (e.g., single-family home, apartment living, roommate, etc.), and identify product
checkout codes that indicate which market segment the consumer is from at the time of purchase.
The metrics utilized to analyze ModeX’s goal achievement progress are essential in creating an
accurate record of campaign cross-selling initiative results.
Stakeholder Group of Focus
Internal and external stakeholder review was essential to complete an overall analysis for
ModeX’s ability to have a concrete path forward (Cardwell, Williams, & Pyle, 2017; Pacheco &
Garcia, 2012). For this study, the focus was on the ModeX marketing team. Specific attention
was paid to the marketing team after an analysis of ModeX customer profiles alerted the
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
16
organization to a new market segment — college students categorized as “the roommate
market.” Targeting this new group will transition the marketing team strategy from a reactive
strategy into a proactive approach (Payne, 2006; Seufert, 2014). To maximize specific customer
segmentation, ModeX needs needs to an examination of how the marketing team currently
functions and what knowledge is required to move forward, increase profits, and grow its brand
(Sharma et al., 2018; Weinstein & Weinstein, 2004). The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of
ModeX determined the stakeholder goal of reaching additional consumers in the roommate
market. An important job function for the ModeX CMO is finding areas that can be targeted for
new growth (Benoy Joseph et al., 2001; Payne, 2006; Wind & Mahajan, 2001). If ModeX does
not achieve its performance goal, the organization will not see enough gains in this market
segment and suffer financially.
Stakeholder Performance Goals
Table 1
Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Performance Goals
Organizational Mission
ModeX’s mission is to bring buying-in-bulk shopping to the e-consumer.
Organizational Performance Goal
By July 2020, ModeX will increase its customer base 5% (1,000 customers).
Marketing Team Goal
Sourcing and Logistics
Team Goal Business Analytics Team Goal
By October 2019, the
Marketing Team will create
a new marketing initiative to
target their best core
customer to total customers
by 1,000 or 5%.
By November 2019,
Sourcing and Logistics
Team will provide
additional products to
entice the new target
segment.
By December 2019, the business
analytics team will give
additional guidance to the C-level
executive team as to how the new
marketing initiative is doing to
entice new customers.
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
17
Definition of Terms
Artificial Intelligence Marketing (AI Marketing): Emarsys defines artificial intelligence
marketing as “a method of leveraging data and AI concepts like machine learning to anticipate
your customer’s next move and improve the customer journey” (Tjepkema, n.d., n.p.).
Collaborative Filtering Models: Fulcrum Tech defines collaborative filtering models as
“an automatic recommendation process in which software analyzes customers’ profiles and
buying patterns, and offers suggestions for other products that customers may be interested in
purchasing” (FulcrumTech, 2016, n.p.).
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG): Defined as “goods that are bought for short-term
usage and replaced frequently, as food, cosmetics, and clothing, in contrast to goods bought for
long-term usage, as appliances, and furniture” (“Consumer Packaged Goods,” n.d.).
Cooperative Indirect Customer Marketing: Cooperative indirect customer marketing:
refers to joint marketing activities of a B2B supplier and its direct customers aimed at
indirect customers, thus combining elements of push and pull marketing. A supplier
engaging in this strategy steps out of the background and, together with the direct
customers, introduces itself and its product or brand to indirect customers. (Homburg et
al., 2014, p. 64)
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Qualtrics (n.d.) defines customer lifetime value as “the
total worth to a business of a customer over the whole period of their relationship. It’s an
important metric as it costs less to keep existing customers than it does to acquire new ones, so
increasing the value of your existing customers is a great way to drive growth” (n.p.).
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
18
Digital Marketing Channels: Digital marketing channels are defined as:
Internet systems that have the ability to simultaneously create, promote, and deliver value
from producers to consumers through digital networks. The most common and widely
used digital marketing channels . . . are divided into three domains: e-mail, social media
and search engine marketing (SEM). (Key, 2017, p. 27).
Multi-Touch Attribution: Marketing Evolution (n.d.) defines multi-touch attribution as “a
method of marketing measurement that evaluates the impact of each touchpoint in driving a
conversion, thereby determining the value of that specific touchpoint” (n.p.).
Predictive Marketing: Salesforce (n.d.a) defines predictive marketing as “marketing that
uses big data to develop accurate forecasts of future customer behavior. Predictive marketing
uses data science to accurately predict which marketing actions and strategies are the most likely
to succeed. Predictive intelligence drives marketing decisions” (n.p.).
Review of the Literature
The literature review examines factors that assist in determining the intent and buying
routine of e-consumers. The review begins with research on consumer shopping motivations,
product perceptions, and e-consumer buying patterns. The review then introduces research on
specific marketing and promotions tactics and their level of impact on consumer buying
practices. Next, the review shifts attention toward the influence marketing strategies have on
college-age consumers, followed by a breakdown of communication strategies. Finally, the
review presents a comprehensive examination of studies relating to the psychology of marketing
and the strategic segmentation of consumer groups. Following the general research literature,
the review turns to Clark and Estes’ (2008) Gap Analytic Conceptual Framework and
knowledge, motivation, and organizational (KMO) influences on ModeX.
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
19
Buying Behaviors of Consumers and E-commerce Marketing Strategy
Creating a marketing strategy involves making specific selections to comprise a plan or
initiative that prioritizes factors an organization believes its customers will respond to in the
affirmative (Anna, Cahyadi, & Yakin, 2018; Dumitrescu, Fuciu, & Gorski, 2018; Morgan,
Whitler, Feng, & Chari, 2018; Sanaei & Sobhani, 2018). E-commerce is a fast-paced,
progressive, and constantly changing environment. Marketing professionals must incorporate
the interests of customers and build brand relationships with each campaign initiative (Anderson,
2009; Freid & Freid, 1995). Customer relationships evolve, and it can be difficult for companies
to gauge loyalty and recurring sales based on past profits (Mpinganjira, 2014; Zhang & Wedel,
2009). Repetitious purchase patterns emerge when e-consumers utilize online social networks
via social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, but loyalty to all companies is not
guaranteed (Mpinganjira, 2014; Musonera & Weber, 2018). Inconsistent fidelity in e-commerce
allows newer companies to secure consumer attention. Tracking routine e-commerce buying
habits is how predictive marketing analytics can assist organizations in securing market segments
(Artun & Levin, 2015; Ratner & Ratner, 2012).
Audience-based buying (or highly targeted digital advertising) has made developing a
strategic marketing plan more difficult for those who want an instant consumer response
(Fulgoni, 2018; Rowley, 2001). Targeted advertising can be beneficial in the short-term but not
develop sustained sales increases (Fulgoni, 2018; Tkachenko, 2014). Data mining technology is
used to access specific consumer information to better target consumer segments (Akinkunmi,
2018; Ratner & Ratner, 2012; Wen-Yu, 2018). Finding ways to isolate pivotal buying
preferences (through artificial intelligence or paid social affiliates) is essential to creating
innovative e-commerce marketing strategies. Varying factors influence consumer buying,
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
20
including the retail environment, marketing, and communication strategy, and consumer
motivation (Arce-Urriza, Cebollada, & Tarira, 2017; Close, 2012). The following literature
uncovers the mental framework in which many shoppers make purchasing decisions, as well as
strategies organizations use, to target specific customer segments online.
E-tailers use specific data tracking tools to assist in creating successful marketing
strategies. Some of those include structured query language (SQL), urchin tracking modules
(UTM), key performance indicators (KPIs), Search Advertising, and Google Analytics (GA).
Many e-commerce businesses work with information technology to assess and implement
additional ways to track purchases and develop their internal systems to amplify the results of
campaign initiatives (Bakos, 1998; Everett, 2006). E-marketers look at developing predictive
models that have transformed the traditional sales funnel into a more liquid marketing strategy
(D’haen & Van Den Poel, 2013). The result is an output of data analytics on various platforms
(e.g., GA), that allow for a campaign to iterate and easily adjust its action plan to find gaps and
fix them in real-time (Weller & Calcott, 2012). Businesses utilize clustering models to identify a
deeper level of understanding and segmentation of customer lists (Deng, Patil, Najjar, Shi, &
Chen, 2014; FulcrumTech, 2016). E-tailers have also employed collaborative filtering models to
suggest products they believe consumers will enjoy (Deng et al., 2014; FulcrumTech, 2016).
Organizations that can find the right blend of automation and real-time engagement will
ultimately find better customer lifetime value (Maila & Stahlberg, 2014). To achieve
organizational goals, determining buying behaviors is essential, and providing
cyberinfrastructure to support marketing initiatives is crucial.
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
21
Virtual Retail Environment and Buying Experience
Buying habits are directly affected by the usability of the virtual retail environment and
the customer’s own preconceived belief about a brand (Massara, Liu, & Melara, 2010; Yuksel,
2004). Retail environments impact consumer purchasing practices through visual merchandising
(McIntyre, Melewar, & Dennis, 2016; Oser, 2005; Yaoyuneyong, Foster, & Flynn, 2014).
Understanding how a brand makes a customer feel can help or hinder a future sale. Consumers’
expectations are predetermined based on past shopping experiences and situational decision-
making experiences consumers encounter while shopping individually, with an e-commerce
virtual shopping assistant, or with friends or family (Chebat, Haj-Salem, & Oliveira, 2014; Chun
& Sumichrast, 2005; Gedeon & Rubin, 1999).
Purchasing Patterns and Transaction Intentions
Sales increase when businesses promote shopping with friends and family, whether in-
store or virtually shopping online (Chebat et al., 2014; Winterich, Mittal, & Swaminathan, 2014).
Customers place value in the advice of companions but choose shopping individually when
rejection is overwhelming (Merrilees & Miller, 2019). Habits can change over time, and social
status, peer pressure, product visibility, and distance to goods and services influence consumer
buying patterns (Büttner, Florack, & Göritz, 2013; Kim, Yang, Jung, Lee, & Ahn, 2019).
Consumers have enhanced online customer service including virtual shopping assistants, online
chats, and online visual merchandising (Yaoyuneyong et al., 2014). Purchasing patterns identify
consumers’ acceptance or rejection of peer influence and establish filtration through user-
generated and past-performance recommendations. Past buying behavior, product enthusiasm,
product endorser credibility, trust, risk, product usefulness and website ease of use can influence
E-COMMERCE MARKETING STRATEGIES
22
transaction intentions (Dachyar & Banjarnahor, 2017; Krishnakumar, 2018; Lim, Lee, & Kim,
2017; Quevedo-Silva et al., 2016).
Identifying transaction intentions relies heavily on data science (Hazen, Boone, Ezell, &
Jones-Farmer, 2014; Miller, 2014). Machine learning, including semisupervised learning, has
given businesses avenues to recommend products to consumers, while marketing intelligence can
provide businesses with the overall view of success or failure of marketing initiatives (Ballestar,
Grau-Carles, & Sainz, 2019; Harrison, 2011; Kalani, J., K., & Patil, 2016). Organizations must
understand that at its core is a North Star metric that needs to be driven home in each
communication with e-consumers (Ellis, 2017).
Traditional and New Media Marketing & Advertising
Traditional advertising (television, newspaper, radio, and mailings) in addition to new
media advertising methods (digital ads on social media applications, e-newsletters, web pop-up
ads) are employed by organizations to persuade, stimulate and encourage consumers to purchase
products and services (Bezjian-Avery, Calder, & Iacobucci, 1998; Dina, 2012; Huang, Su, Zhou,
& Liu., 2013; Kock, 2005; Notarantonio & Quigley, 2009). Companies utilize e-commerce
marketing and advertising methods to reach customer segments that predominantly make
purchasing decisions in person (Kuksov, Shachar, & Wang, 2013; Merad, Drap, Lufimpu-
Luviya, Iguernaissi, & Fertil, 2016).
Consumers identify with brand ethos and communicate their affiliation through
consumer-generated content displayed on social media platforms (Gutiérrez-Cillán, Camarero-
Izquierdo, & San José-Cabezudo, 2017). Traditional and new media customer contact methods
(e.g., telephone survey, print mailing, e-mail survey, promotional text message, e-mail
promotional offer, sponsored ad pop up), occur after point-of-purchase transactions to assess
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23
organizational performance, promote discounts and persuade repeat businesses (Grant, 2005;
Kepczyk, 2004; Pophal, 2015; Prashar et al., 2016). E-commerce shopping maintains many of
the same challenges that exist for physical retail locations, with the main one being customer
retention (Carnegie et al., 2008; Huang & Tsui, 2016). Marketing and advertising teams must
create sales and promotional strategies that will engage evolving markets and shine above and
beyond competitors’ offerings in both online and brick and mortar environments (Ballestar et al.,
2019).
While traditional marketing and advertising created data that allowed population
segmentation, now businesses are driven by the need of the consumer (Lim, Jin, & Srai, 2018).
Marketing and Advertising in new media include multi-touch attribution (Kannan, Reinartz, &
Verhoef, 2016). Businesses incorporate products on TV, print, radio, paid search, social media
platforms, telephone surveys, or mobile application pop-ups (Close, 2012). Finding ways to
influence consumers through conditioning of behavior is how new media advertising has
advanced through information technology, artificial intelligence, and predictive modeling
(Everett, 2006). The availability of information, as well as real-time reporting, makes the e-
marketer’s job function more efficient (Trappey, Trappey, Fan, & Lee, 2018). The quantity of
information can also hinder a marketing professional’s ability to decipher the importance of one
metric over another (Shanley, 2001; Tao & Rosa Yeh, 2003). Marketing professionals use the
methods mentioned above in new media marketing and advertising to seek out new segments and
build relationships online. How interactions take place and how organizations engage new target
markets are detailed in the following section.
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24
Online Customer Interaction
Online customer interaction includes disclosure of personal consumer information, virtual
assistants, navigation menus, pop-up advertisements, and visual merchandising (Ijaz, Tao, Rhee,
Kang, & Alfian, 2016; Kang, Park, & Liu, 2012; Lian & Yen, 2013). Companies with
responsive websites and live human support can increase online sales and retain consumer
attention for more extended periods (Andrew, 2010). To facilitate a comprehensive marketing
strategy, companies need access to consumer information. Businesses are reliant upon existing
customer data, outside data purchased from resource databases, and human intelligence that can
analyze and synthesize customer profiles (Ingle, Anglin, & Ishchenko, 2013).
E-tailers use customer relationship management tools like Salesforce and others to help
manage interactions with their consumer base and update campaigns through iterative practices
(Cottrell, 2011; Fjermestab & Romano, 2004; Thomas & Sullivan, 2005; Wenstrom, n.d.).
Associating digital marketing channels with specific consumer segments allows marketers to
send e-mail, targeted social media posts, and paid search affiliates to engage with customers
outside of their online platforms (Cottrell, 2011; Li, Kannan, Viswanathan, & Pani, 2016). Many
e-consumers are digital natives and have used the Internet to research, buy, and refer products to
friends and family. The world wide web has provided a way for e-commerce to serve as another
touchpoint in the multi-touch attribution e-marketers coordinate to increase sales (Kannan et al.,
2016; Li et al., 2016). Businesses begin online interactions with an authentic customer focus
(Keith, 1960). Identifying with the customer’s needs and wants is at the core of all online
engagement (Belk, Ger, & Askegaard, 2003; Tseng, 2010). Propensity models also assist
marketing professionals to facilitate successful interactions and integrate artificial intelligence, to
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keep businesses one step ahead in a customer’s journey (Chen, Yan, Fan, & Gordon, 2015;
FulcrumTech, 2016).
Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analysis Conceptual Framework
The Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analysis Framework was utilized to highlight the
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences within ModeX. Specific attention focused
on the marketing team and its ability to improve its performance in customer segmentation. By
identifying ModeX goals, assessing the marketing team’s knowledge, motivation, and
organizational influences, ModeX can adjust its internal processes and resources to address gaps
and implement solutions that can achieve its organizational goals.
Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences
Outlined in the following section are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influences as they pertain to the areas of e-commerce, consumer buying behavior, and the
ModeX marketing team’s ability to close the gap on an untapped customer segment, “the
roommate market.” Businesses need to devote themselves to investing in their workforce to
compete within the changing marketplace (Clark & Estes, 2008). Organizations need to look at
employees from an investment perspective and provide them with added knowledge, increased
motivation, and curated company culture to enhance the organization’s well-being, enhance
retention and bottom line (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Knowledge and Skills
General theory. Research indicates that understanding e-commerce consumers will
assist organizations in acquiring new customers, increasing sales, and honing strategies to target
digital natives (Arnaudovska, Bankston, Simurkova, & Budden, 2010; Bahk, Sheil, Rohm, &
Lin, 2010; Dillon & Reif, 2004; Ganesh et al., 2010; Hall & Parsons, 2001). An organization’s
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marketing and advertising departments must: identify target markets, narrow segment gaps,
create and implement strategies that efficiently activate, and engage audiences (Campo &
Breugelmans, 2015). Employees need to learn how to identify consumer behavior associated
with the acquisition of new market segments, which can impact the financial health of the
organization (Clark & Estes, 2008; D’haen & Van Den Poel, 2013). ModeX identified a gap in
online sales and have attributed this to a lack of knowledge in a viable customer segment — the
roommate market (Martinko, Harvey, & Dasborough, 2011). According to research, disruptive
innovation combined with a digital native market segment can be a catalyst for growth (Bahk et
al., 2010; Ganesh et al., 2010). The ability to acquire higher sales requires a knowledge of the
missing demographic for ModeX, and a motivation to capture and exploit this market
segmentation (Bilinska-Reformat & Stefanska, 2016; Lim et al., 2017; Schiffman, 2002).
The literature in this section focuses on knowledge-related influences that are key in
assisting ModeX to achieve its specified marketing goals as they relate to acquiring new
customers. The research is used as a guide for ModeX as it moves the organizational goals
forward by tapping an existing market to broaden its future customer base. Clark and Estes
(2008) highlight three influences: knowledge, motivational, and organizational. The following
knowledge influence section focuses on working toward closing the ModeX performance gap.
Knowledge Influences
To expand upon how best to move forward within ModeX, understanding the types of
knowledge influences to be addressed is appropriate. To discuss knowledge, Krathwohl’s (2002)
review of Bloom’s Taxonomy is helpful as it outlines knowledge types (i.e., Metacognitive,
Declarative, Factual, and Conceptual) and their structural dimensions. ModeX can explore the
four types listed above to find meaningful ways to achieve its goals. Metacognitive knowledge
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is “knowledge of cognition” or the thoughts one has and how they understand them by thinking
through them and becoming aware through understanding (Krathwohl, 2002). Procedural
knowledge is the way one goes about doing something or the steps one takes to accomplish a
task, while factual knowledge is the essential components of the required knowledge to
accomplish a task (Genovese, 2002; Krathwohl, 2002; Smith, 1994). Conceptual knowledge
differs in that it requires a link that allows the foundation of an idea, project, or task to be opened
up to a “relationship” (Krathwohl, 2002; Whitfield & Poole, 1997). Knowledge needed is
highlighted by an analysis through the lens of ModeX in the sections that follow.
