[pt] A pandemia do Covid-19 mudou hábitos do consumidor, o distanciamento social e o lockdown motivaram as pessoas a buscarem formas mais convenientes e seguras para satisfazerem suas necessidades. Lojas físicas precisaram se adaptar ao online para seguir faturando e o e-commerce se desdobrou para atender a toda demanda de forma eficaz. A omnicanalidade, então, se tornou um tópico ainda mais relevante nos maiores varejistas do país. Essa integração de canais tornou-se necessária, para obter ganhos de produtividade, acelerar o crescimento e progredir na experiência e no relacionamento com o cliente. Sendo uma pesquisa de caráter exploratório, o objetivo deste estudo foi identificar os desafios da estratégia omnichannel implementada em um grande varejista brasileiro, a Americanas S.A.. A metodologia adotada foi o estudo de caso, com dados coletados através de: 1) entrevistas em profundidade com cinco gestores, utilizando roteiro semiestruturado, à luz do modelo de criação da experiência do cliente de Verhoef et al. (2009). e 2) arquivos e apresentações publicados pela empresa, notícias na imprensa e artigos sobre a companhia. Os principais resultados evidenciaram que, dentre os esforços de integração do online com o offline, empoderamento do cliente e conveniência são a essência do planejamento estratégico adotado pela empresa atualmente. / [en] The Covid-19 pandemic has changed consumer habits, social distancing and the lockdown have motivated people to seek more convenient and safer ways to satisfy their needs. Physical stores have adapted to online sales to move forward and e-commerce has progressed to meet demand effectively. Omnichannel, then, became an even more relevant topic in the largest retailers in the country. This channel integration has become necessary in order to obtain productivity gains, accelerate growth and progress in customer experience and relationships. Being an exploratory research, the objective of this study was to identify the challenges of the omnichannel strategy implemented in a large Brazilian retailer, Americanas S.A. The methodology adopted was the case study, with data collected through: 1) in-depth interviews with five managers, using a semi-structured script, in the light of Verhoef et al. (2009). and 2) files and presentations published by the company, press releases and articles about the company. The main results showed that, among the efforts to integrate online with offline, customer empowerment and convenience are the essence of the strategic planning adopted by the company today.

The purpose of this study is to explore how firms create an engaging customer experience through live shopping. More specifically, by performing a case study this thesis will provide an example of how firms use live shopping to create interactions, as well as to provide value through firm offerings.  This thesis performs qualitative exploratory research with an abductive research approach by studying the case company, Flowlife. Both primary- and secondary data sources are conducted. The primary data is collected through semi-structured interviews with seven employees at the selected company and further analyzed through thematic analysis. While secondary data is conducted through observations of two recorded live shopping event and KPIs provided from the company.  The empirical findings highlight that live shopping allows the studied firm to get close to their customers. Moreover, it was stated that the firm recognizes live shopping as a powerful tool to share information to customers; both about their products, but also about “added value” beyond what is embedded in their products. Finally, it can be identified that the firm perceive a control over the interactions that live shopping brings.  The presented study identifies that live shopping allows a firm to reach beyond the ordinary online experience by combining elements from brick-and-mortar stores with digital affordances. This way, a firm can increase the probability of building trust and relationships. Moreover, live shopping is agile in its nature and allows a firm to adjust and customize firm offerings while providing it. It can also be stated that live shopping allows a firm to provide greater value-in-use and elevate a firm’s role in the value creation process by expanding its role in the joint sphere.

