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Management & Engineering 04 (2011) 1838-5745
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Management & Engineering
Journal Homepage: www.seiofbluemountain.com
Research on Experiential Marketing Strategy in Corporate
Websites
Yu XIAO
Business School of Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, P.R.China
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Experiential Marketing,
Corporate Websites,
Countermeasure
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.
© ST. PLUM-BLOSSOM PRESS PTY LTD
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 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,

Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected]
English edition copyright © ST. PLUM-BLOSSOM PRESS PTY LTD
DOI: 10. 5503/J. ME. 2011. 04. 004
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brochures, corporate culture, and so on. These companies do not care who will visit their websites and what visitors’ demands will be.
These enterprises do not 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 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 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
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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.
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 r esolve
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 obtain 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
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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 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.
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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