Rebecca Wang | Lehigh University (original) (raw)

Papers by Rebecca Wang

Research paper thumbnail of The Effects of Online Negative Word-of-Mouth: An Empirical Study

Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of The Effects of Adopting and Using a Brand's Mobile Application on Customers' Subsequent Purchase Behavior

Mobile applications (apps) have become an important platform for brands to interact with customer... more Mobile applications (apps) have become an important platform for brands to interact with customers, but few studies have tested their effects on app adopters’ subsequent brand purchase behavior. This paper investigates whether adopters’ spending levels will change after they use a brand’s app. Using a unique dataset from a coalition loyalty program with implementations of propensity score matching and difference-in-difference-in-difference methods, we compare the spending levels of app adopters with those of non-adopters. Specifically, we examine whether the use of the app’s two main interactive features—information lookups and check-ins—influences adopters’ spending levels. We find that app adoption and continued use of the branded app increase future spending. Furthermore, customers who adopt both features show the highest increase. However, we also observe “the recency effect” – when customers discontinue using the app, their spending levels decrease. Our findings suggest that sticky apps which attract continuing uses can be a persuasive marketing tool because they provide portable, convenient, and interactive engagement opportunities, allowing customers to interact with the brand on a habitual basis. We recommend that firms should prioritize launching a mobile app to communicate with their customers, but they should also keep in mind that a poorly designed app, which customers abandon after only a few uses, may in fact hurt their brand experience and company revenues.

Research paper thumbnail of The Good and the Bad of Negative Word-of-Mouth: Empirical Investigation into the Effect of Online Messages

Advances in Advertising Research (Vol. V), 2014

Research paper thumbnail of ``Understanding a fury in your words'': The effects of posting and viewing electronic negative word-of-mouth on purchase behaviors

Keywords: Word-of-mouth (WOM) Complaint Company usefulness Company apology Webcare Propensity sco... more Keywords: Word-of-mouth (WOM) Complaint Company usefulness Company apology Webcare Propensity score matching a b s t r a c t Marketing scholars and practitioners have long recognized that the power of electronic negative wordof-mouth (e-NWOM) can influence brand revenues and firm performance, but most previous studies have only examined the effect of viewing. This study is one of the initial attempts to test the effects of e-NWOM on both posters and viewers. We also test the moderating effects of company usefulness and company apology in a separate study. Using an observational dataset that contains NWOM viewing and posting records and customers' purchase transactions from a real company, Study 1 finds that viewing e-NWOM has a negative effect on subsequent purchases, whereas posting e-NWOM has a positive interaction effect with company usefulness. Study 2 shows that a company's public apology has a positive effect on viewers, but not posters. We conclude with the theoretical, methodological, and managerial implications of e-NWOM and webcare research.

Research paper thumbnail of Branded Apps and Mobile Platforms as New Tools for Advertising

With the popularity of mobile devices, firms have embraced mobile platforms and mobile applicatio... more With the popularity of mobile devices, firms have embraced mobile platforms and mobile applications (apps henceforth) as a new channel that can potentially enhance consumer experience, brand loyalty, and ultimately revenue growth. Unlike traditional advertising channels, mobile devices are characterized by their portable, interactive, immediate and ubiquitous nature. As such, a firm can take advantage of app technology and enable consumers to engage with its brand even when they are on the move. Such "anytime, anywhere" engagement can positively affect consumers' attitudes and relationships toward a brand and their purchase intention. In this chapter, we examine the way mobile platforms and branded apps forge new grounds in advertising, and we also posit forward-looking implications that offer managerial recommendations that allow advertisers to strategically leverage branded apps and mobile platforms to promote consumer engagement and loyalty.

Research paper thumbnail of On the Go: How Mobile Shopping Affects Customer Purchase Behavior

Mobile shopping (M-shopping) has become increasingly important in marketing and retailing. Using ... more Mobile shopping (M-shopping) has become increasingly important in marketing and retailing. Using a unique dataset from an Internet-based grocery retailer, we evaluate changes in customers' spending behavior upon adopting M-shopping, i.e., using smartphones or tablets to compose, modify, or place orders online. We find that order rate, i.e., number of orders placed per year, increases as customers adopt M-shopping. Especially for low-spending customers, both their order rate and order size, i.e., the amount of the order in dollars, increase as they become accustomed to M-shopping. In addition to the effect on customer's spending behavior, we also find that M-shoppers tend to use mobile devices to shop for habitual products that they already have a history of purchasing. We propose that customers utilize mobile devices because the technology provides convenient access, which leads them to incorporate M-shopping into their habitual routines. Managerially, we recommend that firms should fully leverage their mobile platforms, but they should also keep in mind that mobile devices may not be the most optimal channel for launching new products or promoting products that require more consideration during the buying process. will be transacted using mobile devices by 2016. Besides conducting purchase transactions using mobile devices, customers also use them to plan their pre-shopping activities such as finding directions and store hours. . In short, the growth in M-shopping provides ample potential for marketers and advertisers. However, even though M-shopping has become increasingly prevalent amongst customers, there is still a lack of hard evidence regarding its impact. To date, few academic research projects have studied M-shopping's implications on customer behavior and firm strategies. Even though M-commerce is increasing, firms do not yet know how to or even if they should respond: of the surveyed businesses, 37% cite "lack of strategy" as the top reason for not launching a mobile program (StrongView 2012). Therefore, in this paper, we examine customer-and transactionlevel data from an Internet-based grocer to address this question: what is the impact of M-shopping adoption on customers' purchase behavior, namely, order rate and order size? If M-shopping were found to positively affect firm revenues, retailers should prioritize their investment on supporting mobile platforms. We also seek to answer this second question: what kind of products http://dx.