The financial sector is transforming as a result of PSD2 and open banking. The traditional retail banks face new competition from FinTechs and BigTechs. 78 percent of Nordic banks are concerned by the threat of disruption and 88 percent think that they need to rethink their business model. Customer experience and customer journeys are crucial as customer expectations is one of the major driving forces for the changing industry.Generation Y (1989 2000) is often defined as early adopters and digital natives which makes them an important but challenging customer segment. According to the Millennial Disruption Index, the banking industry is at the highest risk of disruption from generation Y. This study focus on how traditional Swedish retail banks can manage digital transformation and the needs and behavior of the Swedish generation Y. To identify the needs and demands of generation Y, four focus groups was conducted with 31 participants and four semi-structured interviews. The results was analyzed and related to a customer journey framework and the concept of platform banking.The results indicate that the Swedish generation Y demands personalized services and products as well as tailored Omni-channel experiences. They demand an expansion of financial services in the form of a “one-stop-shop”. In order to meet these demands, traditional Swedish retail banks must utilize their customer data and weight the Swedish generation Y´s trust in their security. This will enable them to develop superior customer experiences as well as extending their context and establish themselves as banking platforms. / Den finansiella sektorn förändras till följd av PSD2 och open banking. De traditionella bankerna möter ny konkurrens från FinTechs och BigTechs. 78 procent av de nordiska bankerna är oroade av förändringarna och 88 procent tycker att de behöver ompröva sin affärsmodell. Kundupplevelser och kundresor är avgörande eftersom kundernas förväntningar är en av de viktigaste drivkrafterna för den föränderliga industrin.Generation Y (1989 2000) definieras ofta som digitala pionjärer vilket gör dem till ett viktigt men utmanande kundsegment. Enligt studien ”Millennial Disruption Index” har banksektorn den högsta risken för störningar från Generation Y. Denna studie fokuserar på hur traditionella svenska banker kan hantera digital transformation och den svenska generation Ys behov och beteende. För att identifiera behov och krav från generation Y genomfördes fyra fokusgrupper med 31 deltagare samt fyra semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Resultaten analyserades och relaterades till en kundrese teori samt konceptet om plattformsbanker.Resultaten indikerar att den svenska generation Y kräver personliga tjänster och produkter samt skräddarsydda Omni-kanalupplevelser. De kräver en expansion av finansiella tjänster i form av en "one-stop-shop". För att möta dessa krav måste traditionella svenska banker använda deras kunddata och utnyttja den svenska generation Ys förtroende för deras säkerhet. Detta kommer att göra det möjligt för dem att utveckla överlägsna kundupplevelser såväl som att utvidga sitt sammanhang och etablera sig som bankplattformar.

In recent years, there has been a notable shift in the conventional strategies employed by luxury automotive brands towards a more digitalized customer journey. This shift reflects the changing landscape of consumer behavior and the growing influence of technology in shaping customer experiences. Customers are increasingly seeking convenience, personalization, and seamless interactions throughout their purchase process, and expect businesses to provide them with engaging and immersive experiences, both online and offline. As a result, luxury automotive brands have recognized the need to establish a strong digital presence and leverage various touchpoints to meet these evolving customer expectations. Consequently, the purpose of this thesis has been to examine and understand how luxury automotive brands create luxury hedonic experiences online, as well as identify the key touchpoints through which hedonic value is created in a digital context. To achieve these objectives, a qualitative multiple-case study was conducted involving seven businesses operating in the luxury automotive sector. The research methodology employed a combination of semi-structured interviews and a structured questionnaire, and the empirical findings were thoroughly analyzed in conjunction with existing literature to discern similarities and disparities among the cases studied. The conclusion of this thesis reveals that luxury brands employ a multi-faceted approach, utilizing high-quality digital content, exclusivity, collaborations, innovation, personalization, customer-centricity, and top-quality customer service to create hedonic experiences. Key digital touchpoints include aesthetically pleasing websites, interactive features, social media platforms for community building, and corporate touchpoints that align digital experiences with offline luxury experiences. Moreover, this thesis can serve as a guide for future endeavors in this field, and researchers can utilize its findings as a foundation to further explore the implications for luxury automotive brands.

The hospitality industry is increasingly incorporating self-service technology, suchas online booking systems, automated check-in and check-out, and in-roomtechnology, to enhance the customer experience and streamline operations. However,there is limited research on the adoption and usage of self-service technology bybaby boomers (BB) in this industry. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring theadoption and usage patterns of self-service technology (SST) among BBs in thehospitality industry.The paper follows a deductive approach drawing upon the extensive literature on thetopic. With a proposed qualitative viewpoint, the purpose of the study is to identifythe BBs’ attitude when using SSTs in hotels, and furthermore, to understand in whatinstances consumers prefer human interactions over technological encounters. Theempirical data was obtained through interviews that were conducted among 10Swedish BBs. The findings then were analyzed through thematic analysis, towithdraw patterns, similarities and differences.The conclusion of this thesis shows BBs have different preferences when it comes toadopting SSTs. The attitudes ranged from enthusiasm, to avoidance and hesitation.However, the common theme that emerged among all three types of attitudes, wasthe fact that they all prefer to use SSTs as a complementary step to what the hotelstaff will provide. It was also proposed in order to encourage the SST hesitant orSST avoidant group, the service design should be straightforward and theinstructions must be clear.

