E Marketing and Consumer Behaviour Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the E-Marketing and Consumer Behaviour. Answer: Introduction E-Marketing is also known as the internet marketing, online marketing and web marketing. The internet marketing or the e-marketing brings together the technical and the creative features of the internet. The e-marketing relies on using the digital technologies amalgamating the same with the traditional marketing communications to achieve the objective of increasing sales of products as well as services of the company. The electronic marketing strategies comprise of the online advertising on websites and other promotional activities like social networking and informative emails (Khan, 2014). There has been a paradigm shift in the use of the internet as the prime medium of communication in the last few years. The internet has added richness to the advertising and the marketing communications by bringing together the audio, video, and text content in the same message increasing its appeal and effectiveness (Cantallops, Salvi, 2014). Through e-marketing, organisations have developed an ability to broaden the scope of their marketing communication and reach the consumers across all the geographical barriers with the help of computers and mobile phones. The consumers have also become powerful as they have an enormous information and data on a variety of topics within their reach and they can interactively control the communication experience (Fullerton, 2014). The internet has created an always-on communication habitat with the mobile devices which have created tremendous marketing opportunities for the business organisations today. Both the consumers and the marketers have access to real-time information about the buying behaviour of the customers as they transact and interact in the market (Hur, Kim, Kim, 2013). This has given rise to debate and research on discerning and evaluating the elements of e-marketing that have an impact on the online consumer buying behaviour. This assignment is aimed at preparing a research proposal on the factors of e-marketing that have an impact on the consumer buying behaviour (Lee, Ko, Tikkanen, Phan, Aiello, Donvito, Raithel, 2014). This research proposal aims to distinguish the unique factors which shape the consumers online buying behaviour and how the business organisations can increase their productivity and profitability by utilising the e-marketing tools along with the traditional marketing methods. The Section I of this assignment includes the introduction, the problem statement defining the issues, the research objectives and aims, the rationalisation or explanation of research applications, followed by the anticipated outcomes. The Section two (II) consists of the Conceptual Outline of the proposal, the research proposition, and the studyapproaches. The Third section of the study incorporates the establishment of the research, The Gantt diagrams, followed by the overall cost for the research. Problem Statement The E-marketing has developed as important aspect of marketing function of the business organisation. An increasing number of people today are active on the social media platforms and a large number of consumers use the internet-based resources to conduct a preliminary research on the services and products and also about the market reputation and the brand image of the company before arriving at a final purchase decision (Mok, Sparks, Kadampully, 2013). A study of the impact of the e-marketing features on the consumer buying behaviour will help an organisation in devising the framework of the e-marketing strategies of the organisation. This will help an organisation to improve the speed of marketing communication and explicitly define the organisational goals and which the e-marketing strategies would help to achieve (Lovelock, Patterson, 2015). For developing the right e-marketing strategies an organisation has to undertake an analysis and study of the target audience of the company. The organisations in todays digital world have to devise the e-marketing strategies for the best utilisation of the organisational resources and facilities and these would in turn help in managing the related processes and procedures in the organisation in a synchronised and smooth manner. This would result in the overall development and increase the productivity and profitability of the organisation (Yarimoglu, 2014). Research Objectives and Aims The focus area of this research plan is the study the influenceswhichE-marketing has on the customerconduct and their purchase decisions. The study would conduct a research on the aspects on e-marketing which would help the organisations in developing their e-marketing strategies based on the evaluation of the consumer behaviour (Solomon, Russell-Bennett, Previte, 2012). The aims of this study are: Evaluation of the consumer behaviour To study the effect of the E-marketing on customeractivities and effectiveness of the various approaches of E-marketing. The research will focus on the influence of E-marketing and the level of awareness created in the target audience with the help of the internet marketing tools. To understand the recall value and the remembrance value of the consumers to the various E-marketing channels. The foremost objectives of thestudy are: The consumer viewpoint about the level of trust placed by the different consumer groups on the traditional marketing and the internet based e-marketing methods of communication? What is the impact of the e-marketing on the profits, sales figures, revenues of the organisation? What are the factors that would help the firms in developing the right e-marketing strategies that would target the customer base of the organisation with the aim of achieving the vision and mission of the organisation with the use of the most effective e-marketing tools? To understand how the consumer experience of the organisation can be improved and enhanced with the help of e-marketing tools and strategies. Do the e-marketing channels affect the consumer perception and purchase decisions? Justification and the Potential Output of the research project Millions of people across the world are bound together by the internet. A large amount of information is available on the virtual platform and people everywhere tap into those information resources for a variety of purposes. In the digital age time is of great essence and consumers across the world prefer an access to all the required information instantly (Boone, Kurtz, 2013). The internet marketing or the