Progressive Levels of Interactivity in Marketing Sites - Coursework Example

Review of the article The Effects of Progressive Levels of Interactivity and Vividness in Web Marketing Sites The article d The Effects of Progressive Levels of Interactivity and Vividness in Web Marketing Sites published in 2001 by Coyle and Thorson has been reviewed. The subject of research chosen does not have practical implications in today’s turbulent market conditions. The research paper has not been well presented as it has not followed the acceptable standards. The research has been well conducted, the methodology has been explained but no justification for the chosen method has been given. While the language and grammar have been found to be presentable, the citations and referencing are inconsistent. The results were predicted and not challenged which is the hallmark of a proper and standard research paper. Introduction This journal article focuses on how to create a successful brand presence on the internet. The authors believe that a strong brand can create positive consumer perceptions of the existing products and for new products. It has tried to focus on new design tools that could help marketers obtain more usage of the website and generate better sales. The authors have tried to impress that new media like vividness and interactivity can fetch better response than traditional media. In other words, new media produces realism. They have also explored the possibility of advertisements on the website to attract users. Consumer good companies have not been keen to adopt animation and sound because it causes distraction from the actual products or message on the website. Thus this article has tried to explore how varying levels of realism affects attitudes, behavioural intentions and the level of consistency between these attitudes and intentions. The article compares the impact of direct and indirect experience and studied the impact of realism in marketing. They have studied the impact of telepresence, vividness and interactivity on several versions of four different websites. It is difficult to generalize the attitudes and reactions of consumers as there are so many variables involved. Vividness has been found to generate stronger attitudes towards the site but it does not necessarily means higher sales. Thus the article has tried to identify and analyze factors that influence online consumer behavior. Marketing theory - Relationship marketing - The article cites theory from other articles that were written as many as twenty years before the article under review. Consumer behavior changes to a large extent in 20 years and so would the principles of marketing. The article has studied the impact of direct and indirect experience where direct experience refers to visuals on television and similar promotions. Their research found that direct experience led to more enduring attitudes and were more resistant to attack. They have defined virtual reality in different ways and compared it to telepresence. They have also studied the communication effects of telepresence on people’s attitudes and behavior. According to the article real-world mapping is not yet a reality for most internet users. Virtual realism is the latest marketing tool that was applied in the early 200s and hence the authors have rightly studied the concept. Constantinides (2004) also discusses this concept although it has been called virtual interaction. Hoffman and Novak (1996) also suggest that to adopt a new media, a new business paradigm is required. The role of marketing is not limited to determining the attitude of the customers. The role of marketing is to facilitate the development of the market itself (Hoffman & Novak). The article concentrates on the attitudes and behavior of the consumer and has not taken into account the shopping experience and the concept of e-commerce marketing as has been highlighted by Constantinides. The article by Hoffman and Novak was published much earlier than the article under review and carries in-depth study on the prospects and patterns of web marketing. Nevertheless, the article has concentrated on realism while completely ignoring what relationship marketing can do increase online sales of products. Relationship marketing (RM) means to identify, establish, maintain and enhance relationships. It also specifies that relationships can be terminated with customers whenever it is felt necessary. When these activities are undertaken, the objectives have been met and both parties gain, which is the purpose of marketing (Durkin & Howcorft, 2003). According to Gummesson (2002), Vedic philosophy treats knowledge as a blend of three interacting elements: the process of knowing (methodology), the knower (the researcher) and the known (the result). All three are essential for knowledge generation. In the case of this research, all three are known and hence the researchers have been able to generate new knowledge. As far as the issue of branding is concerned, Hatch and Schultz (2003) contend that instead of product branding, corporate branding should be focused on. If the corporate brand is accepted, its products are automatically accepted. The article under review focuses on product brand through internet. Wu (2002) brings put another dimension in internet marketing. Wu contends that the degree of user involvement in internet marketing determines the consumer behavior. This point has not been discussed by the authors of the article under review. The article under review has discussed words like ‘vividness’ and ‘interactivity’ which is not found in contemporary marketing articles. The direct/indirect experience has also not been discussed in any of the contemporary articles on marketing. This literature review on the marketing principles sounds more like a discussion on the subject and the situation than a review of the literature undertaken for study. While examples of the theories have been cited, the purpose of research of those papers has not been included. In other words it is not an integrated literature review which according to Toracco (2005) is a form of research that reviews, critiques, synthesizes and analyzes representative literature in such a manner that new perspectives and framework are generated. A critique of literature review has not been conducted which helps to identify the strengths and key contributions of the literature studied. A critical analysis is a step towards increasing the knowledge base. Besides, literature has not been studied chronologically. Potential for extension of research This article concentrates on how the websites could be made interactive to generate better usage and become more attractive. The authors suggest more research on the direct/indirect experience of the consumer. This is an area which none of the contemporary research articles have touched upon and carries significant weightage for designing future websites. Besides, none of the other contemporary marketing research papers have dealt with studying the reaction of users towards the websites. At the same time, further research could include some other variables like loyalty, privacy and trust as other factors that urge a user to shop online or contribute towards a positive attitude towards online shopping. Currently their usage concentrates on vividness and interactivity which implies on the visual perception and raec6tiosn to the website. Today the consumer demands more than just