The Marketing Team needs knowledge about what opportunities the roommate
market demographic prefers and utilizes most. The ability of a marketing team to decipher
what prior knowledge a consumer has is difficult. One may extrapolate the values of consumer
segments into similarly formed motivations for product purchases. If ModeX can build upon the
factual knowledge needed to understand how their website works and utilize previous purchasing
data to fuel promotions, then identifying segment motivations may be achieved (Mosunmola,
Adegbuyi, Kehinde, Agboola, & Olokundun, 2019). This influence may also highlight if the
marketing team has not profiled their customer segments accurately.
The Marketing Team needs knowledge about its e-commerce consumers’ marketing
segments. Utilizing conceptual knowledge will assist the marketing team in developing
protocols for future marketing campaigns. Targeting market segments through online
promotions is a risk because companies have seen customer churn because shoppers frequently
shift preferences based on sales and the best price instead of remaining loyal to the brand or
company (Arce-Urriza et al., 2017; Ganesh, Arnold, & Reynolds, 2000; Netigate, 2019).
Makgosa and Sangodoyin (2018) highlight that price-value consciousness was not a determining
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factor for young adults. ModeX has been prosperous in identifying customer engagement
behavior (CEB) of its core customer through the use of low prices, but the marketing team must
not solely rely on this tactic to convert the “roommate market” (van Doorn et al., 2010). The
marketing team must assess promotions they will create, channels, and how often they will
activate those promotions as well as what methods will measure success (Jadhav & Khanna,
2016; Subramaniam et al., 2000).
The Marketing Team needs knowledge about their effective marketing and
promotions strategies to find out what the e-commerce consumers are most responsive to.
To expand its market share, ModeX will need creative campaigns to entice the children of
ModeX’s core customer. The marketing team needs to learn the intricacies of the new digital
native customer mindset. Examining the core customer’s buying habits can facilitate some
insight into the shopping profile of the “roommate market” (“Improving insight,” 2015).
Understanding purchasing patterns of ModeX core customers, parents of college-age children,
can offer detailed information and triggers to increase customers and achieve the organization’s
goal. These relational insights highlight how useful conceptual knowledge can be when an
organization can mobilize knowledge into activated data. Additionally, interpreting previous
studies on this target market, including their bulk purchasing power, is spent on products other
than ModeX’s product offerings (i.e., books, fashion, and music), will add value to the marketing
team’s overall campaign strategy (Seock & Chen-Yu, 2007).
Motivation
In this section, literature specifically focused on motivation-related influences that could
assist ModeX with a guide to obtaining goals as in market segmentation and campaign strategy
development is discussed. Consumer behavior has been studied in various formats (Pavlou &
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29
Fygenson, 2006). In an e-commerce environment, the identifiers specific to buying practice,
technology adoption, intentionality, community connection while addressing user touchpoints,
(i.e., advances in technology through the use of m-commerce and augmented reality), are
essential to grow ModeX’s future market share (The Franklin Institute, 2017; Kulviwat, Thakur,
& Guo, 2006; Ranganathan, 2012; Seock & Norton, 2007; Swilley, Hofacker, & Lamont, 2012).
Below is detailed information outlining theories that may assist ModeX in working through
potential gaps in their market segmentation.
Eccles identified four elements of value, which include cost, attainment, intrinsic and
utility value (Akcaoglu, Rosenberg, Ranellucci, & Schwarz, 2018; Eccles, 2014; Wigfield &
Eccles, 2002). Attainment value is believing that personal achievement is met, while intrinsic
value relies upon one finding gratification by doing an activity (Wigfield & Eccles, 2002). Cost
equated to the ramifications of one’s actions, while utility value referred to the ability of an
exercise to identify with one’s goals (Galla, Amemiya, & Wang, 2018; Wang, 2012; Wigfield &
Eccles, 2002).
Self-efficacy: The Marketing Team needs to feel confident they can understand
consumers’ buying behavior. The marketing team needs to feel confident they can thoroughly
understand the pivotal reasoning behind buyer behavior in the e-commerce marketplace. ModeX
marketing professionals are expected to work from a starting point of authentic consumer
concern to create initiatives that find continuous value from customer engagement (Kennedy &
Laczniak, 2016). Enhancing one’s own belief in their ability to complete this function will spark
additional confidence as they complete future tasks (Ajzen, 1991; Rueda, 2011). If the e-
marketer believes they will be successful in creating a retention and revenue increasing initiative,
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the individual is more likely to be motivated with behavioral intention to achieve new
performance realization (Bandura, 1978; Cheng & Chu, 2014; Judge & Bono, 2001).
As a lesson for ModeX, it is essential to remember the organizational goal and strategy to
increase the number of customers by 5% must not overreach current objectives and maintain
customer satisfaction (Hennig-Thurau & Klee, 1997). ModeX can direct efforts toward
initiatives with a solid history of results by cultivating a sense of confidence rooted in the
marketing team’s ability to predict customer intentions and purchase patterns. When a company
decides to add additional customer segments, it may end up losing the segment that it already
had in its grasp (Williams, 2007). ModeX must embrace employee confidence to advance their
organizational goal (“The Increased Importance,” 2014).
Expectancy-value theory: The marketing team needs to value the usefulness to
themselves in increasing the number of customers. The expectancy-value theory is primarily
based on behaviors that are the result of prior decisions with singular value outcomes (Borders,
Earleywine, & Huey, 2004). Through the expectancy values brought forth by Wigfield and
Eccles (2002), one can also point to three factors that could ruin motivation via cost for an
organization: “perceived effort, loss of valued alternatives, and the psychological cost of failure”
(Flake, Barron, Hulleman, McCoach, & Welsh, 2015, p. 232).
Clark and Estes (2008) found motivation, learning, and performance are enhanced if a
person values the task. For ModeX, seeing the value in increasing the total number of customers
may be as essential to employee performance and the self-processes that assist the marketing
team’s comprehension of predictive marketing strategies (Berger & Kompan, 2019; Unrau et al.,
2018). Taking a step back to observe data points to decide what is most important may help
“reflect on the relevance or usefulness” of its marketing initiatives (Kale, 2018, p. 161).
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Identifying with the organization’s goals is a motivation element the marketing team must
accomplish. Self-efficacy theory suggests that an individual’s own perception of what they can
do influences their capacity to accomplish a task (Elias, Barney, & Bishop, 2013; Unrau et al.,
2018). The marketing team must create and complete campaign initiatives while also finding
usefulness in seeing the fulfillment of ModeX goals. The organizational goal should not be
merely an idea or incentive to increase customers, but an organizational mandate for the
company’s viability. Table 2 identifies two motivational influences that focus on self-efficacy
and expectancy-value theory. These influences will be used to more fully understand how
motivation affects the ability of employees to strategize on behalf of ModeX as it pertains to
motives in the secondary customer market segment.
ModeX’s ability to move forward with its marketing strategies may improve by working
through specific performance gaps noted in the knowledge and motivation influences (Tables 1
and 2). In creating a plan to increase its total number of customers by 5%, knowledge of the
organization must be broadened to include preferences and predictability of its customers and
outside e-commerce consumers. In exploring information from the aforementioned theories,
ModeX may derive ways to break down customer segment data profiles. Solidifying the overall
utility value and cost of seeking out a new market segment will impact the future of additional
marketing strategies.
Organization
General theory. Organizations have underpinnings: the needs and expectations of the
employees and management (Doh, Littell, & Quigley, 2015). Cultural models are considered the
core that binds the employee/employer relationship, a set of shared beliefs (Cameron & Quinn,
2006; Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001). The space one occupies while conducting business is
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considered a cultural setting that is a reflection of the organization’s values and mission (Penner,
2002). For example, when two individuals work on a project together, one can see how shared
life systems are displayed (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001). By investing in one’s relationship
with co-workers, management, and the organization’s overall goals, employees effectively adapt
to the way things work, or the cultural model of the organization (Gallimore & Goldenberg,
2001).
According to Angle and Perry (1983), the idea of commitment to an organization has
presented itself in two forms: the member-based model and the organization-based model. In the
member-based model, the employee’s behavior through their actions is where a relationship or
commitment originates. In the organization-based model, the employee responds to an
organization’s fulfillment of required resources by committing to the organization. Employees
through further observation may exude both model types of commitment. The organization has
challenges to increase its customer base, which makes the latter of the two models appear to be
the one currently employed.
Stakeholder-specific factors. The marketing team is highlighted in the following
section. The employees who make up this team and the culture within are possibly missing key
elements that will assist them in achieving the company’s overall financial goals. The
organizational culture within the data-focused marketing of e-commerce websites can improve
performance and effectiveness (Cameron & Quinn, 2006). Although marketing campaigns
involve creative elements, most are driven by data points that secure the desired results
(Schaefer, 2015). This quantitative use of data is the sort of knowledge-based change that can be
important for the development and success of an organization’s goals (Balthazard, Cooke, &
Potter, 2006).
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The gap in online sales can affect employee morale and motivation, which in turn can
change the makeup of the cultural setting. ModeX’s mission is to bring buying-in-bulk to the e-
consumer. As the organization moves through its knowledge and motivational influences, the
company must also address several organizational influences as well. In addition to learning
new skills, employees may also need to identify critical gaps in the internal structure that impede
the ability to implement new campaigns in their most useful format.
Businesses utilizing e-commerce are involved in a shared online space for e-consumers,
the high-tech cultural setting. In contrast to an e-consumer’s high-tech cultural setting, where
shared beliefs surround experience of e-shopping, the cultural ergonomics of the marketing team
can infuse an additional dimension into the cultural setting of a start-up workplace environment
(D’haen & Van Den Poel, 2013; Liao, Proctor, & Salvendy, 2009). Technology is shared over
time, to the extent that it gains traction within populations and companies find incentives (i.e.,
monetary) to invest in cyberinfrastructure to support marketing campaign initiatives (Parsons &
Cannell, 2010; Tao & Rosa Yeh, 2003; Tan & Mookerjee, 2005). ModeX’s marketing team can
address the performance gap by implementing campaigns that bring attention to their products
online. The organization’s long-term performance will see an increase in sales and continued
organizational commitment by providing marketing content that utilizes a multi-channel network
model (Gardner & Lehnert, 2016; Johnston, Parasuraman, Futrell, & Black, 1990; Varghese,
Edward, & Amma, 2015).
This process may benefit from dissecting the assumed organizational influences listed in
Table 2. Informal processes may influence and impair an organization’s ability to achieve its
goals (Harris, 1995). The assumed organizational influences listed in Table 2 highlight the
marketing team’s need for time to create, implement, and assess marketing campaigns, to better
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inform them of consumer needs and promotion effectiveness. Organizational influences are also
outlined as needing access to training modules for software used on the job and encouragement
to combat a feeling of being thrown in the deep end regarding lack of knowledge in data
analytics. The performance gap identified as a lack of new customers is an organizational barrier
that can be eliminated through future marketing and sales initiatives. For ModeX to fulfill its
overall goal of increasing customers by 5%, the company can enhance communication to inform
team members of resources available to them (see Table 2).
Table 2 outlines the organizational mission, organizational goal, and critical details that
assist in identifying knowledge, motivation, and organization types, influences, and how these
can be assessed in future studies. As Table 2 indicates, a focus on conceptual knowledge has
been utilized to take a more detailed look at ModeX.
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Table 2
Summary of Knowledge, Motivation, and Organization Influences, Types and Assessments for
Knowledge, Motivation and Organization Gap Analysis
Organizational Mission
ModeX’s mission is to bring buying-in-bulk shopping to the e-consumer.
Organizational Global Goal
By July 2020, ModeX will increase our customer base by overhauling our marketing campaign strategies.
Stakeholder Goal
By July 2020, the Marketing Team will target their best core customer to increase the number of customers by
1,000 or 5%.
Assumed Knowledge Influences Knowledge Influence Assessment
Conceptual: The Marketing Team needs knowledge about
what opportunities the roommate market demographic
prefers and utilizes most.
Interview: If you could put yourself in a customer’s
shoes, what promotions would you find most
attractive?
Conceptual: The Marketing Team needs knowledge about
its e-commerce consumer marketing segments.
Interview: Walk me through your process of
identifying a segment of the population you would
like to target in a specific marketing initiative.
Conceptual: The Marketing Team needs knowledge about
their effective marketing and promotions strategies to find
out what the e-commerce consumers are most responsive
to.
Interview: What tools do you use to measure a
marketing initiative’s success and how often are
you utilizing them?
Assumed Motivation Influences Motivation Influence Assessment
The marketing team needs to feel confident they can
understand customers’ buying behavior. (Self-Efficacy)
Interview item: What resources has your
organization provided to improve your marketing
strategies and how do they work?
The marketing team needs to value the usefulness to
themselves in increasing the number of customers.
(Expectancy-Value Theory)
Interview item: Tell me the value associated with
campaign strategy creation as it relates to increasing
total number of customers.
Assumed Organization Influences Organization Influence Assessment
Cultural Setting 1 Influence:
The organization needs to provide the Marketing Team
time to create, implement, assess and recommend updates
to campaigns for each engagement effort it employs.
Interview question to determine if marketing team
employees have this time allotted or if they feel as
though they need more time.
Cultural Setting 2 Influence:
The organization needs to provide the Marketing Team
with access to training modules for the software it utilizes
to manage projects and assess platform metrics.
Interview question to determine what resources are
provided to the marketing team to assist them in
completing their job functions.
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Interactive Conceptual Framework: Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational
Influences in E-commerce — Targeting Online Consumer Markets
The conceptual framework brings information together to guide research and assist in
developing research questions, methodological inquiry approach, and drive analysis after
participant data has been completed. Maxwell (2013) defines the conceptual framework as “the
system of concepts, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, and theories that supports and informs
your research” (p. 39). A research problem is the starting point that brings forth a question about
a topic that the researcher is curious to know more about (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Guiding
the research is a conceptual framework with several types of research and knowledge, including
experiential knowledge, theoretical research, empirical research, and thought experiments
(Maxwell, 2013). The researcher may elect to use these elements along with the research
identity memo, a reflection on how the researcher’s beliefs about the problem, to design the
study (Maxwell, 2013). The conceptual framework provides researchers the organizing
architecture that brings forth the core influencers (knowledge, motivational, and organizational
[KMO]) as detailed in the Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analysis. Benefits and limitations exist in
the research types mentioned above. These influencers are independent variables and act on the
stakeholder in different ways. However, they are all related and have a connection to the
organization’s overall goals. The following sections discuss how different types of research can
assist a study’s design. Visual representation is also a pivotal way to illustrate relationships
between knowledge, motivation, and organizational goals.
Biggs (2007) identifies experiential content as the material that can be distilled from a
moment or situation that can be the origination of knowledge. Hirano (2016) focuses on three
types of experiential knowledge, which include past experiential knowledge (PK), similar
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experiential knowledge (SK), and current discussed knowledge (CDK). While the utilization of
PK identifies a broad swath of knowledge, CDK is more specific, and SK highlights the case-by-
case reasoning that mirrors knowledge already gained from outside entities (Hirano, 2016).
Experiential knowledge is the knowledge one gains through experience, or as Gupta (2006)
identified, the way a person’s experiences affect the related responses. Gupta’s experiential
knowledge has been interpreted as the dominant influence on theoretical knowledge
(Demopoulos, 2011). Research studies can be grounded by advancing knowledge ascertained
from theories previously studied.
According to Stepin (2005), theoretical knowledge is a system that evolves to connect
intra and interdisciplinary associations. An additional method of research includes thought
experiments or visual representations done by way of imagination (Brown, 2014; Kertész, 2014).
The challenge of a thought experiment is overcoming the notion that empirical knowledge may
only be derived from collected empirical data without the use of prior experience or knowledge
(Kertész, 2014). Using empirical research, or data obtained through direct experience or
observation in a specified field may have benefits for the researcher conducting a qualitative
study (Harcup, 2005). Each of the above research methods incorporates ways in which this
study can highlight theory, prior knowledge, and experience. The conceptual framework in
Figure 1 integrates theoretical concepts regarding stakeholder e-commerce buying behavior,
thought experiments based on future advertising campaigns, and experiential knowledge of the
organization’s best core customers’ previous buying patterns (Gedeon & Rubin, 1999).
To address knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences, Figure 1 has been
created to draw a path for the stakeholder and organization to achieve the organizational goal.
The goal must correspond to the needs of the stakeholder, and the organization must create a
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38
step-by-step structure to assist employees in making the target for annual revenue increases (Wu,
Ding, & Luo, 2014).
Figure 1 outlines how organizational goals are impacted by knowledge, motivation, and
organizational influences. The marketing team’s conceptual knowledge influences have arrows
pointing to and from the organization. The interconnectivity is due to the organization’s need for
the buying behavior of the e-commerce consumer market segment and the primary message
needed to incentivize their purchases. The marketing team’s motivational influences include
expectancy-value and self-efficacy. These influences have an arrow interconnected with the
organization. ModeX needs to see the long-term value in secondary market campaign strategies.
See Figure 1 for a demonstration of how each of the knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influences connect to the stakeholder goal and organization’s mission.
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39
Figure 1. Interactive conceptual framework: Knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influences in e-commerce — targeting online consumer markets.
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Data Collection and Instrumentation
This study employed descriptive research questions to evaluate knowledge, motivation,
and organizational influences impacting the performance gap identified in ModeX’s e-commerce
market segments. Interviews have been chosen to gain a better perspective of the inner workings
of ModeX as it pertains to their goal of obtaining a larger customer base (Patton, 2002). The
study accessed ModeX’s internal marketing processes by employing a single-stage sampling
design highlighting a non-probability sampling strategy (McEwan & McEwan, 2003). Executing
a singular research design included data collection from participants, scrutiny of the data, and
analysis to find the meaning of the study’s results (Creswell, 2014). The use of open-ended
questions via qualitative research assisted in focusing on the meaning and organizing developing
themes (Creswell, 2014).
Qualitative research was utilized, and telephone interviews were conducted with a sample
of 12 ModeX employees for the convenience of ModeX employees. Interviews were used to
gather data because the one-on-one nature of a conversation can provide participants with an
open dialogue to discuss the research topic (Creswell, 2014; McEwan & McEwan, 2003). In this
scenario, the researcher was the “key instrument,” and interviewee responses help to make
“meaning” to the research topic (Creswell, 2014, p. 183). According to McEwan and McEwan
(2003), utilizing qualitative research decreases the chances of a researcher reaching false
conclusions because the research is grounded in analyzing evidence such as interviews, behavior
observation (e.g., fast or slow speech, long pauses during reflection upon answers or indifference
or non-answers to follow up questions), and auditing of documents.