e-marketing is fast becoming the best way to reach the target consumers across the world in the most cost-effective manner and disseminate the information in a fast and more effective manner. In the digital world of today where virtual and online platforms are gaining more importance, social media is becoming the preferred way for the consumers to discuss and exchange information on various topics, the companies have to develop good e-marketing strategies to survive in the market and gain a competitive edge over the rival firms (Laudon, Traver, 2013). E-marketing can help the organisation transcend borders, cultures, and increase the reach of an organisation by almost 60% to 70% as compared to the traditional marketing and communication tools. For any kind of e-marketing strategy to be successful, the organisations have to understand the strategies that would work the best for their particular product and service and would appeal the most to the target audience of the organisation. This research would help the organisations in getting an insight into the factors and aspects of e-marketing that have an impact on the buying behaviour of the consumers (Rahimnia, Hassanzadeh, 2013). Potential output of the research proposal: Analysis of the consumer behaviour research would help the organisations in designing e-marketing strategies that would utilise the e-marketing tools in an integrated manner. The research will help the firms to evaluate the e-marketing objectives of an organisation like building an online brand image, managing the e-marketing communication and selling channels for an increase in the revenues of the firm based on the consumer preferences and perceptions. To develop an understanding of the realistic, specific, achievable, measurable, and properly timed e-marketing objectives. Conceptual Framework The internet has gained an important place in all kinds of activities carried out in the business world today. It has changed the way companies interact with the consumers in the market and the concept of marketing in the closely inter-connected digital world platforms (Eid, El-Gohary, 2013). Although, use of the E-marketing as a primary strategy for a business organisation depends a lot on the kinds of products and services they offer and the target market segment which uses their products and services. For example, the companies which have a primarily younger target audience will need to place a lot of importance on the e-marketing channels as most of the youth today rely on the information available on the internet for making their purchase decision (Taylor, Strutton, 2010). The internet has provided numerous options to the consumers of today. This is one of the main reasons that the customers today are less loyal to any brand because of a variety of choices available to them on the virtual market platforms (Strauss, 2016). The consumers have more power in their hands today with the easy access to information about the competing organisations, their products, prices, and other features which increases the power in the hands of the consumers. The consumers prefer to associate with the companies which can offer better value to the consumers in terms of satisfying the customer expectations and fulfil their demands in a better way (Darley, Blankson, Luethge, 2010). Therefore, it has become very important for the companies to have the correct perception of the consumer choices and buying behaviour to be able to succeed in the market today. The e-marketing platforms offer the companies a chance to have a two-way interactive communication with the customers and understand their preferences, buying choices, and use this knowledge to create more value for the consumers. The e-marketing offers the organisations a tremendous opportunity and potential to enhance the procedure of the value formation for modern consumers (Punj, 2012). An internet acts as both a medium and a market for the modern day organisations and their consumers and can assume a variety of roles in the way in which the consumers and the sellers interact with each other. As compared to the traditional means of marketing, e-marketing offers a plethora of benefits for both the consumers and the organisations (Ervasti, 2013). E-marketing reduces the cost of exchanging and disseminating information, increases the speed of transfer of information, and the ease of retrieval of information. E-marketing also increases the level of consumer involvement by offering modes of one-to-one interaction with the customers which means it offers the companies the opportunity to customise their offerings and consumers get the chance to purchase tailor-made goods and services which are best suited to their needs (Dennis, Merrilees, Jayawardhena, Tiu Wright, 2009). As opposed to the traditional marketing, the e-marketing gives an opportunity to the companies to quickly adapt their policies and strategies to any changes in the external circumstances and changes in demand. The e-marketing is a much more flexible option than the traditional marketing, and the firms can quickly update, change, and add information on their e-marketing channels as per the change in consumer preferences and any changes in the demand and supply equation in the market (Park, Cho, 2012). While there is an information asymmetry that exists in the traditional marketing, with one side in the buyer-seller relationship had more information than the other side, the advent of e-marketing has reduced this asymmetry to a large extent. Besides, the cost of getting and sending the information also went down drastically with the advent of the internet, which made it easier for the companies and the buyer remove the information asymmetry (Wolny, Charoensuksai, 2014). The power has moved from the sellers dominated market to the consumer-dominated market where the customers have the necessary information to make informed choices about the companies, services, products, brands that they would like to associate with. This has increased the pressure on the business organisations to re-evaluate their traditional marketing structures and develop the new e-marketing strategies that can develop new methods of creating the right values for an increasingly informed consumer base (Darley, Blankson, Luethge, 2010). One important factor that the companies have to keep in mind is that the process of value-creation by the traditional marketing means is very different from that of the virtual and digital world. The e-marketing strategies are much more competitive and flexible and companies have to come with unique strategies