Customer journey analyses in digital media: exploring the impact of cross-media exposure on customers’ purchase decisions

Jan F. Klein*, Yuchi Zhang, Tomas Falk, Jaakko Aspara, Xueming Luo

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose
In the age of digital media, customers have access to vast digital information sources, within and outside a company's direct control. Yet managers lack a metric to capture customers' cross-media exposure and its ramifications for individual customer journeys. To solve this issue, this article introduces media entropy as a new metric for assessing cross-media exposure on the individual customer level and illustrates its effect on consumers' purchase decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on information and signalling theory, this study proposes the entropy of company-controlled and peer-driven media sources as a measure of cross-media exposure. A probit model analyses individual-level customer journey data across more than 25,000 digital and traditional media touchpoints.
Findings
Cross-media exposure, measured as the entropy of information sources in a customer journey, drives purchase decisions. The positive effect is particularly pronounced for (1) digital (online) versus traditional (offline) media environments, (2) customers who currently do not own the brand and (3) brands that customers perceive as weak.
Practical implications
The proposed metric of cross-media exposure can help managers understand customers' information structures in pre-purchase phases. Assessing the consequences of customers' cross-media exposure is especially relevant for service companies that seek to support customers' information search efforts. Marketing agencies, consultancies and platform providers also need actionable customer journey metrics, particularly in early stages of the journey.
Originality/value
Service managers and marketers can integrate the media entropy metric into their marketing dashboards and use it to steer their investments in different media types. Researchers can include the metric in empirical models to explore customers' omni-channel journeys.
Original languageEnglish
Peer-reviewed scientific journalJournal of Service Management
Volume31
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)489-508
Number of pages20
ISSN1757-5818
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17.06.2020
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article - refereed

Keywords

  • 512 Business and Management
  • digital media
  • individual-level data
  • experience tracking
  • customer journey
  • media synergies
  • Customers and Relations
  • Marketing Effectiveness and Profitability

Areas of Strength and Areas of High Potential (AoS and AoHP)

  • AoS: Competition economics and service strategy - Quantitative consumer behaviour and competition economics
  • AoS: Competition economics and service strategy - Service and customer-oriented management

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