Qualitative methods of research informed the research questions by examining
employees’ creation and implementation of strategies, identify marketing campaign
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41
effectiveness, areas of employee job satisfaction, and more. Interviews helped to answer
research questions specific to how college-age e-consumers receive incentive-based influence,
identify purchase motivations, and how marketers determine the ways they choose to engage this
demographic (McEwan & McEwan, 2003).
The research design and rationale for selecting qualitative research provided information
on employee knowledge, strategy creation, campaign structuring, implementation, and analysis.
The interviews also revealed details on employee data collection used to inform organizational
goals such as customer buying behavior, purchase intentions, and motivations of the “roommate
market.” The study incorporated three phases in its exploratory design: Interviews and
triangulation through document analysis and audiovisual digital materials analysis.
Interviews
Phase 1 focused on interviewing ModeX employees that met the three criteria identified
in the sampling protocol. The marketing team was the sample majority as they are the
stakeholder group of focus and a sample of convenience. Interviews assisted in understanding
organizational elements that create marketing campaigns, their deployment, and how often and to
what extent they are altered depending on their success rate.
Interviews assisted in answering Research question #2: What are the knowledge,
motivation, and organizational influences related to achieving the organizational goal? By
highlighting direct quotes from interview participants, the study analysis details grouped themes
that bring forth influences of the workplace environment, resources, and understanding of
knowledge by employees at ModeX (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
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Documents
Phase 2 of the study included the collection and examination of organizational
documents. Data contained were: reports detailing specific marketing campaigns currently in
progress, previous campaign plans, and outlines of plans, if any. A report from an outside
consulting agency and internal documents were identified, examined, and synthesized within the
context of the interviews collected in the analysis portion of this dissertation.
Delving more in-depth the document analysis assisted in answering Research Question
#1: To what extent is the ModeX Marketing Team meeting its goal of increasing the customer
base by 5%? Inductive and deductive analysis of participant interviews also provided insight
into the resources available to employees and what recommendations employees have regarding
improving their current marketing practices (Creswell, 2014).
Audiovisual Digital Materials
Through audiovisual digital material analysis, the research examined types of campaign
messaging, internal reporting on market segmentation, and what organizational goals have been
identified and how the company plans to reach them. By “measuring the frequency and variety
of messages,” the audiovisual digital material analysis will identify vital terminology used in
campaign initiatives, the overarching promotions framework, and triangulate data to either
confirm or refute potential knowledge influences (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016, p. 179). Qualitative
data analysis of interviews with ModeX employees and organizational documents assisted in
answering both research questions as well. All three phases (interviews, document analysis, and
audiovisual digital material analysis) assisted in providing insightful information into ModeX’s
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences and helped to triangulate data to guide the
researcher in recommendations and solutions for future ModeX growth strategies.
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Data Analysis Methodology
Five phases were completed during the data collection and analysis portion of the study:
1. Interviews were conducted with four of the five participants via telephone and
consisted of an average of 30 minutes per interview. One of the participants
submitted responses to the interview questions via email.
2. Interviews were transcribed using Rev.com.
3. Interview transcription was cleaned for accuracy by the researcher. Notes were taken
during the interviews by the researcher, and analytic memos were created to identify
missing or misinterpreted data following the transcription phase.
4. The qualitative interviews were then coded, first using an open empirical notation via
Microsoft Word, highlighting significant portions of participant responses, key
phrasing, and identifying marketing terminology that was unfamiliar to the
researcher.
5. The next phase then moved through the data for an axial coding process to identify
patterns and, ultimately, themes that would emerge to be analyzed to formulate direct
assertions and findings. Some examples of the axial analytic codes included keyword
cohort frequency and the use of the + and – symbols for identifying participants who
utilized themes like data science+, or data science-, confidence+, confidence-.
Findings
Guiding the evaluation study were two research questions that addressed knowledge,
skills, motivation and organizational influences for the selected stakeholder, the ModeX
Marketing Team:
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1. To what extent is the ModeX Marketing Team meeting its goal of increasing the
customer base by 5%?
2. Research question #2: What are the knowledge, motivation and organizational
influences related to achieving the organizational goal?
To help answer these research questions, the study incorporated interviews with ModeX
employees, whose responses indicated an extensive knowledge of the marketing initiatives
developed and executed by the ModeX marketing team. A total of five study participants
included two executive management team members and three members of the marketing team.
Their pseudonyms are G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5. Collectively, the team has over 30 years of
experience in the field of sales and marketing that includes work for large corporate entities and
ad agencies. This small, but purposeful sample, was due to the small nature of the company,
employee availability during the study’s data gathering time frame, and a minimal number of
employees who fit the study’s protocol. To maintain confidentiality, no personal demographics
information (i.e., age, race, ethnicity, position title, relationship) will be identified. The
researcher does not work for ModeX. In Appendix A, the Participating Stakeholders with
Sampling Criteria for Interview and Interview Recruitment Strategy and Rationale are defined.
Table 3 is an overview of the study participants’ profiles. The number of employees at
ModeX as compared to the number of employees at each employee’s previous employer is
significant and has been indicated as a new organizational influence detailed later in the
organizational findings section.
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Table 3
Study Participant Profiles
Pseudonym
Marketing
Team
Executive
Team
Years
Employed at
ModeX
Number of
Employees at
Previous
Employer
Number of
Employees at
ModeX
G1 X 2 65,000 250
G2 X 2 50,000
G3 X 4.5 1,200
G4 X 1 65,000
G5 X 1 65,000
Utilizing the Corbin and Strauss (2008) analytic tools, such as honing in on specific
language used by the marketing team and the use of questioning, data was collected and
triangulated to assess convergent validation with additional materials provided by the marketing
team to conduct further analysis (Fielding, 2012). Documents and audiovisual digital materials
were also analyzed and included internal ModeX strategic planning documents: ModeX
Marketing Brief with example “ModeX Campaign Halloween” from September 2018 and
ModeX Segmentation Analysis 2017 as well as external digital e-mail messages: 30 ModeX e-
mail campaign communications delivered via ESP to consumers between 11/2018 and 06/2019.
Knowledge Influences Results and Findings
Four categories of knowledge influences were examined in this study through the lens of
procedural and interpretive knowledge. Procedural knowledge, the steps one takes to accomplish
a task, is identified in the study findings by three distinct ModeX knowledge areas (Genovese,
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2002; Krathwohl, 2002; Smith, 1994). Procedural knowledge is the knowledge of how to create,
implement, alter, and edit marketing initiatives. Procedural knowledge is the knowledge of how
to collect marketing data. Procedural knowledge is the knowledge of how to identify a target
marketing segment. Interpretive knowledge is the knowledge of how to analyze sales and
marketing data (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Interviews provided evidence of procedural knowledge of how to set digital goals and
edit a marketing initiative. Study participants identified tools that measure the success of a
campaign initiative but were clear about their limited knowledge of all tools and their
capabilities. While the study participants provided procedural knowledge examples of how
attribution is determined, participants were not unanimous on the weight of the last click as part
of the many customer touchpoints before final product purchase. The interactive processes that
guide ModeX have created a workflow of interlinked departments (Clark & Estes, 2008). The
information shared via project management tools lacks human interaction to become more
efficient in its efforts to save time and money. The team’s process has become a version of
“automated expertise,” which may be considered efficient, but it may also hinder learning
through knowledge sharing (Clark & Estes, 2008, p. 74).
Knowledge of demographic buying preferences.
The Marketing Team needs knowledge about what opportunities the roommate market
demographic prefers and utilizes most. Finding #1: The results and findings of this study
indicated that 100% of the participants need to learn more about specific demographic behavior.
Interviews showed evidence of study participants’ lack of demographic behavior
knowledge needed to accomplish increasing ModeX’s number of customers. Study participants
identified a broad knowledge of customer preferences but lacked the required specificity to target
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the roommate market decisively. The vast knowledge articulated by study participants included
incentives, promotions, discounts, and free merchandise to encourage customers to purchase
products. While the deal or incentive offered through a marketing initiative may be worded very
whimsically, it is rooted in data and prior research and initiative learnings (Everett, 2006;
Leventhal, 2006). Data inclusions in each marketing brief are essential, but the knowledge
needed to continuously and correctly identify segment preferences needs to be continually
updated as buyer likes/dislikes evolve (Allred, Smith, & Swinyard, 2006).
When discussing promotions, 100% of the study participants acknowledged that
customers want to buy things at a discount, and incentives like price reduction or free giveaways
may increase loyalty. All participants believed promotions entice consumers, but more
knowledge about demographic preferences is needed because study participants identified
different ideas regarding which approach works best (e.g., discount, brand collaboration, friend
recommendation, etc.). All study participants stated the initial hook for a customer to engage
with ModeX was most often because of product price point. According to participant G4, “the
absolute bare minimum and what’s most often the most attractive is the first order offer.”
ModeX offers promotional discount codes, but participant G1 indicated that “the trust I have
with [a] brand and how people I trust, know, believe or think about it” is how a customer’s
lifetime value is increased. According to George (2004), the Internet and the trustworthiness
customers feel when utilizing it, plays a significant part in the “willingness” to purchase products
(p. 201). Participant G2 also echoed the trust factor when elevating the customer’s brand loyalty.
G2 stated:
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I always thought about how can we have partners that give a stamp of approval, because
when I put myself into the customer’s shoes, I’m like, “Who is this company?, and why
do I trust them to just send me food?”
ModeX marketing team members expressed a level of trust and trigger points around product
pricing that help to initiate consumer purchases but did not identify specifics for their targeted
market segment, the roommate market.
Consumer loyalty is not always dictated by providing the customer with a discount
(Mathies & Gudergan, 2012). Knowledge regarding the connection the new market sees toward
ModeX product lines can assist marketing team members in providing a more meaningful
connection to the ModeX brand. Participant G5 highlighted the personal connection consumers
have with brands and how loyalty to a brand is a value they see over time. G5 stated, “I think
dollar value is always going to win.” Reward points incentivizing loyalty were also notable
standouts for G5 when assessing a customer’s spending patterns.
Document analysis and audiovisual digital material analysis were conducted to
triangulate the qualitative data (Fielding, 2012; Moran-Ellis et al., 2006). Document analysis
consisted of inspecting the marketing brief template used for the ModeX Halloween 2018
campaign and the ModeX Segmentation Report 2017. The audiovisual digital material analysis
included 30 e-mail campaign messages. Findings from e-mail campaign messages identified a
core campaign directive, the concept of “free.” Message content offered specificity into when
ModeX core customers are most likely to view discount offers. Seventy-seven percent of the
messages were delivered to ModeX core customer e-mail addresses between the hours of 9 pm
and 12 am between 11/2018 and 6/2019. See Figure 2 for additional details.
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Figure 2. Summary of ModeX email message delivery times.
Data also showed the frequency of key terminology disseminated to core customers,
including “free,” “freebie,” “deal,” “limited time,” “appreciation,” “thanks,” “don’t run out,” and
“save.” Sixty percent of the messages sent via ModeX e-mail marketing identified a discount
offer with keywords as previously described. Seventy-three percent of the messages sent via
ModeX e-mail marketing identified 10–25% discount offers on products.
To identify the core customer profile, ModeX utilizes learnings from prior campaign
initiatives and applies those learnings to each marketing brief that they create. Analysis of the
ModeX Halloween 2018 Marketing Brief template identified several important messaging
drivers. The procedural knowledge of how to develop and implement the marketing brief, as
well as identification of the stakeholder and editing process is evident in the qualitative
interviews conducted. Table 4 outlines critical inclusions to the marketing brief and includes a
campaign overview, timing, objectives, and audience. What is not indicated through the
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
6:59am
8:59pm
9:59pm
10:59pm
11:59pm
Morning Evening
Number of Messages
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interviews is the behavior of new segments that ModeX would like to target. The marketing
brief offers a summary of key takeaways from past campaign initiatives for coordinating
departments to review but does not specify behavior intentions and actions of untapped
marketing segments.
Table 4
Summary of ModeX Marketing Brief Template Inclusions
Sections Context
Campaign Overview Tiers 1, 2, 3
Timing Launch & End Dates
Objective Ex. Driving orders & revenue
Audience Acquisition, Activation, Retention
Promotion, Giveaway, Sale Details Audience, Offer Dates, Offer, Items &
Disclaimers
Insight & Strategy
Prior Learnings & Optimizations Key takeaways from surveys, research & top
search terms
Past Campaign Takeaways Retention, Acquisition & Visuals
Featured Products & Deliverables
Campaign Deliverable Timeline Launch Date, Channel Placement, Type,
Audience, Messaging Strategy, Expected Orders
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The ModeX Marketing Brief Template offers an organized way for marketing team
members to pinpoint highs and lows by detailing insight and strategy. The campaign deliverable
timeline also includes advertising purchases and channel placement, the messaging content
strategy, and what ModeX expects as a rate of return through their expected orders metric.
New market behavioral habits and purchase preferences are not provided in the data from
qualitative interviews with ModeX employees, nor are they outlined in the marketing brief.
Demographic behavior for the core customer is clearly articulated by study participants.
Interview responses, like G5’s, make it clear that the priority for the ModeX marketing team is
the ModeX core customer. G5 provided an example by detailing the ModeX best customer as a
“suburban mom.” The ability for ModeX to needle their way into the purchasing patterns of this
core customer’s children will assist ModeX in reaching its goal of increasing its customer base
by 5% by July of 2020. G5 specifies the need to target their core customer first because “they’re
the ones with the wallets and the care to spend money on paper towels and food rather than
partying.” The evidence suggests that there is a significant need for more information about “the
roommate market” to create successful initiatives for this new segment and additional revenue
for ModeX.
Knowledge of marketing segmentation.
The Marketing Team needs knowledge about its e-commerce consumer marketing
segments. Finding #2: The results and findings of this study indicated that 100% of the
marketing team need more conceptual knowledge about the buying patterns and habits of their
targeted customers.
Interviews provided evidence of study participants’ lack of knowledge of the online
buying patterns of ModeX’s target customers. While ModeX is clear about the products
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purchased from the company as a whole, the knowledge of purchase patterns of targeted
customers is a not consistent value known to the marketing team. To identify e-commerce
marketing segments and purchase patterns, the marketing team utilizes both internal and external
metrics provided by social networking platforms, internal dashboards, and data science team
queries. The participants identified tools used for measurement specific to their role in the
marketing team and more broadly within the organization. Each had a specific go-to tool that
assisted them in their daily functions, and all identified “analytics” as necessary to secure the
best KPIs for a marketing initiative’s success. All of the study’s participants also identified the
internal data science team as core support for aggregating data from online channels and
platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest and internal data collected from
customer purchase patterns. Organizations also utilize gross merchandise volume (GMV) to
determine how to measure each initiative’s share of the topline metric for the organization. This
metric is what the ModeX Executive Team uses to gauge if they are meeting their goal of
increasing their customer base by 5% (Research Question #1). This metric is not definitive as it
is complicated by the attribution model adjusted by the data science team throughout the
lifecycle of each marketing initiative.
Specific measurement technology used by study participants to assist with their daily
tasks included artificial intelligence (AI), Google Analytics (GA), which G1 referred to as a data
visualization tool, Urchin Tracking Modules (UTM), SQL for querying data and Periscope.
Additional outside measurement tools were also incorporated through specific channel metrics
on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others. Participant G4 provided an example of the
breakdown for ModeX data measurement:
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The way I approach measurement is like a triangulation of as many data points that I
could possibly get. I look at what’s going on in each of those platforms now, for
example, Facebook. How much we’ve spent, how may impressions we got, the click that
happened, if anyone’s engaging with our app, and what that looks like just from the
Facebook perspective. Then on the other end of it, it’s qualifying all the actual platform
behavior that we see, like if someone clicks, did they actually go and spend time on the
site? Did they actually do anything other than hit the homepage and go away? Did they
add anything to their cart? Did they make a purchase? We can do things like that. Then
we look at our attribution model, which basically helps us evaluate all of our channels
together.
Participants may easily command measuring tools incorporated into a platform like Facebook
because of the nature of use in data mining by many marketing professionals (Kavoura, Sakas, &
Tomaras, 2017). Participant G5 acknowledged that Periscope was a program that was not used
in a previous position and a resource that needed to be learned. The application requires
“everything to be coded on the backend,” stated G5, and the need to add more knowledge of the
query system, analytics, how to code, and what data to look for during analysis.
G5’s example provides evidence of a knowledge gap that may be remedied through skill
enhancement by way of education and training (Clark & Estes, 2008). Participant G3 also
provided an example of the lack of knowledge in analytics and the need to gain experience with
“building out a lifecycle campaign and customer spend models.” The connection between the
use of analytic tools and the ability for rapid or real-time change in marketing campaign strategy
are knowledge fundamentals in developing online engagement techniques and exploring how
“knowledge fusion” can help companies achieve e-commerce prosperity (Rackley, 2015; Xu,
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Frankwick, & Ramirez, 2016, p. 1564). G3 wanted to gain further skills to diagnose the specific
moment where ModeX should be allocating more of their budget to a pivotal decision-making
point on the customer journey and assess CLV with more accuracy. Providing marketing team
members with additional training may fill this knowledge gap (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Knowledge of attribution.
The Marketing Team needs knowledge about their effective marketing and promotions
strategies to find out what the e-commerce consumers are most responsive to. Finding #3: The
results and findings of this study indicated that 80% of the marketing team need to learn more
about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to marketing and promotion strategies.
Interviews provided evidence of study participants’ lack of knowledge in campaign
promotion strategies that are effective with the ModeX target market. The knowledge the study
participants held in previous positions and the on-the-job functions in current roles at ModeX
have not given them enough knowledge needed to perform data querying and data analytics
analysis at the level required to find successful goal outcomes.
The advancement of e-commerce technology and predictive marketing has allowed data
scientists to develop their backend that can attribute online purchases to specific customer data
within the consumer purchase process (Artun & Levin, 2015). ModeX has its own internal data
science team to facilitate the backend coding. While 100% of the participants identified
analytics as necessary, three participants, G3, G4, and G5, highlighted discrepancies in who
deserves the credit or attribution for a purchase once the data had been collected. Eighty percent
of the study participants are not confident that they can identify attribution for consumer
purchases. There are many touchpoints consumers have throughout the purchase process.
Through multi-touch attribution (MTA), a consumer’s journey can be swayed positively or
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negatively to buy a product (Kannan et al., 2016). The “last click” is an important data point for
the marketing team but is not always what participants G3 and G4 called “sources of truth.”