to capture the attention of the consumers in the e-marketing (Punj, 2012). Research Methodology Literature Review E-marketing uses all the tools and aspects of internet advertising and promotions to elicit a desired response from the vast and unknown consumer base. In the developed economies internet forms a major part of all the dimensions of the peoples lives and the strategies of e-marketing are continuously being evolved by the companies operating in these markets (Taylor, Strutton, 2010). The ongoing research in the field has focused a lot of attention on the different factors which affect the consumer behaviour and their buying behaviour with respect to the e-marketing strategies employed by the companies. The attitude of the consumers and their faith in online shopping are the primary factors that determine their buying behaviour and in turn, the impact, that the e-marketing strategies have on such a consumer mindset and their buying behaviour (Strauss, 2016). The five-step model is the generally accepted traditional method for evaluating the purchase decision process of the potential customers. In this model, the customer starts with the identification of the need and moves on to gathering the required information about a solution to that need. On the basis of the information collected the customer moves on to evaluate the alternatives available which can help to fulfil that need or requirement. The genuineprocurement decision is dependupon the comparison of results of evaluation of all the alternatives. And finally, the fifth step is the post-purchase reaction or behaviour of the consumers which determines their level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. This final step forms a very important building block for the perception of the consumers about a particular product, the marketing methodology, the communication process of the company, and the other such features (Oliver, 2014). Some of the other research conducted in the field of the factors that affect the consumer reactions and purchase behaviour patterns of the consumers based on the e-marketing promotional activities surmised that the risk perception and the intention of the consumer play the role of vital determinants in the success of a particular e-marketing strategy adopted by an organisation (Eid, El-Gohary, 2013). The culture and the presence of a supportive environment and atmosphere are also crucial factors in the success of a particular e-marketing strategy or tool. One of the basic elements in the adoption of e-marketing is the ease and comfort level displayed by the target audience base in their usage of the internet as a medium of seeking information and communication (Shareef, Dwivedi, Kumar, 2016). Data collection methods The data to be evaluated for the purpose of the study is the impact that e-marketing has on the consumer behaviour and their purchase behaviour. Both qualitative and quantitative data evaluation methodology will be used to define the purpose of the study. Qualitative data Questionnaires: For the study, the primary data would be sourced with the help of questionnaires. The questionnaires prepared for the research will consist of closed ended questions. The asked queries in the survey will be definedas per the objectives and aims of the study. The questionnaires will be sent to the sample segment via e-mail and personal interaction (Aryee, Walumbwa, Seidu, Otaye, 2016). Surveys and online forums: Information collected from the online surveys and interactive online forums about the peoples perception about the e-marketing initiatives and the methods of e-marketing communication will be collected and analysed to give an idea about the perception of the consumers towards the e-marketing and the use of different modes of e-marketing for different groups of services and products (Laudon, Traver, 2013). Data analysis The data collected will be analysed using the descriptive data evaluation methods. The quantitative analysis will be done with the help of pie charts, diagrams, excel sheets, statistical and mathematical tools available online in the different scholarly articles which would be useful in analysing the data accurately for the purpose of the study. For the purpose of validity testing, the regression analysis will be used. Concepts and models from the literature on the subject will be used for qualitative analysis of the outcomes of the information and discoveries of the study. Relationships between the parameters will be examined based on the answers to the questionnaires and the reviews. Section III Organisation of the Study The Study has been organised as under Chapter I It comprises the study proposal mentioned in this assignment. Chapter II Chapter two will focus on the case-study pertaining to e-marketing in detail. Chapter III - This Chapter will comprise of the details of the research methodology used for the purpose of the study. Chapter IV Chapter four will analyse the result and discoveries defined by the proposed study. Chapter V Chapter five will summarise and explains the significant sightings of the research and their implications in the business world. Gantt Chart Time taken by the each development of the project is given below: Task Start date End date Duration Project Proposal 25/09/2017 09/10/2017 15 days Literature Review 10/10/2017 23/12/2017 75 days Data Collection 24/12/2018 06/02/2018 60 days Data Analysis 07/02/2018 08/03/2018 30 days Report Submission 09/03/2018 07/04/2018 30 days Deliverables and Milestones Project Budget and Justification The budget to complete this project within the timeframe as specified by the Gantt chart will be approximately $5500. The specifications of the budget are: The literature review will consist of using the online resources, purchasing of journal and textbooks, all of which are not available for free, and will cost approximately $1500. Data collection with the help of questionnaires and surveys will require the printing and postage charges, travelling and telephone expenses. Some of the questionnaires will be sent by email but the probability of such emails ending up in the junk box is very high. Therefore, questionnaires will be distributed by post, travelling and approaching the target audience in person. In some cases, telephone will be used as a medium to approach the target audience. This will cost around $2500. In certain cases, the data collection by independent research agencies will have to be purchased and this would need an allocation of a budget of around $1500. 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