Digitalisering har gjort att många företag behövt anpassa sin verksamhet mot utvecklingen på marknaden. Plattformar, i form av digitala mellanhänder, har i sin tur tagit ett större spelrum genom att erbjuda företag fördelar som bredare kundbas och ökad synlighet för att bli del av deras nätverk. I samband med Covid-19 var restaurangbranschen en av de yrkesgrupper som blev hårdast drabbade, vilket resulterade i att många restauranger valde att ansluta sig till digitala mellanhänder som Foodora, Wolt och Uber Eats för att hålla sina verksamheter vid liv. Som en uppföljning av den ökande användningen undersökte studien hur digitala mellanhänder kan påverka anslutna restauranger i processen för värdeskapande och kundengagemang. Detta då interaktioner med kunder minskar i samband med användningen. Studien genomfördes i form av en fallstudie, där intervjuer utfördes på anställda från en ansluten restaurang samt en anställd från en digital mellanhand för att jämföra upplevelserna. Resultaten visade på att kundengagemang och värdeskapande inom restaurangbranschen kan förekomma vid användning av digitala mellanhänder, men att det främst sker genom återköp och inte via social interaktioner. Restaurangerna kan med andra ord, allt annat lika, bibehålla sin försäljning genom digitala köp. Dock förlorar de värdet som sociala interaktioner kan ge i form av feedback eller rekommendationer till nya kunder.

The objective of this study is to explore how data-driven value can be created for online magazines through big data analytics for customer experience management. Big data analytics can help online magazines to gain insights into customer behavior, preferences, and needs, which can be used to create a better customer experience and provide assistance in the process of decision making. This study willuse a mixed-method approach to collect and analyze data. The study started with aliterature review to identify the key concepts related to data-driven value creation,big data analytics, and customer experience management. The study then performed interviews and web analytics of provided data from the examined organization. The data has been analyzed through a thematic analysis of two interviews with the editor-in-chief of the magazine as well as an expert on dataanalytics. Data collected by the examined organization was analyzed but required further expertise in order to enlighten its value. The study has provided insights for how online magazines and similar organizations to the one studied can leverage bigdata analytics to create value for their customers, and to provide better insight into the preferences of their customers as well as to assist decision making.

In today’s progressive technology development, it is imperative to engage the customer and transform them to become brand advocates. Firms need to ensure their brand’s longevity in this competitive market, at times putting noncustomers in hindsight. This thesis aims to explore how firms can utilise Gamification to engage noncustomers and make them advocate for a brand. To explore this phenomenon, this thesis takes the concepts Gamification, Customer Engagement, Online Brand Advocacy as its starting point and puts special emphasis on the Metaverse as it is an emerging digital engagement platform. Using a quasi-experimental research design with four-manipulation Gamification aspects, we discovered four key findings; (1) the Behavioural dimension of Customer Engagement is a key driver in Online Brand Advocacy compared to the other dimensions. In addition, it is the Behavioural dimension of Customer Engagement that gets noncustomers to advocate for a brand, while the Emotional and Cognitive dimension develops during the post-experience phase, (2) out of the three Gamification aspects, the Motivational Affordance motivated noncustomers the most to engage and advocate for the hypothetical brand, (3) Gamification aspects has a direct effect on noncustomers advocating behaviour without an established consumers-brand relationship, and (4) noncustomers are extrinsically motivated to engage with a brand based on behavioural factors. The contribution of this study is twofold. First, from a theoretical standpoint, it offers a conceptual model and empirically assesses the impact of Gamification utilising various gamified aspects. Second, from a pragmatic and practitioner perspective, the findings aid marketers in developing sustainable marketing strategies, and harness the power of Customer Engagement and Advocacy with the use of Gamification. Hence, this thesis yields new insights to the emerging research on Gamification, Customer Engagement, and Online Brand Advocacy. Therewith, this study offers a novel approach, by linking these three concepts, and introducing Customer Engagement and Online Brand Advocacy as an outcome of Gamification in a metaverse context.

