Download Research on Experiential Marketing Strategy in Corporate Websites

Research on Experiential Marketing Strategy in Corporate Websites
XIAO Yu
Business School of Hohai University, Nanjing, P.R.China, 210098
[email protected]
Abstract: Experiential marketing is a popular marketing model for modern economics, which is also a
useful tool for corporate website construction. Corporate websites are portal for internet marketing.
However, nowadays there are many problems such as lack of website traffic, unsatisfied effect existing
in majority of them. The paper analyzes key issues of these problems, which are overlooking users’
demands and constructing websites without proper marketing theory. The paper provides a series of
countermeasures to solve problems according to consumer demand-oriented concept and experiential
marketing theory.
Keywords: Experiential Marketing, Corporate Websites, Countermeasure
1. Introduction
With the development of enterprise informatization, more and more domestic enterprises consider the
website as an important sign of modern enterprise informatization. In recent years, a website is regarded
as an essential part of modern business because online sources provide tremendous resources/services
for targeted customers. A website is not only a tool of the dissemination of corporate identity, but also
the platform of carrying on internet marketing. But t at the present stage a majority of corporate websites
have vital problems to be solved quickly.
2. Problems and causes
Today, a large proportion of enterprises are complaining lack of website traffic and unsatisfied effect
internet marketing. These problems are vital to small and medium-sized enterprises websites. One of the
direct serious results is that many enterprises lost their confidence in internet marketing and cut
investment in website construction. The major problems are as following
：
2.1 Ambiguous goal and misunderstanding of customer demands
The ubiquitous phenomenon is that enterprises simply imitate websites of other corporations. These
enterprises don’t have comprehensive strategic target. For instance, there are many websites that only
display photos of their leaders, internal news, brochures, corporate culture, and so on. These companies
don’t care who will visit their websites and what visitors’ demands will be. These enterprises don’t have
an unambiguous goal for website construction. They never realize the importance of understanding what
information/service the visitors need and never research what websites should be provided to visitors.
What the companies post on their websites are the information they could simply offer. In general, the
designs of websites are not customer demand-oriented or cyber-marketing-oriented.
2.2. Lack of scientific planning and timely updating, and losing the function of brand
communication
Most of domestic enterprises list all information about themselves on websites to assist visitors to find
corporate information conveniently. However, without scientific planning, the websites often have such
problems as unnecessary several web columns, excessive long homepages, which extend two to three
computer screens, and imperfect information navigation map. The focuses of users are not only the
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corporate information but also material of product, information of purchasing, and consumer
consultation service. If users cannot quickly find information they need, their degree of satisfaction, as
well as degree of enterprise satisfaction will decrease by visiting less frequently. Enterprise's network
brand prestige will also be negatively affected.
Meanwhile, some companies consider constructions of websites one-shot investments so they hardly
update their sites. In some extreme examples, telephone numbers are useless, link URL addresses lead to
blank web pages, and the information about new products is never provided. The negative externality of
their websites is far outweighing the positive effect.
For an enterprise, the website is not only an electric brochure, but also a valuable multi-purpose
marketing platform. Moreover, the website is a virtual storefront as well as an essential tool for
attracting customers and for spreading corporate identity.
2.3. Overemphasizing technique
Some enterprises place lots of music, pictures, animations and videos on their sites in order to decorate
richly websites to attract users. For the similar reason, those corporations apply unnecessary complex
page structure and gorgeous color on web design. Overabundant decoration, however, is not only
reducing network transmission speed, but also disturbing subject of websites. Overdeveloped websites
affect seriously visit speed and prolong greatly the process time of finding information.
2.4 Low visit frequency
For some users, the only reason that they visit a corporate website is to solve a specific problem. They
will be offline as soon as the problem is solved. Next visit of the website can be triggered only by facing
another problem. If no more new problem surfaces the boat, the probability to visit the website is zero.
Hence, website is just a tool to solve problems for this kind of users. However, it is more important for a
corporate website to retain visitors.
There are two reasons to cause above problems besides technical factors: 1) the planning of website is
not based on users' demands; the content and style of website are not suitable for users' demands; 2)
website construction is not guided by experiential marketing theory; websites ignore users' experience
so that they give users unpleasant experience and reduce the possibility of re-visiting.
For companies, it is vital to carry out internet marketing function on websites, such as to spread brand
image, to attract users to get more attention about the development of company, and to renew
products/services. It is impossible to achieve these goals without high user access frequency. How to
improve web traffic and access frequency? One way is to consider carefully users’ demands; another
way is to introduce the concept of experiential marketing into website construction.