Participant G4 indicated this by stating:
For example, Facebook, Google, your affiliate program . . . all of those platforms have
metrics, but they will count orders based [on] last-click attributions. Because people
don’t live in a vacuum and they probably see an ad and think, “Huh, that’s nice,” and
don’t do anything because they have never heard of ModeX before. They might see an
ad on Facebook three weeks later, think about it again, don’t action on it. And then
eventually, see some promo on Ebates, and that’s what gets them to make a purchase.
Ebates would get the credit if you were just going off of last-click.
The marketing team has access to first-party data because of the internal system built out by their
IT department and data science team. The information obtained through this system is
invaluable to their marketing initiatives, but the correct process for interpreting the data may be
an industry-wide problem due to the skepticism articulated by G3 and G4 as to attribution.
Participant G3 acknowledged, “I am not, by any means, an expert on attribution. It’s a whole
skillset in and of itself. It’s a combination, an art, and a science and ties up whole things
directionally and then take learnings from there.” Understanding the true nature of a sale based
on first-party data and aggregated data from online platforms is essential to creating successful
marketing initiatives (Rackley, 2015).
The ModeX marketing team needs knowledge of demographic buying preferences,
marketing segmentation, and attribution to be able to accurately and more definitively assess
consumer behavior and increase their target market by 5% by the July 2020 goal. Study
participants acknowledge their lack of knowledge in interpreting analytics, inability to use the
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full scale of measuring tools, and imprecise attribution of exact purchase points and promotions
to entice their targeted customer. The marketing team has also identified motivation and
performance confidence influences that are discussed in the next section of results and findings.
Motivation and Performance Confidence Results and Findings
Four themes were gleaned from participant interviews as they pertain to motivational
influences: mapping marketing strategies, performance confidence, customer lifetime value, and
cultural settings and models. ModeX study participants exude a team-based organizational
attitude and provided examples of where their strengths lie and highlighted motivational gaps
and weaknesses as well.
From the perspective of study participant G2, because increased sales are an end goal,
mapping a marketing strategy becomes much more than merely identifying a target market based
on data science and internal measurements for successful campaign initiatives. The concern
becomes a motivational metric of “performance confidence” seen through the eyes of the team
members’ ability to understand the goal, act on the goal, and obtain the goal. Research indicates
four factors for increasing motivation: “personal and team confidence, beliefs about
organizational and environmental barriers to achieving goals, the emotional climate people
experience in their work environments, and the personal and team values for their performance
goals” (Clark & Estes, 2008, p. 90).
Performance confidence.
The Marketing Team needs to feel confident they can understand customers’ buying
behavior. Finding #4: Approximately 60% of study participants are not confident that they can
understand the buying behavior demonstrated through online purchasing patterns of consumers.
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Interviews showed evidence of study participants’ lack of confidence in understanding
consumer buying behavior. The confidence level in each marketing team member may be
different based on their experience with cross-referencing data and determining what they
believe is the real persona of the customer. For ModeX marketing team members, having high
confidence in this determination may be difficult. Dichter (2008) indicates “that many of our
daily decisions are governed by motivations over which we have no control and of which we are
often quite unaware” (p. 14). G4 described a need to have a better “understanding of data finds a
little better and how to model out performance.” G5 echoed this sentiment regarding campaign
performance confidence as they indicated, “Sometimes they are really short campaigns, and they
completely flop. They’re good, but we could improve somewhere.” In these examples, study
participants do not express the self-efficacy needed to produce positive consumer retention.
Increasing individual belief in decision making surrounding content messaging for marketing
campaigns may ignite a sense of confidence for future ModeX marketing initiative iterations
(Ajzen, 1991; Rueda, 2011). Striving to achieve the best possible guesstimate assisted by data to
determine who a customer is, and their shopping motivations may be the closest the team can get
to achieving success without actually speaking to each customer regularly to ask why they
purchased each item.
New motivation influence: The marketing team needs to feel confident they can
understand the internal data science reports that assist in predictive marketing strategy
creation, implementation, and analysis. Finding #5: Approximately 80% of marketing team
members are not confident that they are able to identify attribution for consumer purchases.
Interviews showed evidence of study participants’ lack of confidence in attributing
consumer purchase data points. Although the marketing team is provided with data analytics to
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assist them in creating the brief and implementing an initiative, having confidence that a
marketing initiative will result in success was deemed “50/50” by study participant G3. When
describing the ModeX target market, G5 discussed the potential in targeting a different segment
of the population in rural areas. G5 stated, “I also have a hunch about targeting a slightly older
population too.” Participant G2 indicated, “it is impossible to know everything about every
product.” The marketing team’s knowledge of ModeX products may hinder their confidence in
determining their effectiveness when creating messaging to sell their brand and product line.
Sixty percent of study participants identified other individuals that were more
knowledgeable in other areas during their interviews. For example, G3 stated:
I would suggest is that you push hard on this particular question with G4 because I’ll talk
you through it right now, but G4 is a channel owner. I used to be earlier on, but I’m not
like in the leads every day.
Putting forth the wrong strategies may be a persistent issue in ModeX achieving or not achieving
their goals (Clark & Estes, 2008). If the ModeX marketing team is consistently underperforming
with less than on-target marketing strategies, the self-efficacy of the individual may be reduced
based on their perceived competence (Elias et al., 2013; Unrau et al., 2018). Motivation and
performance confidence or underconfidence can be a barrier to achieving the organization’s
goals.
The “halo effect” was indicated by participant G3 when discussing consumers’ affinity
toward a brand and their products. The ability of the marketing team to have confidence in their
recommendations for initiatives and iterations of initiatives is affected by their confidence in
consumers liking additional products after having a pleasant experience with their first ModeX
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purchase. Participant G3 indicated the North Star Metric (NSM) as an important indicator in
determining the makeup of the segment the marketing team is looking to attract.
So, what it is, it is a North Star for the creative team, and marketing team or the product
team. Particularly the product design team, [and] the merchandising team. What it is
not; it is not purely a targeting tool or tactic. It’s kind of cross-referencing your customer
personas and North Stars from segmenting out your actual CRM and how you message
individuals. The objective is getting them to place another order.
The ModeX marketing team’s bottom line is securing the next sale. By analyzing brand affinity,
campaigns aim to influence future purchase intentions by introducing new products after a
consumer’s first purchase. Training may assist in boosting confidence to select the correct
products to accurately predict behavior from analytic reports.
To triangulate the data, a document review of the ModeX Segmentation 2017 report was
performed. ModeX hired an outside consulting company to “identify [ModeX’s] most promising
current and potential customers and understand what motivates them to shop” via ModeX.
Using a sample of nearly 7,000 marketplace interviews and 6,400 ModeX customer interviews,
the segments were broken down into five main categories, A, B, C, D, and E. The segmentation
identified the values and drivers for each portion in addition to profiling each segment into
average age, percentage with children, average household income, location in the US and the
amount the customer spent over the last six months. Key metrics included the prime channels
used by each segment (e.g., movies, online photos, games, shopping sites, Internet radio, social
media, and sports). The data provided is a snapshot in time, and this is why the marketing team
needs additional confidence regarding understanding buyer behavior. The marketing team can
only utilize selective data from this report because consumers evolve and the next purchase an e-
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consumer makes is likely via their desires that may not be predictable or explained (Babin,
Darden, & Griffin, 1994; Belk et al., 2003; Drucker, 1973; Kim & Kim, 2008; Lowrie, 2018).
Knowing that buying behaviors change, it is difficult to see the value in motivating oneself to
keep up with consumer buying trends. Utilizing expectancy-value, ModeX marketing team
members must rely on self-determination and inner motivation to fully obtain the organization’s
goal (Wigfield & Eccles, 2002).
Customer lifetime value.
The Marketing Team needs to value the usefulness to themselves in increasing the
number of customers. Finding #6: Approximately 80% of marketing team members do not
value the usefulness of increasing the overall number of consumers at ModeX.
Interviews showed evidence that study participants lack value in the usefulness they see
in how they work to increase ModeX customers. Four of the five study participants indicated
customer lifetime value, “the total worth a consumer has to a business,” as key to maintaining
core customers and predicting how the customer will behave at checkout (Qualtrics, n.d.). When
discussing increasing the number of customers, the key talking point for study participants
became loyalty and conditioning human behavior as determining factors for customer retention.
No indication by study participants addressed a motivation to increase the number of customers
from a personal standpoint, only regard for incentives, discounts and, the best deal possible to
entice consumers to purchase ModeX products.
Identifying quality customers may increase the confidence level for marketing team
members and simultaneously increase ModeX sales volume. E-commerce customer conversion
rate is low; however, each conversion attributed to marketing initiative messaging can solidify
the approach taken by the marketing team and influence confidence for future iterations (Overby
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& Lee, 2006; Panagiotelis et al., 2013; Saleh & Ayat, 2011). Customer conversion data through
the ModeX online platform and/or outside third-party platforms for their private-label brand may
also identify core purchase patterns and loyalty-driven purchases from core consumers. G2
emphasized that obtaining the highest customer value is never perfect with the first touchpoint.
G2 stated, “very rarely do you get any kind of relationship right on the first go, but setting a tone
for that relationship so that you can continue to optimize over time” is necessary. G5 provided
an example of this by stating:
It’s great if we can get 100 million people onto our platform, but are they going to have a
good experience? And are they going to stay around? So, the long-term value is
something that’s always at the forefront of my mind.
Building relationships with consumers is paramount for the ModeX marketing team, but the
constant impediment to shoring up brand loyalty is buying behavior uncertainty. The ability to
convert customers, drive long-term value, and retain core customers can only be as useful as the
marketing team members believe it can be (Wigfield & Eccles, 2002).
Gupta and Kim (2010) identify how price points matter to consumers, and Participant G4
furnished a clear example of what it means to give loyalty and a reason to reduce costs for
customer retention. Consumers do not expect to pay full price, which is a reason ModeX
incentivizes their customers. G4 prioritized value propositions by stating, “Instead of 20% off of
your first order, you can get $10 off of your first three orders. And this is how we try to
condition that behavior into buying again and again or stocking other goods.” Conditioning
customer behavior also offers a path for ModeX to achieve its organizational goal of increasing
its customer base. This core customer behavior conditioning provides the necessary outlet for
indirect collaboration with the children of the core customer and may also create a behavior
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change. The ModeX marketing team can value the usefulness to themselves in increasing the
number of customers more by addressing their level of confidence in their abilities through
acknowledging past accomplishments and pushing forward with an increased sense of self-
efficacy as they increase loyalty among their core customer (Bandura, 1995).
Organization Influences, Cultural Settings & Models Results and Findings
Three organizational themes emerged from an analysis of participant interviews:
organizational resources, technology, and team collaboration, and start-up versus established
companies. While each team member knew what their role was in ModeX, the broader
organizational goals were not part of their day-to-day focus. Three out of five study participants
were task-oriented, distracted by individual metrics, and did not put forth a big picture or overall
growth strategy when interviewed.
Organizational settings.
The organization needs to provide the Marketing Team time to create, implement,
assess, and recommend updates to campaigns for each engagement effort it employs. Finding
#7: Approximately 90% of marketing team members need time to create, implement, assess, and
recommend updates to campaigns for each engagement effort it employs.
Interviews showed evidence of time needed for ModeX marketing team members to fully
realize each marketing campaign from creation to completion. ModeX provides a plethora of
resources for the marketing team employees as it pertains to Workfront project management
software, analytics platforms (Looker, Google Analytics, Nielsen, IRI, Salesforce, Periscope,
Iterable, Inkitt, Power Post Pixel, and Ayana), and templates to create campaign briefs. What
was not mentioned throughout the qualitative interviews is the time one needs to analyze the
information correctly, but instead, a need to be more efficient. The repetition of the marketing
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team’s real-time and fast-paced environment indicated that the need for additional time is
validated.
Participant G1 identified utilizing the information gained through ModeX resources as
significant to determining how to secure new customers. G1 stated:
It’s about testing all digital channels — search; podcast; Facebook; DRTV; affiliate; lead
gen, etc. What channels produce high-quality customers? And what we need to fix or
scale up when we take a macro look to do predictive modeling and try to scale what
worked best. And also assess where the market opportunities are as well as [the]
potential for new product lines we could test. It’s all easy to get — test — learn, it’s
about prioritizing and executing against it, assuming you have the right talent in the right
roles, which is critical and often underestimated.
ModeX provides an organizational setting full of technical programs but also needs to allocate
additional time for the marketing team to flesh out ideas and navigate implementation
techniques. The fast-paced climate has the downside of creating a space where implementing
campaigns for the sake of disseminating content may lead to poor and inconsistent results.
G2 identified biweekly reports from all departments that assist team members with
articulating organizational goals and if they have been obtained by breaking down the
organization’s goal alignment. G2 articulated that time management and making sure all
employees are efficient in allocating their resources is imperative. AI should be able to handle
simple direct tasks. Utilizing coding automation assists the organization with reducing costs and
implementing practices that generate faster responses for customers enabling loyalty through
rapid-response customer service. Participant G4 also highlighted a system of “bucketing” or
putting customers in “cohorts” to identify specific messaging that captures that segment best.
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Efficiency through technology does not guarantee the execution of individual time management,
nor does it secure support or time allocation to complete tasks with a high level of success
(Schueller, Tomasino, & Mohr, 2017). ModeX is equipped with technological resources, but
external factors can constrain the implementation of marketing initiatives (Birken et al., 2017).
Customer segmentation and reporting goal attainment can assist ModeX, but time restructuring
would enhance the marketing team’s full completion of campaign creation, implementation, and
analysis.
Technology and team collaboration.
The organization needs to provide the Marketing Team with access to training modules
for the software it utilizes to manage projects and assess platform metrics. Finding #8: 60% of
study participants identified the need to provide the marketing team with access to training
modules for the software it utilizes to manage projects and assess platform metrics.
Interviews provided evidence of the lack of training for specific software programs being
utilized daily by the marketing team. The programs are accessed by multiple departments to
facilitate information flow and — the difficulty in navigating each program varied in its
significance to the process of enhancing a marketing initiative. Participant G3 detailed an
example of an organizational resource that gave an instant snapshot at a project. Employing
Workfront software allows ModeX to iterate campaigns in real-time. G3 identified the process
of creating an efficient workflow through final review, market launch, campaign analysis, and
communication through shared folders on company drives.
Participant G5 articulated that some channels that are more difficult to quantify. ModeX
solicits customers through out-of-home channels (i.e., billboard, print, radio, etc.). G5 is mindful
that traffic cannot be directly linked to these marketing channels, and further discussion has been
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sought during the strategy-creation phases to iterate how to measure list penetration, organic
visits, and revenue generated throughout campaigns. Once these metrics have been fleshed out,
ModeX creates a dashboard through Periscope to map and track individual metrics in real-time.
G5 then will analyze from the dashboard and adjust as needed.
Study participants identified specific areas of learning that would accelerate their ability
to manage campaign initiatives and assess analytics. G3 stated, “I’d love to get even better
experience with building out a lifecycle campaign customer spend models. Really understanding
how to figure out exactly at what point in the journey we should be investing more in our
customers.” G5 also identified coding and querying as two priorities of learning to understand
data, how to look at things, and use it for future initiatives. As ModeX marketing team members
work within their knowledge base, software continues to update (Brinker, 2016). Keeping pace
with new technology means taking on an adaptive leadership approach by ModeX managers
looking to continually assess the needs of ModeX employees and assisting in developing skills
that will help to achieve organizational goals (Northouse, 2016).
ModeX work environment & cultural models.
New organizational influence: The organization needs to provide the Marketing Team
with encouragement to combat a feeling of being thrown in the deep end and passivity some
may feel regarding a lack of knowledge in data science and SQL queries. Finding #9:
Approximately 60% of marketing team members need encouragement to combat a feeling of
being thrown in the deep end regarding lack of knowledge in data science and SQL queries.
Interviews provided evidence of study participants’ feeling of being thrown into the deep
end regarding a lack of encouragement regarding data science methods and analysis. Participant
G5 identified the work environment being different from a previously held position in traditional
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marketing for CPG companies. G5 stated, “I worked a little bit with e-commerce but not being
thrown into the deep end. So, it’s been an eye-opening experience here.” G4 also indicated that
“being better at SQL would help me significantly,” because it was something that was not known
to them in a previous position. G4 continued, “If you don’t know SQL, you kind of can’t shoot
that tool very well. There are definitely friendlier ones out there.” If ModeX can confront these
feelings that participants have expressed with encouraging messages and inclusion training, the
motivation for the marketing team’s efforts to increase customers may improve.
All of the participants cited a sense of freedom working for a company that allows for
autonomy in their work, and three out of five mentioned a sense of empowerment because of the
work environment. G5 indicated this sentiment in the following example:
It comes from the top down, and especially I know I’m very fortunate to work under
[G3], who never micromanages but is always available when need be. I definitely have
the autonomy to kind of make those decisions, and I’m empowered to just go for it and
run with projects which really makes it easy because then we’re not tied up with red tape
and approvals and too many cooks in the kitchen.
Autonomy provides a way to increase motivation and informs the individual of “how much effort
to spend on work tasks” (Clark & Estes, 2008, p. 80). This motivation has allowed the
participant to explore and do but may also lend itself toward an empowerment leading to
overconfidence. Having an abundance of confidence in an area that is not considered one’s
expertise may impede the success of a ModeX marketing initiative.
By identifying the feeling held in a traditional company versus an e-commerce start-up
organization, the ability for employees to move from one project to another was an attractive
quality for ModeX. The sense of survival in the beginning stages of employment at ModeX
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forced this team member to make an active choice to continue and use mental effort to overcome
challenges (Clark & Estes, 2008). The autonomy that ModeX provides will need to be followed
up by encouragement to connect ModeX employees with the organizational goal. Removing all
feelings of being detached from resources in data science and SQL queries can be resolved by
increasing communication about training and disseminating messaging to uplift the marketing
team.
Start-up versus established companies.
Robehmed (2013) indicates that a start-up is commonly categorized as referring to
technology-based organizations. The marketing team’s reference to being considered a start-up
magnifies a perception that a start-up business might be considered less than and encourage an
underdog mentality. The “start-up state of mind,” framed by Adora Cheung, identifies start-ups
as having a mentality whereby employees “work hard and fast to innovate and change our ways
of working or living” (Ireland, 2015, n.p.). Start-ups, in this sense, may have all of the looks of
an ordinary business but are injecting new life and forever changing how people do things. The
ModeX marketing team provided evidence of a company culture that included this start-up state
of mind. By identifying this organizational influence, ModeX must recognize the need for
additional information streams to be delivered to its employees. Two streams of information
may include internal sales reports and external evidence of shifting consumer preferences.