Purpose – This study aims to identify and analyze innovative strategies that firms can use to develop customer engagement online without relying on third-party cookies, whilst also considering the firms' level of digital maturity. Method – To explore the innovative strategies for developing customer engagement online without third-party cookies, a sequential mixed-method design was employed, utilizing semi- structured interviews and survey data. A total of 12 respondents participated in the study, providing both interview and survey data for analysis. Findings – The findings of this study consist of four main themes in terms of strategies that don’t rely on third-party cookies to develop customer engagement online. These strategies are presented as data-driven strategy, value-based strategy, rethink allocation strategy, and direct customer engagement. Moreover, the findings reveal a greater interest and a positive attitude toward the data-driven strategy in particular, which in turn relies on the subthemes of CRM- system, and SEO. Theoretical and practical implications – This study holds theoretical implications in terms of firstly, confirming the previous research about engaging customers through customer communities. Secondly, this study contrasts the research about the dimensions required to develop customer engagement stated by de Oliviera Santini (2020) and Pansari and Kumar (2016). From a practical perspective, this study provides implications valuable for people in marketing leading positions deciding upon the strategic direction for digital marketing. Moreover, this study contributes with four strategies for businesses to adapt based on their database and organizational optimization.

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Research question: How do AI solutions influence digital customer experiences in Swedish retail companies? Purpose: This study explores how AI technologies affect customer experiences in    Swedish retail by interviewing customers about their perceptions and interactions. The goal is to better understand these experiences and improve how AI is integrated into retail customer relationship management.  Method: This study used qualitative research to explore how AI affects digital customer experiences in Swedish retail. By conducting semi-structured interviews and analyzing podcasts, it gathers detailed insights into customer perceptions and industry trends. With a goal to gain a thorough understanding of AI's role in improving digital retail experiences. Conclusion: AI solutions impact digital customer experiences in Swedish retail in various ways. They improve convenience and personalization but also create concerns about impersonality and data privacy. To get the most out of AI and build customer trust, it is important to balance technological effectiveness with a human-centric approach.

While innovation has been a critical tool for the success of hospitality businesses, there has been little research concerning how hospitality service innovation is created. Focusing on knowledge development for service innovation, this dissertation examines hospitality open innovation processes by highlighting the critical role of customers as important external stakeholders for knowledge creation. More specifically, this research examines how hospitality brand community members engage in brand activities that co-create non-transactional knowledge value for open innovation. To achieve the research purpose, the dissertation consists of four independent studies. The design of the four studies followed a theory development process focusing on bibliometric analysis (Study 1), exploratory analysis (Study 2), empirical analysis (Study 3), and experimental analysis (Study 4). Study 1 conducted bibliometric co-citation analysis to examine the foundation and evolution of the service innovation research in both hospitality and tourism and service management literature. Study 2 examined how hospitality (hotel) customers engage in an online brand community and what types of value are co-created from their engagement behaviors. Study 3 empirically developed a multi-dimensional measure of customer engagement behaviors for co-creating non-transactional value. Lastly, Study 4 examined how hospitality online brand community members participate in open innovation behaviors as a result of customer empowerment and social recognition. Study 1 identified critical research opportunities for future hospitality and tourism research in terms of innovation creation, diffusion, and evaluation. Most importantly, open innovation via customer engagement was identified as a critical topic to understand hospitality innovation creation. In Study 2, customer engagement behaviors, motivations, and value co-creation were qualitatively analyzed in the context of an online hotel brand community. Using mixed-methods, including netnography analysis and qualitative written interviews, a conceptual framework of value co-creation via customer engagement was developed. Based on this framework, Study 3 developed a scale consisting of 15 items measuring customer engagement behaviors in terms of influential-experience value, C-to-B innovation value, relational value, and citizenship value. Lastly, Study 4 found a causal process that customer empowerment makes a positive impact on the intention of open innovation engagement and the creativity of ideas by mediating intrinsic motivation. / Doctor of Philosophy / While innovation has been a critical tool for the success of hospitality businesses, there has been little research concerning how hospitality service innovation is created. Focusing on knowledge development for service innovation, this dissertation examines hospitality open innovation processes by highlighting the critical role of customers as important external stakeholders for knowledge creation. More specifically, this research examines how hospitality brand community members engage in brand activities that co-create non-transactional knowledge value for open innovation. To achieve the research purpose, the dissertation consists of four independent studies. The design of the four studies followed a theory development process focusing on bibliometric critical literature review analysis (Study 1), exploratory analysis (Study 2), empirical analysis (Study 3), and experimental analysis (Study 4). Specifically, Study 1 critically analyzed service innovation academic studies published in the last decade in both hospitality and tourism and service management journals to get insights into future research directions. Study 2 analyzed how hospitality (hotel) customers engage in online brand community activities in terms of the benefits of the behaviors and the motivations for the engagement behaviors. Study 3 developed a practical tool to measure customer engagement behaviors. Lastly, Study 4 investigated how hospitality online brand community members participate in idea sharing behaviors in terms of customer empowerment and social recognition. Study 1 identified critical research opportunities for future hospitality and tourism research in terms of innovation creation, diffusion, and evaluation. Most importantly, open innovation via customer engagement was identified as a critical topic to understand hospitality innovation creation. Focusing on the open innovation, Study 2 analyzed hospitality customers' various engagement activities and contents created from the activities in an online hotel brand community. A conceptual framework of value co-creation via customer engagement behaviors was developed. Based on this framework, Study 3 developed a scale consisting of 15 items measuring customer engagement behaviors in terms of influential-experience value, C-to-B innovation value, relational value, and citizenship value. Lastly, Study 4 found that customers are likely to share their service ideas with hospitality practitioners when they enjoy doing so with the belief that their ideas can affect brand management decisions.