3. Website construction based on users’ demands
Website construction is system engineering, which is one part of corporate strategy. The vital factors are
what company will do through it and which goal company will try to reach. Different companies have
totally different construction goals. Therefore, the content style and form of websites are totally
different too. For the competitors, it is more necessary to design their special websites to gain
competitive advantage. For example, Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola Company have completely different
styles on their websites. Enterprise LOGO is placed on Coca-Cola homepage; on the contrary, business
activities and promotions occupy full-hot-position on Pepsi-Cola homepage.
Although website construction is significantly different, the core goal is on the same spot, serving users.
Company should understand that different users have different demands and users can be divided into
consumer, stockholder, supplier, distributor, and employee. Website is a convenient communication
platform between company and all kinds of outside users. When users log in, they want to search
information of products/services, to achieve warranty/maintenance services, to get general information
about company, to get financial information for investment and credit guarantee decision, to get
，
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information of employees and departments, to get promotion information; purchase products/services
and so on.
Different users have different ability/proficiency of surfing on Internet. Meanwhile, they expect to gain
different content when they visit websites. Companies should understand profoundly users’ demands so
that to establish websites for users. Of course, it is hard to meet every kind of consumers’ demands
through one single website. Hence, sometimes, company could establish a few different types of
websites for different kind of users. For instance, Haier Group has established three websites
respectively for supplies, customers and others. All different users’ demands can be satisfied rapidly.
Therefore, companies should determine core goal and functions corresponding to users’ demands, which
could enhance the notability and the usability of websites; achieve the goal of internet marketing.
4. Experiential Economy and Experiential Marketing
4.1 Experiential economy and four realms of experience
Experiential Economy is characterized as that the consumption is only a process; the memory of
experience will be preserved in the minds of consumers permanently at the end of the process. Pine II
and Gilmore (1998) indicate it as: “goods and services become commoditized; customer experiences
that companies create will matter most”. The prerogative can lead companies and customers to
Experience Economy. Nowadays, the economies of scale, which come from the large-scale production
of products/services, induce the difficulties to achieve the goal of cost savings, low-cost competitive of
products and value-added services.
PINE II and GILMORE (1998) defined experiences from two dimensions. The first dimension describes
passive participation or active participation. Passive participation means that customers don’t affect the
performance at all; such participants experience events as observers or listeners. Active participation
means that customers act as key roles in creating performance or event which leads experience. The
second dimension describes connection or environmental relationship, which connects customers with
event or performance. We can divide experiences into four categories according to where they are. They
are named as Entertainment, Educational, Escapist, and Esthetic.
Educational events spread to involve more active participation, but students are still more outside the
event than immersed in the action. Escapist experiences can teach just as well as educational events can,
or amuse just as well as entertainment, but they involve greater customer immersion. Acting in a play,
playing in an orchestra or an African safari involves both active participation and immersion in the
experience. If you minimize the customers’ active participation, however, an escapist event becomes an
experience of the third kind – the Esthetic. Here customers or participants are immersed in an activity or
environment, but they themselves have little or no effect on it. The Entertainment experiences are
related to the ones that just entertain the costumer, with no active participation but some absorption.
(Pine II and Gilmore, 1999, pages 21~31)
4.2 Experiential Marketing
Experiential marketing is the operator standing on consumer's point of view. Let consumers experience
concept of the purchase and process of the purchase, thoughts of purchase and driving force of the
purchase. Meanwhile, from a consumer's senses, feelings, thinking, action and connection are four
aspects about marketing. The essence of experiential marketing is the experience, which enables
customers to experience and become directly involved as the main body. Through providing various
ways such as product design experience, promotion experience, emotion experience, culture experience,
brand experience to customers, company can induce customers to take part in more activities happily
and enjoy satisfaction from their achievements.
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5. Countermeasure of experiential marketing
5.1 Emphasize communication with online users to improve customer satisfaction
One of main characteristics about network media is interactivity, which can communicate with users
conveniently, provide pleasant and educational experience to users, and help them to retrieve valuable
information rapidly and response users with corresponding services timely.
The common characteristic of websites, which pay no attention to communication within users, is that
these websites always provide one email (or Tel/fax) address link at the bottom of their homepage.
There is no alternative way. No channel to reflect and resolve problems can make users disappointment
and cause them dissatisfied. The kind of websites should pay more attention to interaction of network
media and apply it effectively.
Interactivity means 1) Provide more communication channel for visitors and business partners such as
online communication platform, instant messaging and Internet chat rooms. It can provide one-to-one
communication between website and users, solve users’ problems timely. Of course, it is also necessary
for websites to provide traditional ways like telephone number, fax and email. In this way, users can
contact with company and obtains satisfaction services, which can promote customer satisfaction.2)
Provide special communication space among users by forum and message board. Sometimes
communication among users is more effective than communication between company and users.