Evidence of the ability for smaller businesses to compete with larger companies is identified by
Hutt (2015), citing digital marketing as a start-up’s key to the consumer sales kingdom and an
example of institutional isomorphism (Dimaggio & Powell, 1983). The positive advantage of
being identified as a small company or start-up may not hold amongst marketing team members
because of the simultaneous evidence presented throughout the qualitative interviews indicating
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it as a negative or disadvantage to such a position or that perception held by the marketing team
members. This common perception is a cultural model of ModeX, a shared belief that needs to
be addressed (Cameron & Quinn, 2006; Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001).
New organizational influence: The organization needs to provide the Marketing
Team with team strengthening messaging to keep company confidence high when
comparing ModeX to larger, more established competitors. Finding #10: 100% of study
participants indicated a need for ModeX to combat a small company mentality regarding the
start-up stigma versus larger entities.
Interviews provided evidence of study participants’ lack of the same esteem or regard for
ModeX’s small company status as a start-up entity. All of the participants indicated ModeX as a
small company by using phrasing such as “smaller start-up,” “pop up platform,” “smaller
organization,” “tiny,” and “very small.” By categorizing ModeX as small, the participants did
three things: first, the participants acknowledged their organization’s newness to the e-commerce
marketplace and customers’ lack of brand awareness. Second, participants identified room for
growth and sought out partnerships to expand business and branding opportunities. Growth and
being part of an industry that is at the heart of the new economic structure was at the forefront of
each participant’s reasons for working at ModeX. G5 stated, “I kind of made this leap because
this is where everything is going, and I knew I if I was going to expand my career, this is where I
should be.” The leap the participants made from previous positions amplifies the core values of
the start-up organization and the team’s “beliefs about the importance of individual initiative”
(Clark & Estes, 2008, p. 111). Third, participants minimized their effectiveness within the
marketplace. The smallness of the organization was highlighted both positively and negatively
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as both an advantage and disadvantage at the same time when trying to compete with larger
organizations like Amazon and Costco. Participant G2 articulated this by stating:
I think everyone wants to figure out how to compete with things like Amazon Pantry or
Prime, but they don’t have the infrastructure to do it. We provide the infrastructure. It’s
either us, ModeX, reaching out to these different partners, and in the beginning, it was
harder. Now we feel like investors are good for giving you money, but they’re also great
at giving you access to different companies you may want to work with.
The participants identified being able to “lean on investors” for their relationships as well as
other employees for expertise gained through work in previous positions.
The study participants validated 100% of the assumed knowledge, 100% of the
motivation, and 50% of the organizational influences in addition to revealing one additional
motivation influence and one additional organizational influence. A summary of validated,
partially validated, not validated, and new influences are detailed in Table 5.
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Table 5
Summary of Validated, Partially Validated, and Not Validated Influences
Assumed Influence Validated
Partially
Validated
Not
Validated
New
Influence
The Marketing Team needs knowledge about what
opportunities the roommate market demographic prefers
and utilizes most. (Knowledge 1)
X
The Marketing Team needs knowledge about its e-
commerce consumer marketing segments. (Knowledge 2)
X
The Marketing Team needs knowledge about their
effective marketing and promotions strategies to find out
what the e-commerce consumers are most responsive to.
(Knowledge 3)
X
The Marketing Team need to feel confident they can
understand customers’ buying behavior. (Motivation 1 —
Self-Efficacy)
X
New Motivation Influence: The Marketing Team needs to
feel confident they can understand the internal data
science reports that assist in predictive marketing strategy
creation, implementation and analysis. (Motivation 2 —
Self-Efficacy)
X X
The Marketing Team needs to value the usefulness to
themselves in increasing the number of customers.
(Motivation 3 — Expectancy-Value Theory)
X
The organization needs to provide the Marketing Team
time to create, implement, assess and recommend updates
to campaigns for each engagement effort it employs.
(Cultural Setting 1)
X
The organization needs to provide the Marketing Team
with access to training modules for the software it utilizes
to manage projects and assess platform metrics. (Cultural
Setting 2)
X
New Organizational Influence: The organization needs to
provide the Marketing Team with encouragement to
combat a feeling of being thrown in the deep end some
may feel regarding lack of knowledge in analytics.
(Cultural Model 1)
X X
New Organizational Influence: The organization needs to
provide the Marketing Team with team strengthening
messaging to keep company confidence high when
comparing ModeX to larger, more established
competitors. (Cultural Model 2)
X X
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The validation of assumed knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences
highlighted a need to adjust the interactive conceptual framework to reflect the inclusion of new
influences revealed during the study’s data collection and analysis phases. A new adapted
interactive conceptual framework (Figure 3) incorporates the need for marketing team members
to have confidence in data reporting and to understand their usefulness and how that affects
achieving the organizational goal. The updated framework also puts a spotlight on the addition
of the organizational influence of the cultural model, the need for training, and realizing a
corporate identity beyond that of a start-up company. The adapted interactive conceptual
framework is detailed in Figure 3.
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Figure 3. Adapted interactive conceptual framework Knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influences in e-commerce — targeting online consumer markets.
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Solutions and Recommendations
The following section outlines solutions and recommendations proposed as ModeX seeks
to achieve its organizational goal of increasing its customer base by 5% by July 2020.
Knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences are detailed, along with specific
validations and context-specific recommendations.
Knowledge Recommendations
Introduction. The Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analytic Analysis was utilized in this
study to identify knowledge, motivation, and organizational gaps for ModeX’s marketing team in
their pursuit to increase customer base in the “roommate market” by 5%. Three knowledge
influences were identified and validated through qualitative interviews with members of the
ModeX marketing and executive management teams. The three validated knowledge influences
included: the Marketing Team needs knowledge about what opportunities the roommate market
demographic prefers and utilizes most, the Marketing Team needs knowledge about its e-
commerce consumer marketing segments, and the Marketing Team needs knowledge about
effective marketing and promotions strategies e-commerce consumers respond to best.
Krathwohl’s Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (2002), the four levels of knowledge were
analyzed and attributed to the ModeX knowledge gaps. These include factual knowledge,
conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and metacognitive knowledge. The analysis of
knowledge influences identified conceptual knowledge as the missing link for the ModeX
marketing team. Table 6 highlights a summary of knowledge influences and recommendations.
Table 6 outlines the organizational mission, organizational goal, and critical details that
assist in identifying knowledge types, influences, proposed recommendations, and how these can
be assessed in future studies.
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Table 6
Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Knowledge
Influence
Validated,
Partially
Validated
or Not
Validated
(V, PV, N)
Priority?
Yes, No
(Y, N) Principle and Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
The Marketing Team
needs knowledge
about what
opportunities the
roommate market
demographic prefers
and utilizes most.
(Conceptual)
V Y To develop mastery,
individuals must acquire
component skills,
practice integrating
them, and know when to
apply what they have
learned (McCrudden,
Schraw, & Hartley,
2006).
Provide the Marketing
Team with information
on what opportunities
the roommate market
demographic prefers
and utilizes most.
The Marketing Team
needs knowledge
about its e-commerce
consumer marketing
segments.
(Conceptual)
V Y To develop mastery,
individuals must acquire
component skills,
practice integrating
them, and know when to
apply what they have
learned (McCrudden et
al., 2006).
Provide the Marketing
Team with an
informational pamphlet
on their e-commerce
consumers marketing
segments.
The Marketing Team
needs knowledge
about their effective
marketing and
promotions strategies
to find out what the
e-commerce
consumers are most
responsive to.
(Conceptual)
V Y To develop mastery,
individuals must acquire
component skills,
practice integrating
them, and know when to
apply what they have
learned (McCrudden et
al., 2006).
Provide the Marketing
Team with a database
of information on
effective marketing and
promotions strategies
highlighting successful
campaigns that e-
commerce consumers
are most responsive to.
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Declarative Knowledge Solutions
The following section outlines declarative knowledge solutions and recommendations for
ModeX as they look to implement training solutions to assist the marketing team in identifying
demographic preferences, e-commerce marketing segments, and effective promotional strategies.
The Marketing Team needs knowledge about what opportunities the roommate
market demographic prefers and utilizes most. The results and findings of this study
indicated that 100% of the participants need to learn more about specific demographic behavior
in order to pinpoint buyer preferences and more clearly identify obtainable goals in the project
brief. A recommendation rooted in information processing theory has been selected to close this
conceptual knowledge gap. McCrudden et al. (2006) found that people need to add and practice
implementing skills to become an expert in utilizing them. Providing up-to-date or real-time
data analytics on consumer preferences would assist in fulfilling this knowledge gap. The
recommendation is to provide the Marketing Team with information on what opportunities the
roommate market demographic prefers and utilizes most.
E-commerce customers continually change their shopping preferences and base these
subtle pattern shifts on promotions (Ganesh et al., 2010; Jadhav & Khanna, 2016; Zhang &
Wedel, 2009). When analyzing sales leads, customer referrals provide the best quality and may
also indicate similar buying preferences as the referring customer (Benoy Joseph, Cook, &
Javalgi, 2001; Leary, 2006; Li, Ruan, Lv, & Shang, 2016). The proposed access to real-time
data analytics will support the marketing team’s efforts to eliminate gaps in their knowledge
about target markets. Using real-time data to create messaging that enhances recruitment of
ModeX target demographics may have a direct impact on their goal of increasing revenue
(Johnson, 2014; Ramcharran, 2013; Vrontis & Thrassou, 2007). ModeX marketing team
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members achieving success in consumer recruitment may also stream a positive effect on the
team’s future campaign initiatives.
The Marketing Team needs knowledge about its e-commerce consumer marketing
segments. The results and findings of this study indicated that 100% of the marketing team need
more conceptual knowledge about the buying patterns and habits of their targeted customers. A
recommendation rooted in information processing theory has been selected to close this
conceptual knowledge gap. Providing marketing team members with an informational exhibit
may assist them in understanding their e-commerce consumers better. The recommendation is to
provide the Marketing Team with an informational pamphlet on their e-commerce consumer
marketing segments.
Kim et al. (2019) outline consumer preferences evolution by highlighting influences,
including consumer proximity to product, socioeconomic status, and internal and external peer
pressure. The proposed informational pamphlet regarding e-commerce consumers can assist the
ModeX marketing team with crucial information about targeted segments and their buying
patterns. Consumer relationships evolve, but a starting point is necessary to develop a profile of
e-commerce consumers (Dumitrescu, Fuciu, & Gorski, 2018; Morgan et al., 2018). The
recommendation will help the marketing team to gain important knowledge about targeted
audience segments, while also providing a starting point to build quality relationships that extend
beyond loyalty and reward systems.
The Marketing Team needs knowledge about their effective marketing and
promotions strategies to find out what the e-commerce consumers are most responsive to.
The results and findings of this study indicated that 80% of the marketing team need to learn
more about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to marketing and promotion strategies.
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A recommendation rooted in information processing theory has been selected to close this
conceptual knowledge gap. McCrudden et al. (2006) found that people need to add and practice
implementing skills to become an expert in utilizing them. Providing additional information to
the marketing team that highlights successful marketing campaigns may assist in how the
marketing team crafts future marketing and promotion strategies. The recommendation would
be to provide the Marketing Team with a database of information on effective marketing and
promotions strategies highlighting successful campaigns that e-commerce consumers respond to
best.
Effective marketing strategies are rooted in the ways companies utilize the differentiation
of products by communicating with authenticity and executing value messaging (Cundari, 2015;
Geiger et al., 2015; Marone & Lunsford, 2005; Williams & Williams, 2017). The four pillars in
every promotional campaign have been identified as “advertising, sales promotion, public
relations and personal selling” (Haynes et al., 1992; Hedin et al., 2011; Kucuk, 2017, p. 60). The
proposed information database would assist the marketing team by showcasing the types (i.e.,
duration, demographics, and cost) of campaigns deemed successful by ModeX. Conceptual
knowledge requires a relationship with the idea or task to be created (Krathwohl, 2002; Whitfield
& Poole, 1997). ModeX marketing team members would have a systematic relationship with the
informational database through on and offline training workshops and correlate each successful
campaign to interrelated past successful campaign strategies.
Motivation Recommendations
The following section highlights the motivational solutions and recommendations
proposed for the ModeX marketing team as they look to remedy confidence building in
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identifying consumer buying behavior, predictive marketing strategies, and increasing their value
of usefulness to increase consumer numbers to reach the organizational goal.
Introduction. A summary of motivation influences and recommendations are outlined in
Table 7. There are three influences of significance: the confidence of the marketing team when
creating predictive marketing strategies, their perceived value in their usefulness in achieving the
organizational goals, and the team’s confidence in understanding data science reporting. The
self-efficacy of the marketing team and their ability to create a valued vision for their task of
increasing customers is imperative to address through workshops that specifically address the
team’s motivational influences. Recommendations have been outlined in Table 7.
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Table 7
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Motivation
Influence
Validated,
Partially
Validated,
or Not
Validated
(V, PV, N)
Priority?
Yes, No
(Y, N) Principle and Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
The marketing team
needs to feel
confident they can
understand
customers’ buying
behavior.
V Y Motivation, learning and
performance are enhanced when
learners have positive expectations
for success. (Self-efficacy)
Individuals with higher self-
efficacy, great belief in their own
competence, and higher
expectancies for positive outcomes
will be more motivated to engage
in, persist at, and work hard at a
task or activity (Rueda, 2011).
Effective observational learning is
achieved by first organizing and
rehearsing modeled behaviors,
then enacting it overtly (Ambrose
et al., 2010; Borders et al., 2004;
Clark & Estes, 2008; Eccles, 2014;
Wigfield & Eccles, 2002).
Provide the marketing
team with weekly
workshop where
buying behavior is
modeled, then the
marketing team can
develop key indicators
with their counterparts,
and implement accurate
targeting through
marketing campaigns.
After implementation,
the marketing team
members will meet
with their supervisor
and/or team
counterparts for
immediate feedback.
New Motivation
Influence:
The marketing team
needs to feel
confident they can
understand the
internal data science
reports that assist in
predictive marketing
strategy creation,
implementation and
analysis.
V Y Motivation, learning and
performance are enhanced when
learners have positive expectations
for success. (Self-efficacy)
Individuals with higher self-
efficacy, great belief in their own
competence, and higher
expectancies for positive outcomes
will be more motivated to engage
in, persist at, and work hard at a
task or activity (Rueda, 2011).
Provide the marketing
team with weekly one-
on-one meetings with
the data science team
where internal analytic
reporting is discussed
and the marketing team
members are able to
shadow the data science
team member to
understand the
reporting process.
The marketing team
needs to value
themselves in
increasing the
number of
customers.
V Y Motivation, learning and
performance are enhanced if a
person values the task. Four types:
• Intrinsic value (interest)
• Extrinsic value (utility)
• Attainment value (importance)
• Cost value (benefit) (Clark &
Estes, 2008).
Provide the marketing
team with weekly
customer metrics that
identify the link
between increased
customer numbers and
successful marketing
campaigns.
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Self-efficacy: The Marketing Team needs to feel confident they can understand
customers’ buying behavior. Approximately 80% of marketing team members are not
confident that they can understand the buying behavior demonstrated through online purchasing
patterns of consumers. A recommendation rooted in the self-efficacy theory has been selected to
close this gap. Bandura (1995) found that individuals with higher self-efficacy, great belief in
their own competence, and higher expectancies for positive outcomes will be more motivated to
engage in, persist at, and work hard at a task or activity. Providing marketing team members
with a demonstration of what they need to do to understand consumers better and then providing
feedback on their performance would increase their self-efficacy. The recommendation is for
ModeX to give the marketing team a weekly workshop where buying behavior is modeled, then
the marketing team can develop key indicators of success with their counterparts and implement
accurate targeting through marketing campaigns.
According to Bandura (1995), “efficacy beliefs influence how people think, feel,
motivate themselves, and act” (p. 2). The mastery experience is a form of self-efficacy whereby
the individual has the confidence in themselves to get through a circumstance because they know
they have the skill already in their tool belt (Bandura, 1995). Without the confidence to proceed
in implementing initiatives with buyer profiles that will be successful, ModeX marketing team
members will fall short of their organizational goal. Each initiative can shape an employee’s
confidence and beliefs about future achievements (Sherer et al., 1982). An importance must be
placed on the ability for marketing team members to relinquish self-doubt when it comes to
predictive marketing strategies and to consistently move initiatives forward without hesitation or
fear of failure.
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New motivation influence: The Marketing Team needs to feel confident they can
understand the internal data science reports that assist in predictive marketing strategy
creation, implementation, and analysis. Approximately 80% of marketing team members are
not confident that they are able to identify attribution for consumer purchases. A
recommendation rooted in the self-efficacy theory has been selected to close this gap. According
to Bandura (1995), self-efficacy’s foundation lies in four distinct origins, which include “mastery
experiences, social modeling, verbal persuasion, and emotional states” (p. 308). Providing
marketing team members with an opportunity to learn directly from the data science team the
various skills and techniques utilized in their aggregation and analysis of data and then providing
feedback as to the demonstration of marketing initiatives that implement those skills would
increase their self-efficacy. The recommendation is for ModeX to provide the marketing team
with monthly appointments with data science team members where data collection, analysis, and
reporting is modeled, then the marketing team can identify key performance indicators, and
implement more successful predictive marketing strategies through campaign initiatives.
ModeX marketing team members demonstrate a “context-specific” aspect to their
motivation (Chen & Kao, 2011; Rueda, 2011). The thriving e-commerce environment can
influence their motivation to feel confident about their specific choices regarding consumer
behavior (Ajjan, Hartshorne, & Buechler, 2012). ModeX needs to increase the level of
confidence employees have in their job skills to succeed in the marketplace (Bandura, 1997).
Confidence in personal skill is directly related to the belief of one’s being successful in their job
(Jones, 1986). Therefore, the recommendation to provide the marketing team with weekly
workshops and one-on-one meetings with the data science team will likely have an impact on the
team’s overall motivation.
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Value: The marketing team needs to value the usefulness to themselves in increasing
the number of customers. Approximately 80% of marketing team members do not value the
usefulness of increasing the overall number of consumers at ModeX. A recommendation rooted
in expectancy-value theory has been selected to close the gap. In articulating expectancy-value
theory, Wigfield and Eccles (2002) found that individuals can see the usefulness of their work
and utilize this task value as motivation for future success. Providing marketing team members
with an opportunity to view data regarding the increase in consumer numbers would show the
team members how useful to their job having this data can be. The recommendation is for
ModeX to provide weekly customer metrics to the marketing team that identify the link between
increased customer numbers and successful marketing campaigns. By highlighting this link,
marketing team members are likely to see the usefulness of adding more consumers.