Yes / Social media analytics (SMA) is a dynamic field which has received considerable attention from both academics and management practitioners alike. A significant number of the scholarly research currently being conducted in SMA, however, is conceptual. Industry experts know that SMA creates new opportunities for organisations who want to more strongly engage with their customers and improve business performance. However, the relationship between social media analytic practices (SMAP), customer engagement (CE), and business performance (BP) has not yet been sufficiently investigated from an empirical perspective. In order to gain a better understanding of the relationship between SMAP and BP and the mediation role of CE in that process, a large-scale survey was conducted among senior and mid-level managers as well as consultants in the Retail and information technology (IT) industries in India. Specifically, a structured closed-ended questionnaire was administered to managers and management consultants country-wide and gathered usable responses from 281 respondents holding positions such as: Digital Marketing Executive/Digital Marketing Specialist, Management Consultant, Analytics Manager, Customer Relationship Manager, Marketing Director, Engagement Manager, etc. who were in charge of digital marketing strategies in the respondent retail and IT organisations. The questionnaire addressed issues related to the way in which SMAP contribute to an enhanced business performance through the mediation role of customer engagement. Structural Equation Modelling was employed to analyse the received empirical data. On the basis of the findings our research concludes that there is a significant positive relationship between SMAP and BP mediated by CE in the Indian retail and IT industries.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to create an understanding of how customer engagement, communication / interaction and customer insight are driving forces behind the use of Social CRM from a leadership perspective. Method: The purpose of the study, we believed it was appropriate to use a qualitative approach to conduct the study. The empirical data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The sample consisted of 10 companies located in the Gävle area who are active on social media. The interviews were coded to obtain keywords and patterns. These patterns and keywords are then analyzed to arrive at the study's results. Results and contributions: Our results suggest that all the identified benefits, customer engagement, customer insight and communication are driving forces to make use of social CRM. However, they are used to different extents with different purposes. The two main drivers are customer engagement and communication. Customer insight is the driving force that is used least extensively and least consciously. Our investigation has confirmed much of the already existing research in this area but also highlighted that all driving forces do not have the same priority. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the driving forces behind the use of social CRM.

As social media platforms are increasingly becoming more popular and a part of everyday life, Business-to-Business (B2B) marketers from different industries are realizing social media’s potential for achieving marketing purposes. However, scientific literature regarding social media usage in B2B contexts is still filled with gaps in knowledge; especially when compared to literature about social media usage in Business-to-Customer (B2C) contexts. One of these research gaps is the lack of niched information about each effect of using social media. This paper aims at contributing to filling this research gap by presenting an extensive literature review about social media marketing in B2B; followed by an analysis of empirical data gathered from 11 different cases of B2B companies engaged in social media marketing. Moreover, this is to answer the research questions; how are B2B companies using social media to increase brand awareness? Which types of content inspire the most customer engagement? And how can B2B companies amplify their chances of succeeding in increasing brand awareness through social media? This paper will further contribute to this research topic, by identifying further research gaps and present suggestions for future research.