Accompanied by other users friendly, users can get more pleasant. Meanwhile, companies can also
create special topics about relevant products, technical service, so as to catch the user interests and
hobbies, and then adjust their products/services promptly.
：
，
5.2 Provide opportunities for users involvement of design and manufacturing
With virtual products/services on Net, company can encourage customers to participate in company
activities. Virtual environment similar to offline shop can give users visual impression of products/
service. Hence, they will accept real products and services quickly. It can improve experience of
entertainment and experience of education, win user loyalty. For the purpose, enterprise should list
product catalogue, product introduction in detail, and express other customers’ successful experience.
This spiritual world can identify potential customers; stimulate psychological need of customers and
desirability of customers. Therefore, it will improve the pleasure and increase the number of visit.
Some enterprises provide opportunities for customers to participate in product manufacturing. For
instance, General Motor sets up a car manufacturing space on its website, give chance to users to taste
automobile manufacturing process, enjoy happiness of car making. Some other enterprises provide
opportunities for customers to participate in product design, such as some individual making T-shirt
websites and software development websites etc. Customers take part in manufacturing and design,
enjoy happiness during the process. Some customers can even gain the real products designed by
customers themselves. The kind of activities has great temptation to those who like highly
individualistic consumption. Enterprise also has more opportunities to share customers’ creativity which
can provide helpful ideas for product design. Such pleasant experience of design and manufacturing
would foster customer loyalty, improve website traffic and access frequency, make corporate website
carry out internet marketing function comprehensively.
5.3 Superior service experience
Good service can make customers feel pleasant and satisfied, so they would more likely to purchase
products/services that enterprises provided. Good service should be active. It means providing services
from consumers’ point of view, helping consumers to finish shopping quickly by sufficient information
and tools, and solving customers’ problem by online self-service. Meanwhile, layout of websites should
follow visitors’ demands so that visitors can retrieve information rapidly and expediently. Updating
website and managing back files periodically are also necessary to attract visitors.
Websites should offer full text retrieval function to make users search content easily. Websites should
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introduce historical evolution related to products, product usage, maintenance services and FAQ, etc.
The cultural connotation can bring users education and culture experience. Websites should also provide
intelligent guide functions, provide customize consumption solutions according to users’ status step by
step. After confirmation of online transactions, websites should contact customers by telephone, fax or
SMS timely, or inform customers the process phase of their orders through formal email. It can foster
loyal customers by avoiding impatient standby without any news. User-centered personalized
information service make visitors feel pleasant and enjoy easily all kind of services provided by
websites.
5.4 Designning attractive tools/games, catering to users’ aesthetic intention
Enterprise should develop some related tools and games about products/services, tools and games
teaching and helping customers to perceive their potential demands. Meanwhile, games can be applied
to encourage customers to join research or promotion activities of products/services. Hence, customers
can gain services and join activities when they enjoy entertainment provided by company. In this way,
customers can acquaint further products and corporate culture. For example, Kodak website developed
software about learning photography skills, Olay website designed software about skin test, etc. Both of
software is popular with consumers. These attractive tools make customers to gain information, know
products deeply and harvest pleasant experience.
Websites can arouse consumers’ interest in products/services and increase additional value of products
through catering to users’ aesthetic intention on color, picture, music, and so on.
6. Summary
The paper summarizes the problems running through corporate website construction, identifies and
analyzes the causes of the problems, provides suggestions corporate could adopt to solve problems, and
offers user’s demand-oriented concept and experiential marketing theory for the corporations to build
their websites. Meanwhile, enterprises should also notice two points. First point is that these methods
are easily replicated by competitors. The other point is that failing to provide new experience will cause
users dissatisfied. Websites should always provide new experience to users in order to attract them and
foster their loyalty.
Author in brief and Contact information:
XIAO Yu, Professor of Marketing, working in Business School of Hohai University, Nanjing China
Research Areas: Internet marketing; Marketing research; E-business.
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 86(25)139-5209-5912
References
[1]. PINE II, B. J. and GILMORE, J. H. The Experience Economy: work is theatre & every business a
stage: goods & services are no longer enough. Harvard Business School Press, 1999: 21~31
[2]. SCHMITT, B. H. Experiential Marketing: How to get costumers to sense, feel, think, act, relate to
your company and brands. The Free Press, 1st Edition, 1999.
[3]. Du Xiaojing, Shen Zhanbo. The Application of Experiential Marketing in Car Website. Enterprise
Vitality, 2008 (5):42~43 (in Chinese).
[4]. Liyan. Research on Website Construction based on Cyber-Marketing orientation. Modern
Economic Information, 2008 (4): 80~81 (in Chinese).
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