Acquisition, expansion, and retention (AER) strategies
Illustrative Research Projects
- Tableau: Study comparing decision making using visual system versus alternative systems
for making “big data” based marketing decisions - Concur: Three-stage research to improve customer retention by (a) identifying the key
drivers of project termination/cancellation across different stages of implementation, (b)
obtaining insights from data on the retention strategies, and (c) testing strategies with
field experiments. - Microsoft: Optimizing co-op marketing across channels
- Wells Fargo: Study on optimizing multichannel communication
- World Vision: Evaluating lost customer recovery strategies (active vs. passive customer
strategies) - Everett Clinic: Designing and implementing acquisition, expansion, and retention
strategies in healthcare
Highlighted Research Project
If you shop online, you’ve probably seen their work. You will find content26 product pages on all leading online marketplaces, including Amazon, Walmart, Staples, and Target.
The research study involved a multi-year partnership with content26, consisting of a combination of field and lab experiments, along with empirical modeling, to identify how to increase product purchases based on the specific products and brand characteristics. Rob Palmatier, Professor of Marketing and Research Director, SAMS Institute, states that the importance of the internet as a commercial platform is ever-growing. With more and more firms selling online, success hinges not only on offering superior products, but on offering them effectively through multiple channels. Content26’s Mark White says, “This research shows how important it is for brands big and small to re-think their Amazon content.” Shoppers expect different content from well-known and upstart brands; and brands that refuse to give shoppers the content they want risk being ignored. Insights from this research allowed double digit sales growth on Amazon’s online platform in many cases. The academic paper from this research is presently under review at the Journal of Marketing, a top marketing academic journal.
What Amazon Shoppers Want
This research has identified four elements that determine whether a shopper is likely to purchase an item:
- Enjoyment – This aspect drives purchase intent more than any of the others. Shoppers are much more likely to click the “buy” button if they get pleasure out of interacting with a brand’s content.
- Social Presence – A good product page makes shoppers feel like they’re interacting with a human instead of a machine.
- Informativeness – Helpful information increases a shopper’s sense of control.
- Vividness – Photos and videos increase the perceived usefulness of the product content and customer enjoyment and reduce perceived product performance risk.