By focusing on completing marketing tasks, ModeX may increase how the marketing
team members value the usefulness of adding additional consumers (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Acknowledging behavior through metrics, which show positive results of their work, may allow
marketing team members to see and reinforce positive performance and appreciate the usefulness
of their work (Borders et al., 2004; Wigfield & Eccles, 2002). Therefore, the recommendation
put forth is that the marketing team has information presented on a weekly basis that will further
cement their motivation and provide the team with identifiable links between the team’s
campaign messaging and the successful response rate.
Organization Recommendations
The following section highlights the organizational recommendations for ModeX as they
look to additional time to create, implement and assess marketing campaigns, as well as provide
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software training and combat negative sentiment regarding the start-up designation of ModeX as
compared to larger corporations in the field of competition.
Introduction. A summary of organizational influences and recommendations is outlined
in Table 8. There are three influences of significance: additional time to create predictive
marketing strategies, access to training modules for software in current use, and sufficient
encouragement by managers to avoid team members from feeling helpless because of a lack of
information going into a task. The organizational resources provided to the marketing team
include many programs and data sets, but the ability for the marketing team to utilize,
understand, and implement knowledge within these resources is lacking.
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Table 8
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Organization
Influence
Validated,
Partially
Validated,
or Not
Validated
(V, PV, N)
Priority?
Yes, No
(Y, N) Principle and Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
Cultural Setting 1:
The organization
needs to provide
the Marketing
Team time to
create, implement,
assess and
recommend
updates to
campaigns for each
engagement effort
it employs.
V Y Effective change
efforts ensure that
everyone has the
resources (equipment,
personnel, time, etc.)
needed to do their job,
and that if there are
resource shortages,
then resources are
aligned with
organizational
priorities (Clark &
Estes, 2008).
Provide the marketing team
with a weekly check-in
meeting to allow feedback
regarding the timelines of
marketing campaigns to be
reexamined and revised if
needed.
Cultural Setting 2:
The organization
needs to provide
the Marketing
Team with access
to training modules
for the software it
utilizes to manage
projects and assess
platform metrics.
V Y Effective change
efforts ensure that
everyone has the
resources (equipment,
personnel, time, etc.)
needed to do their job,
and that if there are
resource shortages,
then resources are
aligned with
organizational
priorities (Clark &
Estes, 2008).
Provide the marketing team
with access to training
modules on Looker, Google
Analytics, LinkedIn,
Periscope and Workfront.
The access will allow for an
individual login for trainings
and feedback to be provided
to marketing team
supervisors on the value of
the trainings, access and
additional trainings to be
revised if needed.
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Table 8, continued
Assumed
Organization
Influence
Validated,
Partially
Validated,
or Not
Validated
(V, PV, N)
Priority?
Yes, No
(Y, N) Principle and Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
New Organizational
Influence:
Cultural Model 1:
The organization
needs to provide the
Marketing Team with
encouragement to
combat a feeling of
being thrown in the
deep end and
passivity some may
feel regarding lack of
knowledge in data
science and SQL
queries.
V Y Provide adequate
knowledge, skills, and
motivational support
for everyone (Clark &
Estes, 2008).
Targeting training &
instruction between
individual’s
independent
performance level and
their level of assisted
performance promotes
optimal learning (Scott
& Palincsar, 2006).
Attitudes of
helplessness and
hopelessness
(Gallimore &
Goldenberg, 2001).
Positive emotional
environments support
motivation (Clark &
Estes, 2008).
Provide marketing team
members an introductory
training at date of hire to
familiarize with current
software and data
collection methods.
Utilize open-ended
questions regarding
employee feelings and
tasks required of them.
Assessment of the
employees’ knowledge of
software at their date of
hire will assist in
bridging the knowledge
gap.
Address concerns with
knowledge during
trainings and conduct
feedback surveys
monthly for first six
months of employee
being on the job.
New Organizational
Influence:
Cultural Model 2:
The organization
needs to provide the
Marketing Team with
team strengthening
messaging to keep
company confidence
high when comparing
ModeX to larger,
more established
competitors.
V Y Provide adequate
knowledge, skills, and
motivational support
for everyone (Clark &
Estes, 2008).
Positive emotional
environments support
motivation (Clark &
Estes, 2008).
Provide marketing team
with encouraging
messaging regarding the
status of the company in
relation to competitors.
Provide employees with
updated revenue reports
and additional metrics to
show growth and
encourage positive
reassurance about
standing in business
community.
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Cultural setting 1: The organization needs to provide the Marketing Team time to
create, implement, assess, and recommend updates to campaigns for each engagement
effort it employs. Approximately 90% of marketing team members need time to design,
implement, evaluate, and recommend updates to campaigns for each engagement effort it
employs. A recommendation rooted in change theory has been selected to close this
organizational gap. Effective change efforts ensure that everyone has the resources (equipment,
personnel, time, etc.) needed to do their job and that if there are resource shortages, then the
available resources are aligned with organizational priorities (Clark & Estes, 2008). Marketing
team members who do have time to complete their campaign creation and updates are more
successful at the implementation of successful campaigns. The recommendation is to provide
the marketing team with a weekly check-in meeting to allow feedback regarding the timelines of
marketing campaigns to be reexamined and revised if needed.
The cultural setting that allows for the marketing team to not have its valued resource of
time is highlighted in the visible, concrete manifestations of cultural models that appear within
activity settings (Clark & Estes, 2008; Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001; Schein, 2004). The
ability of the marketing team to complete highly successful campaigns is hindered by the lack of
a cultural setting that can establish a flexible time period to complete, assess, and update its
work. Effective change efforts utilize feedback to determine when/if the improvement is
happening (Clark & Estes, 2008). The recommendation solidifies how effective the marketing
team can be with a feedback system implemented in order to facilitate the change needed to its
continually evolving campaigns.
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Cultural Setting 2: The organization needs to provide the Marketing Team with
access to training modules for the software it utilizes to manage projects and assess
platform metrics. Approximately 60% of study participants identified the need to provide the
marketing team with access to training modules for the software it utilizes to manage projects
and assess platform metrics. A recommendation rooted in change theory has been selected to
close this organizational gap (McGovern & Rodgers, 1986). Effective change occurs when
organizations supply resources to their employees especially, when working in “rapidly changing
information technology” (Clark & Estes, 2008, p. 105). Marketing team members who have
training with online platforms and new software will be better prepared to assess metrics and
manage marketing initiatives. The recommendation is to provide the marketing team with access
to training modules on Looker, Google Analytics, LinkedIn, Periscope, and Workfront. The
access will allow for an individual login for training and feedback to be provided to marketing
team supervisors on the value of the training, access, and additional training to be revised if
needed.
While a cultural setting may be able to distinguish a unifying event or task completed by
two or more individuals, cultural settings can also introduce the lack of event to unify people as
well (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001). The absence of access to training is the norm at ModeX
(Rueda, 2011). A cultural setting such as this can be changed through the addition of workshops
and resources. The inclusion of training could provide the unifying event that allows ModeX to
achieve its goal of increasing its total number of customers by 5% by July 2020. The next
section identifies cultural models where ModeX needs to improve employee confidence
regarding company size and address employee sentiment regarding the knowledge base in the
area of data science.
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A cultural model can be described as finding common ground in a company with respect
to the values, ways of doing things, and thought processes about the way things should be done
(Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001). ModeX’s cultural model incorporates the attitude of a small
start-up company while challenging the status quo in much larger markets (D’haen & Van Den
Poel, 2013). The ability of its employees to share the view of the little guy is an example of the
behavior exhibited that is considered the normal way of doing things. “The concept [of cultural
models] incorporates (behavioral) activity as well as cognitive and affective components”
(Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001, p. 47). Creating an atmosphere of perceived confidence while
sharing the belief that ModeX is the little guy does not increase the true reality of the ModeX
employee mindset. By identifying this organizational gap, ModeX can work to establish a new
norm through the dissemination of facts (e.g., revenue reports) and generate a new cultural
model by investing in positive messaging to strengthen the internal outlook for the company in
the e-commerce marketplace.
New organizational influence: Cultural model #1. The organization needs to
provide the Marketing Team with encouragement to combat a feeling of being thrown in
the deep end and passivity some may feel regarding lack of knowledge in data science and
SQL queries. Approximately 60% of marketing team members need encouragement to combat
a feeling of being thrown in the deep end regarding lack of knowledge in data science and SQL
queries. A recommendation rooted in sociocultural theory has been selected to close this
organizational gap. Progressive assessments ensure that the team member is able to demonstrate
the knowledge while also addressing concerns during the initial hiring period and future as well
(Vygotsky, 1986). Marketing team members who have encouragement to combat a feeling of
being thrown in the deep end and passivity regarding their lack of knowledge in data science and
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SQL queries may be more successful in their role at ModeX and contribute more to the team
collaboration. The recommendation is to provide marketing team members with introductory
training at the date of hire to familiarize themselves with current software and data collection
methods (Ng & Dastmalchian, 2011). After completion of the initial overview, open-ended
questions administered by the human resources department or team supervisors will pursue
feedback regarding employee feelings regarding tasks required of them (Di Lorenzo, 2013;
Woodside, de Villiers, & Marshall, 2016). Following the initial assessment, targeted training
and instruction between the individual’s independent performance level and their level of assist
in ongoing training needs. See Table 9 for an example of communication with employees
regarding available training modules.
Cultural models may be deeply ingrained in an organization and not visible to an
employee (Rueda, 2011). ModeX’s cultural model includes very progressive moves regarding
absorbing the tax on luxury items for the consumer and assisting employees for costs incurred
for education and family gatherings. Additionally, when the culture of an organization can
sustain the shared values, one might not recognize the organizational gap within.
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Table 9
Sample ModeX Training Menu
Training
Type:
Online /
Offline Location
Days
Offered
Number of
Attendees
Allowed
1. Workfront Online Personal Computer Daily: 24-
hour
access
Unlimited
2. Periscope Online Personal Computer:
https://www.periscope-
solutions.com/resources/brochures-and-
white-papers/
1st Friday/
Month
Unlimited
3. Google
Analytics
Online Personal Computer:
https://analytics.google.com/
analytics/academy/
Daily: 24-
hour
access
10 per
session
4. Data
Science 101
Offline Conference Room A:
Instructor — Tom
1st
Monday /
Month
15 per
session
5. Salesforce Offline Conference Room B:
Instructor — Beth
1st
Tuesday /
Month
15 per
session
6. Facebook
Analytics
Online Personal Computer:
https://www.facebook.com/help/
analytics/1387547017939527
Daily: 24-
hour
access
Unlimited
7. Looker Online Personal Computer:
https://training.looker.com
Daily: 24-
hour
access
Unlimited
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New organizational influence: Cultural model #2: The organization needs to provide
the Marketing Team with team strengthening messaging to keep company confidence high
when comparing ModeX to larger, more established competitors. All of the study
participants indicated a need for ModeX to dispute a small company mentality regarding the
start-up stigma versus larger entities. A recommendation rooted in sociocultural theory has been
selected to close this organizational gap. Providing the marketing team with encouraging
messages regarding the status of the company in relation to competitors along with updated
revenue reports will foster positive reassurance about ModeX’s standing in the business
community (Roach, 2001). Marketing team members who are provided with positive team
messaging are more successful in their role at ModeX and contribute to the company culture
more positively. The recommendation is to provide encouraging messaging regarding the status
of the company in relation to competitors. Also, the company should provide employees with
updated revenue reports and additional metrics to show growth and encourage positive
reassurance about standing in the business community. After dissemination of the information
and positive messaging, administered by the internal communications team and direct team
supervisors, department or team supervisors will pursue feedback regarding employee feelings
regarding the company’s future and reputation. After the initial assessment, continued
dissemination of revenue reports will be scheduled, and messaging will be delivered in an
ongoing nature as needed.
Each of the recommendations has a corresponding start and end date. Some may be
ongoing, while others are denoted on an “as needed” basis. See Table 10 for details on the
timeline for implementing recommendations for the identified knowledge, motivation and
organizational influence gaps.
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Table 10
Summary of Solutions and Timeline
Solution Start Date
End Date
Some aspects ongoing
1. Provide the marketing team with a database on effective
marketing and promotions e-commerce strategies.
August,
2019
24-hour accessibility
for employees to use
online.
2. Provide the marketing team with an informational
pamphlet on their e-commerce consumers marketing
segments.
August,
2019
Monthly
3. Provide the marketing team with information on what
opportunities the roommate market demographic prefers and
utilizes most.
On Date of
Hire
Quarterly
4. Provide the marketing team with customer metrics. On Date of
Hire
Daily Metrics for
specific campaigns
Weekly Metrics for
Overall Sales
5. Provide the marketing team with shadowing opportunities
in one-on-one meetings with the data science team.
August,
2019
Weekly & As needed
6. Provide the marketing team with workshops where
buying behavior is modeled.
September,
2019
Weekly & As needed
7. Provide the marketing team members with an
introductory technology and workplace protocols.
On Date of
Hire
Weekly & As needed
8. Provide the marketing team with access to training
modules on Looker, Google Analytics, LinkedIn, Periscope
and Workfront.
August,
2019
Weekly & As needed
9. Provide the marketing team with a check-in meeting to
allow feedback regarding the timelines of marketing
campaigns.
September,
2019
Weekly & As needed
10. Provide marketing team members an introductory
training at date of hire to familiarize with current software
and data collection methods.
On Date of
Hire
Weekly & As needed
11. Provide marketing team with encouraging messaging
regarding the status of the company in relation to
competitors.
On Date of
Hire
Quarterly — Status of
the Company e-mail
from the CEO
12. Provide employees with updated revenue reports and
additional metrics to show growth and encourage positive
reassurance about standing in business community.
Monthly Quarterly Updates via
Email + Quarterly &
Annual Revenue
Reports
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Future Research
Additional research regarding e-commerce marketing strategies may focus on three areas
that were constrained by several limitations of this study: time, employee retention, and
proprietary information. Time rose to the forefront as a limiting parameter of the study, and that
is why the recommendation is to increase the data collection time frame and analysis period.
Increasing the time allotted may also give the researcher additional time to recruit additional
study participants. Future studies may include alternative frameworks that allow for analysis
beyond Clark and Estes’ (2008) knowledge, motivation, and organizational influence framework.
The second theme that became noticeable was the start-up company culture and retention.
Company culture and retention are important topics to address and because of the limitations of
the study and the human aspect of employee motivation. Future research may want to include
quantitative elements (e.g., surveys) in addition to qualitative interviews with a larger group of
study participants, to create added value and meaning to participant responses. Broadening the
study participants to include all start-up company employees may open responses and analysis to
give a more complete picture of how each department operates and communicates with others.
The third theme that arose from the study included limited proprietary information that
may have better assisted the researcher during the analysis phase of the study. For future
research, it would be ideal for the company or companies selected to identify internal
information that may assist the researcher to zero in on attribution models, company finances,
and employee retention data. All three themes — time, retention, and start-up company culture
— are areas that, if addressed in future research, may add to the field of e-commerce marketing
and organizational influences and motivation for companies engaging with online consumers.
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Conclusion
The purpose of the study was to explore the e-commerce marketing strategies utilized by
ModeX, understand challenges the company faces with targeting specific segments, and
maintaining current customer bases. The study revealed three key findings pertaining to
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences on ModeX’s marketing team. The
knowledge base of ModeX marketing team members is not sufficient to create and implement
successful initiatives on a consistent basis. Team members do not see the value of increasing the
number of customers. Resources provided to the marketing team regarding data science, and
reporting features for aggregated data analysis across platforms need to be addressed
immediately. Three additional gaps were also revealed through data collection: the need for
additional training and resources, the need to provide the marketing team encouragement to
combat a feeling of being thrown in the deep end and passivity regarding lack of knowledge in
data science and SQL queries, and the need for positive messaging and timely reporting of
revenue through quarterly reports.
The uncertainty of consumer purchase patterns is not unique to ModeX. E-commerce is a
changing business model dictated by consumer buying behaviors adapting to what is new and
next in the online marketplace. The study’s findings provide a map to guide e-marketers a way
forward to increase knowledge of software, data analytics, data science and confidence in
achieving highly successful marketing initiatives. Limitations can be foreseen as an inability to
accurately track buying behavior as well as disadvantages arising for marketing professionals as
program software and algorithms are updated constantly and may skew or produce deceiving
results and negate calculated campaign strategies. Applications of this study may include
changes in organizations’ hiring practices to include candidate testing in certain SQL, project
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management software, and additional data science programs. Organizations may potentially
require marketing professionals to have knowledge of coding. Colleges and universities may
take notice of industry hiring practice changes and adapt the curriculum in marketing and
advertising to include data science courses similar to the UC Berkeley Master’s in Data Science
program (Berkeley School of Information, n.d.).
Retailers need consumers to survive, and the adjustment of businesses to secure online
customers is a need that must be addressed to stay relevant in the future of e-commerce (Baye,
2002; Benoy Joseph et al., 2001). Attention to the growing e-commerce market cannot be
ignored, and businesses must reduce uncertainty when creating marketing initiatives to achieve
more precise results with even more sophisticated predictive models. Marketing professionals
must upgrade their skillsets and potentially transition to become what Brinker (2016) calls a
“marketing technologist” (para. 18). This hybrid job performs a joint function of creating the
code that allows the organization to take advantage of data science, while also providing the
creative ideas needed to disseminate messaging to secure new target markets. New positions like
these are the lifeline for businesses to continuously adapt their marketing strategies, increase
revenue. and outlast the competition in an overcrowded online marketplace.
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Appendix A: Participating Stakeholders with Sampling Criteria for Interview
Interview Recruitment Strategy and Rationale
The stakeholder population of focus is ModeX’s marketing team. When studying a
specific topic, one’s goal as a researcher is to highlight the perspective of the research subjects
(Creswell, 2014). Participants included female and male individuals who participate in ModeX
idea creation, development, implementation, and evaluation of marketing campaigns.
Interview Sampling Criteria and Rationale
While the specific research problem helps a researcher begin to look for answers, the
criteria used to identify a sampling group narrows the focus of the study to answer the research
question more succinctly (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The following criteria were used to select
the participants who participated in the research study.
Criterion 1. To evaluate whether ModeX met its goals of increasing its customer base
by 5% the study’s participants must be ModeX employees who have experience with the
company’s current marketing initiatives.
Criterion 2. To evaluate whether ModeX achieved its goal to increase customers, the
study’s participants must be employed at ModeX for a six-month period to assess the knowledge,
motivation, and organizational goals.
Criterion 3. To evaluate the buying behavior of e-consumers, participants must have
prior experience in the area of sales and marketing from past employment.