visual appeal and it should be user-friendly. People do not have time to search for links or go to the HELP section. Hence other factors should be equally important. Their sample included about 80% Whites and this is an area where future research could include an equal mix of the different races as today all races have equal access to web and also use it. The web is continuously evolving and new web tools are being on a daily basis. The focus should also be on how each new technology impacts the direct or indirect experience. Technology brings in new forms of communication and interactions and each is an individual and unique experience by the consumer. Every new experience gives rise to a new attitude or reaction on which the consumer bases his return to the website. Hence future research should only include the direct and indirect impact; it should include the entire process in stages – from the time the customer gets into the website, at what stage he leaves the site, the reasons thereon; if he continues – what made him continue, what attracted or dissuaded him and what finally influenced his purchase decision or at least his decision to return to that website. Practical application of research The demand that research should be immediately applicable to marketing is a short-term approach according to Gummesson (2002). At times short term thinking is also essential but it does not tackle generic properties of marketing. A proper research takes time and the results should not be predictable; they should be uncertain. In this research the results were predicted. The results of this research are meant to provide a basis for internet advertisers to plan their strategy. This can only serve a generalized purpose as new tools are emerging everyday apart from customer attitudes undergoing significant changes. as new products enter the market, again on a daily basis, consumer needs and wants also change. Their preference and priorities change thus affecting the results that have been determined by this or for that matter any other study. While the results of this research matched the predictions, it may not always be true and may not hold true today. The research was conducted seven years ago during which period technology has changed and so has the consumer attitudes. The authors contend that comparison shopping takes a customer away from a website. Comparison in today’s turbulent business environment is unavoidable. Brand building should not rest with the product but the internet should focus on corporate brand building which has a far greater impact than product brand. Once the corporate brand is accepted by a consumer, the internet reactions like vividness and interactivity will not be as important as the authors make it to be. Corporate branding gives rise to loyalty and trust and these bring back customers to the website more than the advertising on the website. What the authors are trying to imply that ‘web marketers should get consumers to come to the company’s site and stop, satisfied that their search is over’ (p. 11) is possible with corporate branding and not product branding. Through out the article the authors focus on the direct experience with the product. This was an initial attempt to test how advertisers and marketers could convey messages through the website. This attempt is not very useful to the marketers as the scenario keeps changing which means the variables keep changing. Hence the research does not have impressive practical applications. Research effort and referencing technique The authors have synthesized the previous perspectives and set the context of the study. They have defined the hypotheses to be tested. Although the previous literature is not well integrated, the flow of the subject has been maintained. The article does include graphics which has a better appeal than just figures and calculations in a research paper but it contains too much of statistical calculations. There is no consistency maintained for in-text citation. At some places the page numbers have been given but not through out. The paper does not contain headings like Introduction, Literature Review and Abstract. Even in the methodology section, it goes straight into the research design without discussing the different research methods or providing justification for the method chosen. The rationale for research has not been mentioned and the purpose has just been briefly mentioned in the introduction of the paper. The research framework adopted has not been discussed at all. However, the research design has been clearly explained. The results have been presented and represented through tables and graph but the findings have not been discussed. The results section and the discussion section have not been segregated. The result section should only present and illustrate the findings. Interpretation should left to the discussion section but in this report, opinions and interpretations are merged with the findings. The conclusion has been set properly segregating it into summary, implications, limitations and scope for future research. Research effort has been exerted in sample selection, in defining and manipulating variables and giving complete explanation. However, the basic requirements of a research paper have not been followed in presenting the paper. The sample size is comprehensive and chosen from different categories although racial discrimination is evident. They have followed a formalized research methodology which helps to keep the researchers honest, unbiased and helps reduce errors (Radford & Goldestien, 2002). It also helps to convince the readers that the results are authentic and reliable. This paper follows a formalized research methodology and hence can be relied upon. They have used carefully designed statistical models that help to collect data scientifically (Neill, 2006). The researchers have used several variables, analyzed the data in different ways, from different angles, emphasizing on the finding and confirming the theme of the research. The number and types of data analyses carried out are appropriate and sufficient. The discussion deals with several hypotheses and each have been dealt with conclusively. Conclusion The key issues have been summarized and identified but the presentation of the research is not as per accepted standards. Language, grammar and spelling are of acceptable standards. Overall the purpose of the research has been met although its practical implications are negligible. The results have not been critically analyzed and the results have just been presented as it is. Further research in determining direct and indirect experience of the websites would not really help the marketers. References Constantinides, E. (2004). Influencing the online consumer’s behavior: the Web experience. Internet Research Volume 14 · Number 2 · 2004 · pp. 111-126 Durkin, M. G. & Howcroft, B. (2003). Relationship Marketing in the banking sector: the impact of new technologies. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 21/1 [2003] 61-71 Gummesson, E. (2002). Practical value of adequate marketing management theory. European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 36 No. 3, 2002, pp. 325-349. Hatch, M. J. & Schultz, M, (2003). Bringing the corporation into corporate branding. European Journal of Marketing Vol. 37 No. 7/8, 2003 pp. 1041-1064 Hoffman, D. L. & Novak, T. P. (1996). 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