Research paper thumbnail of The Effects of Online Negative Word-of-Mouth: An Empirical Study

Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of The Effects of Adopting and Using a Brand's Mobile Application on Customers' Subsequent Purchase Behavior

Mobile applications (apps) have become an important platform for brands to interact with customer... more Mobile applications (apps) have become an important platform for brands to interact with customers, but few studies have tested their effects on app adopters’ subsequent brand purchase behavior. This paper investigates whether adopters’ spending levels will change after they use a brand’s app. Using a unique dataset from a coalition loyalty program with implementations of propensity score matching and difference-in-difference-in-difference methods, we compare the spending levels of app adopters with those of non-adopters. Specifically, we examine whether the use of the app’s two main interactive features—information lookups and check-ins—influences adopters’ spending levels. We find that app adoption and continued use of the branded app increase future spending. Furthermore, customers who adopt both features show the highest increase. However, we also observe “the recency effect” – when customers discontinue using the app, their spending levels decrease. Our findings suggest that sticky apps which attract continuing uses can be a persuasive marketing tool because they provide portable, convenient, and interactive engagement opportunities, allowing customers to interact with the brand on a habitual basis. We recommend that firms should prioritize launching a mobile app to communicate with their customers, but they should also keep in mind that a poorly designed app, which customers abandon after only a few uses, may in fact hurt their brand experience and company revenues.

Research paper thumbnail of The Good and the Bad of Negative Word-of-Mouth: Empirical Investigation into the Effect of Online Messages

Advances in Advertising Research (Vol. V), 2014

Research paper thumbnail of ``Understanding a fury in your words'': The effects of posting and viewing electronic negative word-of-mouth on purchase behaviors

Keywords: Word-of-mouth (WOM) Complaint Company usefulness Company apology Webcare Propensity sco... more Keywords: Word-of-mouth (WOM) Complaint Company usefulness Company apology Webcare Propensity score matching a b s t r a c t Marketing scholars and practitioners have long recognized that the power of electronic negative wordof-mouth (e-NWOM) can influence brand revenues and firm performance, but most previous studies have only examined the effect of viewing. This study is one of the initial attempts to test the effects of e-NWOM on both posters and viewers. We also test the moderating effects of company usefulness and company apology in a separate study. Using an observational dataset that contains NWOM viewing and posting records and customers' purchase transactions from a real company, Study 1 finds that viewing e-NWOM has a negative effect on subsequent purchases, whereas posting e-NWOM has a positive interaction effect with company usefulness. Study 2 shows that a company's public apology has a positive effect on viewers, but not posters. We conclude with the theoretical, methodological, and managerial implications of e-NWOM and webcare research.

Research paper thumbnail of Branded Apps and Mobile Platforms as New Tools for Advertising

With the popularity of mobile devices, firms have embraced mobile platforms and mobile applicatio... more With the popularity of mobile devices, firms have embraced mobile platforms and mobile applications (apps henceforth) as a new channel that can potentially enhance consumer experience, brand loyalty, and ultimately revenue growth. Unlike traditional advertising channels, mobile devices are characterized by their portable, interactive, immediate and ubiquitous nature. As such, a firm can take advantage of app technology and enable consumers to engage with its brand even when they are on the move. Such "anytime, anywhere" engagement can positively affect consumers' attitudes and relationships toward a brand and their purchase intention. In this chapter, we examine the way mobile platforms and branded apps forge new grounds in advertising, and we also posit forward-looking implications that offer managerial recommendations that allow advertisers to strategically leverage branded apps and mobile platforms to promote consumer engagement and loyalty.

Research paper thumbnail of On the Go: How Mobile Shopping Affects Customer Purchase Behavior

Mobile shopping (M-shopping) has become increasingly important in marketing and retailing. Using ... more Mobile shopping (M-shopping) has become increasingly important in marketing and retailing. Using a unique dataset from an Internet-based grocery retailer, we evaluate changes in customers' spending behavior upon adopting M-shopping, i.e., using smartphones or tablets to compose, modify, or place orders online. We find that order rate, i.e., number of orders placed per year, increases as customers adopt M-shopping. Especially for low-spending customers, both their order rate and order size, i.e., the amount of the order in dollars, increase as they become accustomed to M-shopping. In addition to the effect on customer's spending behavior, we also find that M-shoppers tend to use mobile devices to shop for habitual products that they already have a history of purchasing. We propose that customers utilize mobile devices because the technology provides convenient access, which leads them to incorporate M-shopping into their habitual routines. Managerially, we recommend that firms should fully leverage their mobile platforms, but they should also keep in mind that mobile devices may not be the most optimal channel for launching new products or promoting products that require more consideration during the buying process. will be transacted using mobile devices by 2016. Besides conducting purchase transactions using mobile devices, customers also use them to plan their pre-shopping activities such as finding directions and store hours. . In short, the growth in M-shopping provides ample potential for marketers and advertisers. However, even though M-shopping has become increasingly prevalent amongst customers, there is still a lack of hard evidence regarding its impact. To date, few academic research projects have studied M-shopping's implications on customer behavior and firm strategies. Even though M-commerce is increasing, firms do not yet know how to or even if they should respond: of the surveyed businesses, 37% cite "lack of strategy" as the top reason for not launching a mobile program (StrongView 2012). Therefore, in this paper, we examine customer-and transactionlevel data from an Internet-based grocer to address this question: what is the impact of M-shopping adoption on customers' purchase behavior, namely, order rate and order size? If M-shopping were found to positively affect firm revenues, retailers should prioritize their investment on supporting mobile platforms. We also seek to answer this second question: what kind of products http://dx.