Interview Recruitment Strategy and Rationale
The root of the recruitment sampling strategy is a purposeful sample of employees from
ModeX that consistently work on marketing projects. The sample is specifically purposeful
because the researcher knows an employee who works for ModeX. In a two-phase process, the
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Chief Marketing Officer of ModeX recommended employees who met the above-mentioned
three criteria as participants of the study. A screener was sent out to the recommended sampling
to make sure that they met the criteria outlined above. Then in-depth interviews of sample
participants began using snowball sampling with pivotal participants (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
The sample included qualitative interviews with five ModeX employees. An appropriate
number of participants, the selected group, gave insight into the marketing team’s current and
past campaigns and the level of motivation and incentives driving employees. Establishing an
interview protocol is necessary because ModeX is not in the same area of the country as the
researcher (Creswell, 2014). Each interview was uniform in the questions asked and the method
of data collection for four of the five participants (i.e., phone interview). One participant
provided answers to interview questions via an e-mail message. The interviews took place over
three months due to the limited time frame allotted for data gathering for the dissertation
program. To give participants time to review the interview topic, the interview questions were
given to participants via an e-mail no less than one day before phone interviews took place.
Interview questions were given to the one participant submitting e-mail responses three weeks
before the researcher received the participant’s responses. Additional qualitative research was
also conducted to review the collection of qualitative documents and qualitative audiovisual and
digital materials from ModeX’s e-commerce website and marketing campaign initiatives
(Creswell, 2014).
Explanation for Choices
Interviews were selected as the method of data collection to highlight the specific internal
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences on the marketing team in achieving its
organizational goal. I chose this method because of the ability to use direct quotes from
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interviews about the interests, experience, perceptions, and consciousness to decisions made at
ModeX and employees’ own experience (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). By highlighting direct
quotes from interview participants, the analysis detailed grouped themes that brought forth the
dynamics of the workplace environment, resources, and understanding of knowledge by ModeX
employees.
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Appendix B: Protocols
Introduction
This study is focused on creating and implementing marketing strategies that target
specific e-commerce customers. Each participant will be asked a series of questions and follow-
up questions to gain a better understanding of your role with the company and how you approach
marketing strategies. Your participation in the study is entirely voluntary, and your responses
will be coded to maintain anonymity (Creswell, 2014). Each participant’s responses will be
recorded and transcribed for analysis (Bogdan & Biklen, 1993). The recordings will be stored in
password protected files in a password protected computer with periodic secured backup for
approximately five years and destroyed after that (Creswell, 2014; Salkind, 2017). ModeX
employee consent forms will be stored in a locked filing cabinet separate from the transcribed
coded data. The recordings will not be shared with anyone other than the researcher’s
dissertation committee members during the editing process over the Summer and Fall 2019
(Creswell, 2014). The study will be made available for viewing once it has been accepted by the
dissertation committee as a successful dissertation defense, edited for typos and grammatical
errors, and uploaded to the University of Southern California’s database of dissertations
(Creswell, 2014).
Marketing Initiative Questions
1. Walk me through the steps you take when creating and implementing a marketing
initiative. (Procedural, Interpretive)
2. From your perspective, describe the process of editing or altering a marketing
initiative. (Procedural, Interpretive)
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3. What tools do you use to measure a marketing initiative’s success and how often are
you utilizing them? (Procedural)
Transition #1
Having talked about the creation and implementation of marketing initiatives, I’d like to
turn to how one would measure the success of a marketing initiative. Based on your company’s
policies and goals set forth for this year, let’s talk about marketing strategy and how you measure
their success.
Strategy/Metrics Questions
4. Describe how you would map out a marketing strategy. (Motivational)
5. If you could put yourself in a customer’s shoes, what promotions would you find the
most attractive? (Motivational, Hypothetical, Opinion/Values)
6. Walk me through your process for collecting and analyzing sales and marketing data.
What do you find to be the most difficult or the easiest part of this process? Why?
(Procedural, Interpretive, Behavioral/Experience)
Transition #2
We’ve had a chance to discuss how you analyze data. Let’s switch over to new segments
that have yet to be tapped.
New Market Segment Questions
7. Walk me through your process of identifying a segment of the population you would
like to target in a specific marketing initiative. (Procedural)
8. Detail any and all resources your organization has provided to you in order to
improve your marketing strategies. How do they work? (Organizational)
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9. What resources exist that would benefit a marketing team member in securing new
customers for your company? (Organizational, Ideal)
Transition #3
We discussed targeting new segments, let’s talk now about how you play a role in the
overall communication of strategy within the organization.
Job Satisfaction/Communication Questions
10. Tell me what aspect of this company made you want to work for them.
(Motivational, Feeling, Background)
11. Is there a skill you would like to learn that may help you perform your job functions
better? If so, what skill and how would it assist you in your job? (Organizational,
Ideal)
12. Walk me through a typical sales and marketing strategy meeting. (Procedural)
Wrap Up
Thank you for participating in this study. Your answers will assist in putting together a
clearer picture about marketing strategy initiatives for e-commerce customers. Should
participants have questions pertaining to the study, your responses and its future use, please
contact me at scolton@usc.edu. I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me today and will
take any questions that you have at this time.
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Appendix C: Credibility and Trustworthiness
Credibility and trustworthiness of the study are of the highest ethical importance
(Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Collecting multiple sources of data through triangulation and
analysis are specific areas where the study increased its credibility and trustworthiness (Fielding,
2012; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The credibility of the study was addressed in two ways, the
researcher’s qualifications to conduct the study and the parameters of the study. I first formally
introduced myself as the researcher to the study participants and detailed the topic of research.
Underscoring the credibility of the study were outlined parameters, which the researcher is
allowed to study by highlighting IRB requirements (Creswell, 2014). Specific attention was
given to the required safety protections given to human research subjects and the rights afforded
to participants as they pertain to personal and private information (i.e., e-mail addresses and
confidentiality of interview responses relating to identifying a participant in reporting results
analysis).
Trustworthiness was increased in the analysis, data collection and maintenance of
participant records (Creswell, 2014; Salkind, 2017). The audio of each interview was recorded.
For the interview conducted via e-mail, the e-mail responses served as the data recorded for that
specific interview. A scripted statement, regarding the maintenance of those audio recordings,
was read to each participant at the beginning of the interview. The statement read, “The audio of
this interview is being recorded for the purposes of this study. The audio of each participant’s
interview will not be shared with ModeX.” All audio will be transcribed for analysis for a final
report to synthesize the data collected (Bogdan & Biklen, 1993). Prior to sending the interview
questions to the participant submitting responses via an e-mail, a separate e-mail was sent to the
participant detailing the nature of the study, the role of the researcher and the interview
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questions. Excerpts of each participant’s interview transcript are included in the analysis for
thematic recognition. Each participant’s name will be withheld, and a pseudonym was used to
identify each participant (i.e., Participant G1, G2, G3, G4 and G5) (Creswell, 2014). The
researcher has the only access to the participant’s true identity that corresponds with the
pseudonym (Creswell, 2014). Trustworthiness was increased by reading the statement above to
each participant before the start of the interview and by also providing the statement to them in a
written format (i.e. Microsoft Word document) via e-mail in an attachment (Creswell, 2014).
The relationship the researcher has with the participant is valuable and must be treated with
respect (Weiss, 1994).
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Appendix D: Validity and Reliability
The qualitative study incorporated participant responses and the administration of the
interview questions took place via telephone and one participant responded to interview
questions via an e-mail message. The participants were not face-to-face with the researcher as
the company is located on the East Coast of the United States of America and the researcher is
located in Los Angeles, CA. To increase/maintain validity in this study, the researcher cited
research throughout and reduced and/or refrained from including generalizations of the topic
presented (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). To maximize validity, the systematic analysis focused on
grouping responses to interview questions into similar phrasing and themes (Bogdan & Biklen,
1993; Patton, 1987).
Supportive evidence by way of company reports, outside consultant analysis of customer
segments, and current marketing campaigns served to increase internal validity (Bogdan &
Biklen, 1993; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The strategies employed to ensure confidence in the
sample were the participant selection based of those currently working at ModeX. To address
response rates, interviews were scheduled in advance by requesting employee participation via
an e-mail sent to the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of the company. After scheduling was
confirmed via an e-mail, interviews were conducted.
To ensure confidence in the study, the researcher interviewed participants from one
company. Focusing on one company increased the ability for the study to gain an in-depth scope
into the organizational workings of the company. To increase confidence in the study, peers
from the researcher’s doctoral cohort in addition to feedback from university faculty were sought
to frame interview questions to gain the most valuable responses (Creswell, 2014). Although the
interviews were not conducted more than once during this round of data collection, the reliability
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of the nature of the responses may be tested with this organization at a later date. The results
may change due to the growth between this period of data collection and a future researcher’s
timeframe for data collection.
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Appendix E: Ethics
Study participants must be given proper information to make informed decisions about
taking part to minimize risks to the welfare of human subjects (Glesne, 1999). The study
benefited ModeX’s future marketing campaigns and potentially impacted their financial health,
as well as similar organizations interested in finding ways to improve their market share and
bottom line. In addition to the upcoming Approach section in Appendix E, the researcher
submitted the research proposal to the Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB is made up of
federally regulated committees that review research to ensure that the welfare of human subjects
is protected (U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 1998).
The IRB process is one that ensures participants are protected and proper research
protocols are followed. The process included the researcher submitting a proposal to a three-
person committee for review (University of Southern California [USC], n.d.). The researcher
passed a proposal defense, completed CITI Training, (a research and ethics compliance training
course), and submitted an ISTAR application to IRB for review (with faculty member approval).
The IRB Staff reviewed the application and made a determination of approval (USC, n.d.). After
the initial review was approved, the proposed study began to collect data. Once the analysis and
summary were complete, the researcher then submitted a final dissertation draft and passed a
dissertation defense with a three-person review committee.
Approach
Participants were asked to be part of the study via e-mail communication from the
ModeX CMO. The list of participant e-mails was supplied to the researcher by the CMO. There
was a statement identifying the focus of the study, how the invited participant was selected and a
particular interest in the participant’s knowledge about the topic. A note regarding
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confidentiality was also highlighted in the e-mail to maintain the privacy of the participant’s
responses and willingness to participate in the study (Glesne, 1999; Rubin & Rubin, 2005).
Selected participants did not have to take part in the study. They were able to inform the
researcher of their participation or non-participation by replying to the researcher’s initial
correspondence. By taking these measures to protect human subjects, the credibility of the
researcher also translated into validation, reliability and a more credible study (Merriam &
Tisdell, 2016).
The list of pre-selected participants shared with the researcher contained the company e-
mail address and first and last names of ModeX employees who met the three criteria to become
an interview subject. Ensuring the confidentiality and anonymity of the data by informing
participants that their responses would be shared with company representatives, without
identifying from which employee interview they were provided, is imperative (Merriam &
Tisdell, 2016). Each participant was assigned a pseudonym and participants were addressed with
questions that allowed them not to answer as a way to make sure that employees did not feel
pressured into giving responses they might have thought could hinder or harm them in any future
interactions with supervisors at ModeX (Rubin & Rubin, 2005).
Employees received an invitation to participate from the researcher, and once the
telephone interviews were scheduled, they received a consent form at the beginning of the
interview that detailed the permission to record audio from the interview (Rubin & Rubin, 2005).
Technology can easily be used to deceive participants, that is why this method was used as a
deterrent (Glesne, 1999). The consent also served as a notice to all participants that the interview
would be recorded, and the timing of the signature will bolster its validity.
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Each interview was transcribed, and the audio has not been shared with anyone other than
the researcher’s dissertation committee members during the editing process over the Summer and
Fall 2019 (Creswell, 2014). The recordings are stored in a password-protected file on a
password-protected computer with periodic secured backup for approximately five years and
destroyed after that (Creswell, 2014; Salkind, 2017). Audio files are only accessed by the
researcher for transcription and to identify any transcription errors during the analysis research
stage. ModeX employee consent forms are stored in a locked filing cabinet separate from the
transcribed coded data.
Relationship To ModeX
ModeX’s Chief Marketing Operator (CMO) is a friend and former classmate of the
researcher. The researcher is not a company investor, employee, customer or vendor. The
ability to convey the researcher’s role to the ModeX employees as one of a trustworthy and
reliable data gatherer is essential (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). As a researcher, there is reasonable
cause to believe that the marketing team may need more/less time on each campaign to be most
effective. The management may also have opinions on what will improve their bottom line and
how to go about implementing those changes. I believe ModeX management have differing
opinions than the marketing team about the creative process versus the economic importance of
each campaign.
In the study, the participants were informed of the focus of the research but were limited
in their ability to control the contents of the analysis of their interview responses in a more open
autocratic method (Glesne, 1999). By asking open-ended questions and then becoming more
specific, the interviews allowed each employee to demonstrate their knowledge of the research
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subject and give the researcher the ability to assign importance to those responses with more
intimate knowledge of the topic (Krueger & Casey, 2009).
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Appendix F: Implementation and Evaluation Plan
Introduction and Overview
The purpose of the study was to explore the e-commerce marketing strategies utilized by
ModeX, understand the challenges the company faces with targeting specific segments and
maintain current customer bases. The study revealed three key findings pertaining to the
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences on ModeX’s marketing team. The
knowledge the marketing team members have is not sufficient to create and implement
successful initiatives on a consistent basis. The usefulness the team members have in seeing the
value of increasing the number of customers must be increased and the resources provided to the
marketing team regarding data science and the reporting features for analysis of aggregated data
across platforms need to be addressed immediately. Two additional gaps were also revealed
through data collection: the need for additional training and resources and the need for positive
messaging and timely reporting of revenue through quarterly reports.
Several recommendations have been outlined below including knowledge
recommendations: (1) provide the Marketing Team with information on what opportunities the
roommate market demographic prefers and utilizes most; (2) provide the Marketing Team with
an informational pamphlet on their e-commerce consumers marketing segments; (3) provide the
Marketing Team with a database of information on effective marketing and promotions strategies
highlighting successful campaigns that e-commerce consumers are most responsive to.
To strengthen the motivation influences on ModeX’s marketing team, the following
recommendations were outlined: (1) to provide the marketing team with weekly workshop where
buying behavior is modeled, then the marketing team can develop key indicators of success with
their counterparts, and implement accurate targeting through marketing campaigns; (2) to
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provide the marketing team with monthly appointments with data science team members where
data collection, analysis and reporting is modeled, then the marketing team can identify key
performance indicators, and implement more successful predictive marketing strategies through
campaign initiatives; (3) to provide weekly customer metrics to the marketing team that identify
the link between increased customer numbers and successful marketing campaigns.
The following recommendations to enhance ModeX’s organizational strength included:
(1) to provide the marketing team with access to training modules on Looker, Google Analytics,
LinkedIn, Periscope and Workfront; (2) to provide marketing team members with an
introductory training at the date of hire to familiarize with current software and data collection
methods; (3) to provide encouraging messages regarding the status of the company in relation to
competitors.
ModeX can implement the knowledge, motivation, and organizational recommendations
as a program whereby job aids and industry training are offered, and feedback can be measured
to measure its effectiveness. Utilizing Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick’s (2016) 4 Levels of Learning
(4: Results & Leading Indicators, 3: Behavior, 2: Learning and 1: Reaction) identified the
specifics of how ModeX can implement the program to find the most return on their employee
investment. Consistent communication with employees in addition to providing the employees
with job aids, training workshops and online tutorials can enhance team confidence and overall
work product.
Implementation and Evaluation Framework
The implementation and evaluation plan put forth is based on the New World Kirkpatrick
Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). By utilizing this model, organizations can meet their
problems with solutions and work counterclockwise to adjust areas that do not connect to
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specified goals. The four levels include Level 1: Reaction, Level 2: Learning, Level 3: Behavior
and Level 4: Results. Beginning an implementation and evaluation plan with desired outcomes
forces an organization to be detailed in the type of results it would like to gain. By looking at the
required drivers that highlight what behaviors are being demonstrated by employees, ModeX can
introduce key metrics that will ultimately measure each marketing campaign’s success and/or
failures.
Organizational Purpose, Need and Expectations
The stakeholder goal of reaching additional consumers in the roommate market was
determined by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of ModeX. The company’s mission is to be
the go-to company for buying-in-bulk online. The stakeholder (marketing team) goal of
increasing the ModeX customer base 5% by July 2020 relates to the organizational mission and
goal by satisfying the company’s monetary goals while also finding a way to tap into an
untapped market segment.
The organization’s ability to achieve the customer base increase of 5% will be impacted
by the ModeX employees’ day-to-day implementation of leading indicators system checks on
campaign metrics, weekly check-ins with department feedback and monthly data analysis from
AI and customer service regarding customer feedback, retention, buying behaviors and new
segment accumulation.
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
Table F1 shows the proposed Level 4: Leading Indicators and Results for ModeX as they
pertain to the internal and external outcomes, metrics and methods. While internal outcomes are
proposed, the external vision may not be immediately known as the landscape of e-commerce is
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constantly changing. The short-term wins for ModeX internally with organizational influences
may or may not show a monetary increase or customer base increase in the same time duration.
Table F1
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
External Outcomes
1. Increased number of
customers in the
roommate market by 5%.
The number of customers
during a certain time
period.
Data retrieval for analysis (i.e., number of
customers at time of campaign launch,
number of click throughs from new
customers, number of purchases from new
customers).
2. Increased AOC
(Average Online Cart)
sales per customer.
The dollar value of each
checkout cart.
Data retrieval for analysis (i.e., analysis
from current core customers and their AOC
prior to the marketing campaign’s
implementation & the AOC during the
campaign, cross checked with the AOC
after the campaign completion).
3. Introduction of
diversified shopping cart.
The number of products
purchased at each check
out.
Data retrieval for analysis (i.e., number of
customers who add alternate items to cart,
data of customer cart AOC during the
campaign).
Internal Outcomes
4. Increased time to work
on concept, creation,
implementation and
duration of campaigns.
The number of days/
hours/ weeks/ months
increases to encourage
the best outcome for the
campaign.
Retrieve data to highlight whether the
additional time allotted has a positive effect
on each campaign implemented.
5. Increased employee
confidence.
The number of
employees who exhibit
feeling confident in their
day-to-day duties (i.e.,
creation of campaign
directives).
Monthly check-ins by supervisors with
employees to have a current handle on what
is working and what can be tweaked.
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Level 3: Behavior
Critical behaviors. The stakeholders of focus were the marketing team members. The
first critical behavior is that the marketing team members request additional information about
the market segments in which the company would like to obtain loyalty and affiliation. The
second critical behavior is that the marketing team members understand and feel confident with
the software that assists the internal IT team in recognizing the segmentation gaps they are
targeting. The third critical behavior is the marketing team be able to generate its own analysis
incorporating data from internal numbers and project management tools and provide the
overview needed to assist in any adjustments with campaigns moving forward.
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Table F2
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical Behavior Metric(s) Method(s) Timing
1. Request additional
information regarding
the marketing
segments each
campaign should be
targeting.
The number of
customers not
currently being
contacted.