Research Question: What are the drivers for consumers to co-create in the metaverse and howcan companies use them to increase engagement in co-creation? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to get insight into how companies canincrease consumer engagement for participation in co-creation activitieswithin the metaverse. By enlightening the research community and businesses about the consumer perspective on the metaverse and the cocreation possibilities and what their drivers would be to engage in cocreation, companies can better target these individuals and ultimately increase their brand value.  Method: Qualitative methods with an abductive approach Conclusion: The strongest driver for consumer engagement in co-creation within themetaverse is hedonic benefits. Although, the hedonic benefits are thestrongest driver, economic benefits were almost as strong, and as suchthese two types of drivers in combination work as complements andgenerate more engagement in co-creation than any other benefits for mostco-creators. Moreover, to increase engagement, facilitators such ascommunities, safe spaces, and interactivity play an important role to createintimacy, emotional connection, and immersive experiences. Throughthese, trust can be fostered, and customer experiences enhanced,ultimately leading to increased engagement in co-creation.

[pt] Vários setores têm buscado inovações a partir da transformação digital (TD). No entanto, há uma grande diversidade de definições da TD, o que dificulta seu entendimento e aplicação prática. Paralelamente à TD, as tecnologias digitais têm apresentado uma nova perspectiva para estratégias e processos de negócios, produtos e serviços. A TD inclui o relacionamento com fornecedores e clientes e envolve diferentes setores e indústrias, gerando oportunidades para novas estratégias de negócios. O escopo da pesquisa inclui o setor de telecomunicações, um dos segmentos de base para a TD, responsável pelas transmissões de dados, serviços móveis e banda larga. Apesar de sua importância, faltam pesquisas que abordem esse setor e as transformações digitais de seus processos de negócios. A dissertação compreende duas etapas para entender conceitualmente a TD e observar os facilitadores, barreiras e resultados desse fenômeno nos processos de negócios. A primeira é uma revisão sistemática da literatura que resultou na estruturação de um framework analítico da TD. Ela fundamenta a segunda etapa sob forma de um estudo de caso em uma empresa nacional de telecomunicações, contrastando os achados da literatura com um caso real. A pesquisa contribui com um framework unificado para análise e implementação da TD, evidenciando que os processos de mudança ocorrem na organização, em sua cadeia de suprimentos, atingindo toda a indústria neste setor e à sociedade em geral em particular, devido à interação empresa e serviço ao cliente, trazendo um melhor entendimento dos processos de TD relacionados à experiência do cliente no setor de telecomunicações, servindo de guia para pesquisas futuras e gerenciamento de iniciativas. / [en] Several sectors have sought innovations from digital transformation (DT). However, a great diversity of DT definitions makes its understanding and practical application difficult. Parallel to DT, digital technologies have presented a new perspective for business strategies and processes, products and services. TD includes relationships with suppliers and customers. It involves different sectors and industries, generating opportunities for new business strategies. The scope of the research includes the telecommunications sector, one of the key segments for digital transformation. It is the sector responsible for data transmissions, mobile services and broadband. Despite its importance there is a lack of research on the sector and the digital transformations of its business processes. The dissertation comprises two steps to conceptually understand DT and observe the facilitators, barriers and results of this phenomenon in business processes. The first is a systematic review of the literature that resulted in structuring an analytic digital transformation framework. It supports the second stage as a case study in a national telecommunications company, contrasting the literature findings with a real case. The research contributes with a framework for analysis and implementation of TD, evidencing that the processes of change occur in the organization, in its supply chain, reaching the entire industry in this sector and society in general, in particular due to the interaction company and customer service, bringing a better understanding of the TD processes related to the customer experience in the telecommunications sector, serving as a guide for future research and management of initiatives.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is adopted fast and wide across consumer industries and digital marketing. This new technology has the potential to enhance online customer experience and outcomes of customer experience. However, research relating to the impact of AI is still developing and empirical evidence sparse. Taking a consumercentred approach and by adopting Social Response Theory as theoretical lens, this research addresses an overall research question pertaining to the implications of online customer experience with AI on consumer behaviour. A quantitative research strategy with positivist approach is adopted to gather a large sample (n= 489) of online consumers who have previously interacted with AI-enabled technology. The collected data is analysed statistically utilising Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Empirical findings show strong positive effects of anthropomorphism of AI, para-social interaction with AI, and performance expectancy of AI on all three customer experience dimensions of informativeness, entertainment and social presence. Additionally, there is strong statistical support for the positive effect of informativeness and social presence on continued purchase intentions (β= .379 and β= .315), while the effects of entertainment are less strong. The mediating effects of customer experience have been assessed, highlighting social presence as most important mediator. This research contributes to knowledge by extending previous customer experience theory and quantifying the influence of online customer experience with AI on purchase intentions and eWOM. The theoretical insights also translate into direct implications for marketing practice relating to the design, integration, and implementation of more consumer- and outcome-oriented AI applications. / Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences studentship