The Director of Marketing
should request outline the
gaps in market
segmentation for team
members.
1. Quarterly updates on
market gaps.
2. Yearly trends on market
gaps and newly identified
segments to target.
2. Understand and feel
confident using newly
developed IT software
that integrates external
metrics with internal
customer data about
buying behaviors.
The percentage of
time each marketing
team member needs
to ask IT to go over a
formula or data
calculation regarding
consumer buying
behaviors.
The CMO and Director of
Marketing need to conduct
weekly check-ins with
team members to find out
what information would
assist them to better
understand and feel
confident about the
software solutions they
currently have in place or
need to address and
implement.
1. Upon hiring a marketing
team member, HR will go
over the software expertise of
the employee and evaluate
through testing their
knowledge of currently used
databases for ModeX.
2. Should the new hire need
further training, the
department responsible for
building the internal system,
will guide the employee
through a step-by-step process
to learn how to operate the
software.
3. Quarterly check-ins by the
Director of Marketing to
assess whether retraining or
new training is necessary with
all employees due to the
constantly changing
environment of e-commerce.
3. Generate marketing
team analyses that
incorporate IT internal
data with project
management tools
used by the marketing
department.
The number of
reports generated by
the marketing team
that accurately depict
an overview of the
impact of the
marketing
campaigns.
Each brand manager,
channel owner will create a
report for the Director of
Marketing based on
preconceived formatting
and address impact and
system failures in their
reports.
The Director of Marketing
will synthesize the reports
based on each brand
manager and channel
owners’ reports and
produce an overview for
the CMO.
1. Monthly reports by brand
managers and channel owners.
2. Quarterly reports by the
Director of Marketing
synthesizing the monthly
reports.
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Required drivers. ModeX marketing team members require additional information
about the internal software systems used to acquire data from current and prospective customers.
The team also requires additional time and resources to affirm their concepts for marketing
campaigns and their overall success. To facilitate motivation, rewards may need to be
implemented by the organization and its management to highlight successful campaigns by the
marketing team.
Table F3
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing
Critical
Behaviors
Supported
1, 2, 3, etc.
Reinforcing
Team Meetings: information on what opportunities the roommate market
demographic prefers and utilizes most.
Weekly 1, 3
Job Aid: informational pamphlet on their e-commerce consumers marketing
segments.
Monthly 1, 2
Job Aid: database of information on effective marketing and promotions
strategies.
Quarterly 1, 3
Encouraging
Weekly workshop: where buying behavior is modeled, then the marketing
team can develop key indicators with their counterparts, and implement
accurate targeting through marketing campaigns.
Weekly 1, 3
Weekly customer metrics that identify the link between increased customer
numbers and successful marketing campaigns.
Weekly 2, 3
Rewarding
Provide the marketing team with quarterly reward system based on data
accumulated via successful campaigns.
Quarterly 3
Reward employees with stock options for successful recruitment of new
market segments.
Yearly 3
Monitoring
Schedule time for campaign review. Monthly 1, 3
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Organizational support. The behaviors listed above highlight critical changes to be
implemented to obtain the organizational mission, goal, and stakeholder goal. ModeX as a
whole can relinquish timeline restrictions in favor of a more loosely based timeline that can
assist marketing team members in their overall job function.
Level 2: Learning
Learning goals. Following the implementation of the solutions recommended to
ModeX, the marketing team will be able to:
1. Accurately assess buying behavior of key segment gaps with confidence prior to
creating campaigns that target specific populations. (D)
2. Communicate with the IT department regarding coding language. (P)
3. Fact-find in real time the types of audience behavior in which they seek to modify or
change. (P)
4. Project confidence when outlining a brief during team meetings not only in the team
members’ area of expertise but including key touchpoints where overlapping
departments see their work being described and implemented. (Confidence)
5. Correctly identify segment gaps and adjust marketing campaigns in a timely manner.
(D)
6. Monitor marketing initiatives to ensure accuracy, upsell capabilities and identify
future promotions. (P)
Program. The goals highlighted in earlier sections will be implemented with a program
that incorporates consistent communication between employees, specifically internal technical
departments, and supervisors to enhance the knowledge and accuracy of the marketing team
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(Tangen & Borders, 2017). Workshops, job aids and reinforcement through rewards will assist
the program’s sustained effectiveness.
During the initial training periods, marketing team members will be assisted by attending
weekly team meetings where they are given key information on what opportunities the roommate
market demographic prefers and utilizes most. These meetings will also provide supervisors an
opportunity to disseminate job aids including an informational pamphlet on their e-commerce
consumers marketing segments and trainings on database of information that highlight effective
marketing and promotions strategies.
The marketing team’s confidence should increase with the next phase of reinforcement
through weekly team workshops where buying behavior is modeled. These workshops allow the
marketing team to develop key performance indicators (KPI) with their counterparts, and
implement accurate targeting through marketing campaigns. The duration of the program will
take place through the weekly trainings throughout the year to encourage a consistent update of
the needs of their core customers and identify buying behavior and key customer segment gaps.
Components of learning. Implementing effective learning methods will assist the
ModeX marketing team in accessing tools they will need to perform successfully in their job
functions. Through declarative knowledge, procedural skills, attitude, confidence, and
commitment, individuals will be able to demonstrate these attributes through feedback,
discussion, and task completion at workshops and training sessions (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick,
2016). Managers can identify through training whether the skills being shown are readily being
learned and adapted in day-to-day practice. Table F4 identifies how the ModeX marketing team
will evaluate method and/or activities and the duration through which they can complete each
competency.
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Table F4
Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Declarative Knowledge — “I know it.”
Knowledge check via marketing campaign results via real time data
analytics reports.
Daily reporting on KPIs.
Knowledge check via team briefing meeting (show of hands)
regarding understanding the objective of the marketing initiative.
During weekly staff meeting.
Procedural Skills — “I can do it right now.”
Marketing Team members’ application of project management
software systems.
At the end of the workshop.
Marketing Team members’ application of coding in briefing
meetings.
At the end of the workshop.
Practice completing tasks with job aids. At the end of the workshop.
Attitude — “I believe this is worthwhile.”
One-on-one meetings with supervisors to assess the team member’s
value of workshops, job aids and trainings.
Quarterly.
E-mail survey of employees sent to Inbox post briefing meeting. Post Briefing Meeting for each
new marketing initiative.
Confidence — “I think I can do it on the job.”
Survey to identify the level of confidence in predicting buying
behaviors for customers.
Quarterly: to be conducted during
the weekly team meeting.
During campaign briefing meeting, around the room check-in to see
if the goals being outlined for the brief are attainable.
During Briefing Meetings for each
new marketing initiative.
Commitment — “I will do it on the job.”
Communicate through feedback and discussion after database
trainings.
After coding training with IT
department.
Supervisor check-list for daily KPI analysis. Daily reporting of metrics to
supervisor.
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Level 1: Reaction
Table F5 will use observation, survey, one-on-one check-ins and group feedback to
implement the changes necessary to achieve a higher success rate for achieving the organization
goal.
Table F5
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program
Method(s) or Tool(s) Timing
Engagement
Observation by marketing team supervisor. During the workshops.
In meeting survey by the briefing team lead. During the Briefing Meeting.
Relevance
Survey of team confidence in workshop
efficiency and effectiveness via phone check-in.
Weekly — as post-workshop check-
in.
Phone check-in with supervisor post briefing
meeting.
Post briefing meeting.
Customer Satisfaction
Survey sent to core customers after checkout for
quality assurance check.
As needed after checkout experience.
E-mail product preference survey sent to core
customers for like/dislike metrics.
Post second purchase with added
loyalty/reward for submitting survey.
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Evaluation Tools
Immediately following the program implementation. During workshops, marketing
team members will have their skills tested and a verbal check-in will be facilitated by the training
organizer. For Level 1, during the weekly workshop, the training facilitator will conduct a verbal
confidence check, while Level 2 will identify one-on-one phone check-ins with supervisors to
allow for confidentiality on learned skills during workshops and trainings. There will also be a
survey conducted immediately following the weekly workshop.
The instrument to measure knowledge of data analytics and marketing initiatives will be
both an immediate survey at the end of a workshop and a delayed survey 90 days after the
completion of a workshop or seminar. The survey will be comprised of eight questions with
Level 1 and Level 2 responses that include a Likert scale to include Strongly Disagree, Disagree,
Agree and Strongly Agree in addition to completion tasks to be filled in by the team member.
See Appendix G for Immediate Feedback Survey.
Delayed for a period after the program implementation. Approximately 30 days after
the initial weekly workshop, a survey of the workshop, job aid and check-in effectiveness will be
conducted by the marketing team supervisor. The survey will be comprised of eight questions
with Level 1, 2, 3, and Level 4 responses that include a Likert scale to include Strongly Disagree,
Disagree, Agree and Strongly Agree in addition to completion tasks to be filled in by the team
member. See Appendix H for Delayed Feedback Survey.
Data Analysis and Reporting
Utilizing the immediate and delayed eight-question instruments, findings will be reported
via Summary of Findings that are accompanied by infographics. Data visualization is presented
often to team members via Google Analytics and other platforms for the purpose of seeing data
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analytics for marketing team initiatives. The team members are already familiar with this style
of reporting and will feel comfortable seeing data in this manner. The New World Kirkpatrick
Model (2016) identifies four key levels to demonstrate the extent of knowledge and skill one
may possess in the areas of customer satisfaction, engagement and relevance (Level 1),
knowledge, skill, attitude, confidence and commitment (Level 2), behaviors such as required
drivers (i.e., reinforcement, encouragement and reward performance) (Level 3) and lastly results
that identify the leading indicators which demonstrate measurements of those behaviors (Level
4).
After the immediate and delayed instruments have been completed by team members, it
will be up to the team’s supervisor to identify key metrics that stand out and are utilized in the
visualization graphs. The summary of the instruments will include the data from all questions,
but visualization of key metrics is important when looking at what might be changed in future
iterations. Figure 3 is a sample graph of one key metric from the immediate survey instrument
implemented following a ModeX coding workshop with members of the marketing team and
data science team. The graph highlights the responses from marketing team members and how
they are able to implement the learnings from the workshop.
Summary
The recommendations for ModeX to achieve its stakeholder and organizational goals
utilize the New World Kirkpatrick Model’s (2016) four levels of training evaluation. During this
study’s data collection phase, interviews revealed that trainings are not part of the organization’s
employee offerings. Many employees are hired for their expertise and cross-training to
incorporate more general understanding about how data science is reported and interpreted by
internal backend systems is not offered. Incorporating the critical behaviors in weekly, monthly
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and quarterly intervals, ModeX recommendations include reinforcement techniques from the
New World Kirkpatrick Model’s (2016) Levels 1 and 3.
Conducting team meetings along with job aids will assist the marketing team’s ability to
navigate data sets more efficiently. Highlighting buying behavior through modeling at
workshops utilizes the encouragement, monitoring, and rewarding levels of the New World
Kirkpatrick Model (2016). ModeX can provide customer metrics, provide a quarterly reward
system and monitor campaigns with scheduled times for review and reflection. The knowledge,
procedural, and confidence checks are also instrumental aspects of the New World Kirkpatrick
Model (2016) that when implemented can have additional lasting effects for future employee
contributions and the successful creation, implementation, analysis, and reimagining of future
iterations of marketing campaign initiatives.
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Appendix G: Sample Post-Training Survey Items Measuring
Kirkpatrick Levels 1 and 2
Immediate Feedback Survey (Q1–8)
1. I found the workshop useful in completing data analysis. (Level 1, Relevance)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
2. Describe the value of completing a data analysis for a marketing initiative’s launch. (Level 2,
Attitude)
3. I can complete a “brief” and convey the marketing initiative parameters for a campaign right
now. (Level 2, Confidence)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
4. Complete a brief analysis of a marketing initiative’s data set. (Level 1, Engagement)
5. Which of the following is not a component of a ModeX marketing initiative? (Level 2,
Declarative Knowledge)
(a) the brief (b) the budget (c) the data science dashboard
6. Understanding how to analyze data sets is valuable to the work I do. (Level 2, Attitude)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
7. I would recommend the workshop training to my peers. (Level 1, Customer Satisfaction)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
8. How do you plan to employ the marketing strategies you learned today to your job daily?
(Level 2, Procedural)
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Appendix H: Sample Blended Evaluation Items Measuring
Kirkpatrick Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4
Delayed Feedback Survey (Q1–8)
1. What I learned in workshops is valuable to my day-to-day work tasks. (Level 1, Reaction)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
2. I was able to complete data analysis more effectively after the workshop than prior to the
workshop. (Level 2, Learning)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
3. I believe completing the job aid on data set analysis is valuable to my job. (Level 2, Attitude)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
4. My peers and I use the workshop material for completing KPI analysis on a daily basis.
(Level 3, Behavior)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
5. The material that I’ve applied from the workshops has given me positive campaign results.
(Level 4, Results)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
6. I am able to complete the “Brief” for each of my marketing campaign initiatives. (Level 4,
Results)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
7. I have successfully applied the reporting learned in the workshops to my interpretation of
data sets in my daily job. (Level 3, Transfer)
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree
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8. What information on data science could be added to increase its relevance for channel
owners, brand managers and partnership coordinators? (Level 2, Knowledge)
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Appendix I: Document & Audiovisual Digital Materials Analysis Protocols
Document analysis protocol are based on O’Leary’s (2014) eight-step process and
include measures that follow (i.e., collection of data relevant to the study topic, create an
organized way to manage the data, copy document originals to make comments, derive
authenticity of documents collected, identify the document’s description, bias and what it sets
out to accomplish, identify background information about the document, identify the who, what,
when about the document and understand and analyze the contents of the document). The
researcher acknowledges:
When collecting data from the Internet, the researcher is no longer the primary instrument
for data collection; a variety of software tools must be used to locate, select, and process
information. Like the researcher, these tools have inherent biases that may affect the
study, but their biases may be very subtle — and often much more difficult for a
researcher to detect and describe (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016, p. 187).
Step 1 is identifying a description of the document, step 2 is interpreting the document
and step 3 is understanding the implications for practice. For documents that are in written form,
the following protocols were identified:
• Identify any markings on the document
• Identify if the document is handwritten or typed
• Identify the author of the document
• Identify the date the document was written
• Identify the type of document (e.g., letter, chart, report, ad, speech, press release
memorandum, court document, email, other)
• Identify the parties who received, sent or commissioned the document
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• Identify the main idea of the document
• Identify and/or analyze why the document was written
For documents that are deemed to be images (i.e., photographs or screenshots), the following
protocols were identified:
• Identify type of image (e.g., portrait, landscape, selfie)
• Identify if the image is in black and white or in color
• Identify who or what is in the image (e.g., people, objects, activities)
• Identify what is happening in the image
• Identify the author of the image
• Identify a description of the image or any markings on the photo
• Identify any data points if there is text on the image
• Identify the date of the image (e.g., identifiable background or written timestamp)
For documents that are deemed to be moving images (i.e., video), the following protocols were
identified:
• Identify type of moving image (e.g., commercial, animation, promotional,
documentary, entertainment, newsreel)
• Identify the elements included (e.g., special effects, music, live action, dramatization,
black/white, color)
• Identify who or what is in the moving image (e.g., people, places, activities)
• Identify what is happening in the moving image
• Identify the author of the moving image
• Identify a description of the moving image
• Identify any data points if there is text on or within the moving image
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• Identify the date of the moving image (e.g., identifiable background or written
timestamp)
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Appendix J: Limitations and Delimitations of the Study
Limitations of the Study
The limitations beyond the control of the researcher include the time allotted for data
collection (3 months), the framework as proposed by the university program curriculum, and
adherence to the inclusion of the Clark and Estes (2008) framework. The dissertation length has
been curtailed to remain within a proposed page length to maintain a concise text for the reader.
Several of the study participants have moved on and no longer work for ModeX, which removed
the possibility to member check the study’s findings (Harvey, 2014).
Delimitations of the Study
Delimitations of the study include a “difficulty in recruitment,” resulting in the small
number of interview participants due to the small start-up nature of the company (Creswell,
2014, p. 199). Four of the five participants completed interviews as part of the study’s data
collection. Due to a job change, one participant submitted responses to the interview questions
via an e-mail. According to Merriam and Tisdell (2016), “an e-mail interview may have the
same verbal content as one conducted in person, but it lacks inflection, body language, and the
many other nuances that often communicate more vividly than words” (pp. 187–188). The
participant’s email responses may not have the amount of nuance as the remaining four
participants.
The study profiled a company that has not been tested over time. Conducting a study on
a new organization highlights the fact that the practices being studied may look relatively
untested as compared to companies who have worked over many years to perfect their marketing
outreach process and campaign strategy and implementation. The design of the study will not
allow for a quantitative study of marketing professionals who have worked in the field of e-
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commerce outside of the selected organization. Proprietary information regarding the current
attribution model was not provided to the researcher at the time of data collection.
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Abstract (if available)
Abstract
The study examines the e-commerce strategies used by ModeX to increase their customer base. The purpose of the study was to explore the process utilized by ModeX, a small consumer e-commerce start-up company, to boost customers in an underserviced market segment. A qualitative study examined ModeX employees’ knowledge of predictive modeling and their goal to increase their customer base and obtain the organizational goal of adding 5% more customers and increased revenue as well. Utilizing the Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analysis Framework, knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences were analyzed. Study findings show marketing team members’ lack of confidence to predict buyer behavior, a missing motivation component when assessing last-click purchase attribution, and a need to provide team members with additional resources to gain critical skills for internal and external data collection and analysis. Based on findings, the study recommends ModeX, as an organization, provide informational job aids, opportunities for the marketing team to train through workshops and online tutorials to increase confidence in predictive modeling for future marketing initiatives. Recommendations also include implementing post-training feedback to assist team members in providing training that will consistently help in job functions and successful campaigns.
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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Colton-Medici, Sandra
(author)
Core Title
E-commerce marketing strategies: targeting online consumer markets
School
Rossier School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education
Degree Program
Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)
Publication Date
11/08/2019
Defense Date
09/26/2019
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
buyer behavior,e-commerce,Marketing,OAI-PMH Harvest,predictive modeling,strategy
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Datta, Monique (
committee chair
), Stowe, Kathy (
committee chair
), Robles, Darline (
committee member
)
Creator Email
coltonsandra@gmail.com,scolton@usc.edu
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-230700
Unique identifier
UC11675422
Identifier
etd-ColtonMedi-7904.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-230700 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
etd-ColtonMedi-7904.pdf
Dmrecord
230700
Document Type
Dissertation
Rights
Colton-Medici, Sandra
Type
texts
Source
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Access Conditions
The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...
Repository Name
University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location
USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA
Tags
buyer behavior
e-commerce
predictive modeling
strategy