This bachelor's degree thesis aims to increase the understanding of how chatbots affect the digital customer experience within Swedish banks. Furthermore, this study examines how bank chatbot's technical quality affects the digital customer experience. In this thesis, the authors have chosen to use a deductive approach and a quantitative research strategy. Moreover, the authors used the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program to process the collected quantitative data from the questionnaires. The thesis empirical findings were analyzed and discussed in correlation to previous research to strengthen the research results. The thesis empirical findings demonstrate that 42.9% of the respondents agreed with the statement; My bank's chatbot technology quality improved my customer satisfaction. Moreover, the correlation analysis showed that customer satisfaction and customer satisfaction linked to technical quality had a strong positive correlation between the concepts. Swedish banks could use the information to develop further their chatbots' technical quality, which would reduce customer service costs and influence how customers visit the bank. The thesis research results can also be applied and used by other industries that want to improve or implement chatbots in their digital business.

The digital revolution is changing the banking industry, and how banks create value and deliver services to their customers. Customer experience becomes the main pillar of digitally transformed banks through self-service technologies (SSTs) and the use of artificial intelligence (AI); the research focus of this study is to explore the impact of those modern technologies when dealing with sensitive information and emotional encounters in the banking sector. A case study method has been used with an in-depth investigation consisting of both internal and external interviews for Valhalla Bank in Sweden. External interview results presented the debtor’s perspective by laying out the main challenges faced during the repayment process. The study concluded by answering the main research questions and suggesting practical implications for financial institutions. Banks should proactively seek both explicit and latent needs of different customer segments; any customer interaction data has the potential to become the source of optimizing call scheduling, script customization, or customer experience evaluation. Customers expect flexibility to choose between human interaction and self-service technologies. Sensitive topics can be dealt with digital tools when they can provide advanced functionality with maturity to establish trust and security. Lastly, even though the technology is perceived as cold with a lack of empathy, customers are ready to experiment as they are not comfortable nor satisfied with the current interactions. Regardless of the state of the digital journey of a financial institution, customers should be well-informed about technologies while banks prioritize ethical controls to provide transparent relationships in which any type of customer can feel valued. / Den digitala revolutionen förändrar banksektorn och hur banker skapar värde och levererar tjänster till sina kunder. Kundupplevelse blir huvudpelaren för digitalt transformerade banker genom självbetjäning tekniker (SST) och användningen av artificiell intelligens (AI). Forskningsfokus för denna studie är att undersöka effekterna av den moderna tekniken när man hanterar känslig information och känslomässiga möten inom banksektorn. En fallstudiemetod har använts med en djupgående undersökning bestående av både interna och externa intervjuer för Valhalla Bank i Sverige. Externa intervjuresultat presenterade gäldenärens perspektiv genom att redogöra för de största utmaningarna under återbetalning processen. E-bank kanaler och lösningar har dominerat kundernas preferenser med en hoppfull syn på att bygga upp förtroende för relativt ny teknik. Studien avslutades med att besvara de viktigaste forskningsfrågorna och föreslå praktiska konsekvenser för finansinstituten. Banker bör proaktivt söka både tydliga och latenta behov för olika kundsegment, samtidigt som deras mest värdefulla tillgång är kundernas digitala fotavtryck. Alla kundinteraktion data har potential att bli källan till att optimera samtals planering, anpassning av skript eller utvärdering av kundupplevelse. Kunder förväntar sig flexibilitet och frihet att välja mellan mänsklig interaktion och självbetjänings teknik. Känsliga ämnen kan hanteras med digitala verktyg när de kan ge avancerad funktionalitet med mognad för att skapa förtroende och säkerhet. Slutligen, även om tekniken upplevs som ”kall” med brist på empati och känslor, särskilt när det gäller komplexa och känsliga uppgifter som skuldfrågor, är kunderna redo att experimentera eftersom de inte är bekväma eller nöjda med de nuvarande mänskliga interaktionerna. Oavsett tillståndet för en finansiell instituts digitala resa bör kunderna vara välinformerade om ny teknik medan bankerna prioriterar etisk kontroll med detaljerade handlingsplaner för att ge en nära och transparent relation där alla typer av kunder kan känna sig värderade och förstådda.