Our research focuses on how firms can create value to their customers and ultimately value to the firm. We are highly interested in the influence of digitalization and technologies on consumer behavior and firm performance.

• Social Responsibility and Economic Performance

  In recent years, the intersection between public policy and marketing has garnered significant attention in marketing science. In addition to regulations, changes in taxation have also become a focal point of interest. One measure introduced in various countries to combat gender-specific tax discrimination is the reduction of the so-called ‘tampon tax’. From the perspective of the policymakers, this measure aims to make feminine hygiene products more affordable and accessible. From a marketing perspective, the key questions are whether this tax reduction has led to category expansion and whether it has influenced the purchasing behavior of female consumers, including brand switching.

  Our research project evaluates the effectiveness of the ‘tampon tax’ reduction in multiple countries and examines its impact on brand performance within the feminine hygiene products market. The findings will provide marketers with valuable insights on responding to policy-induced changes in the marketplace and offer policymakers guidance in crafting effective measures to combat discrimination.

  Contact person: Phil Wienecke

• Social Responsibility in the Video Game Industry

  The video game industry boasts revenues that doubles those of the music and movie industries combined. However, how this revenue is generated differs significantly from the music and movie industry.

  In video gaming, microtransactions reign supreme as the primary revenue-generating mechanism. These transactions manifest in myriad forms, each with its own implications for gameplay and user experience. While some microtransactions are unproblematic, others—such as 'loot boxes'—have been associated with gaming disorder and gambling addiction, particularly among vulnerable consumers. Some countries have already enacted legislations targeting loot boxes, since loot boxes potentially decrease the well-being of consumers. Despite the public debate about monetarization strategies in the video game industry, we lack knowledge what strategies allow firms to be profitable but at the same time ensure consumer well-being.

  This research aims to provide valuable insights for policymakers, consumers, and video game providers and contributes to social responsible acting in the video game industry.

  Contact person: Bruno Gerhartz

• Sustainable Customer Management

  Sustainability has become increasingly important in the economic landscape and will continue to solidify its central role. However, many companies are not yet fully equipped to meet the growing challenges and regulatory demands. Companies face significant hurdles in complying with sustainability regulations, as comprehensive standards, high-quality data, and models—especially for small and medium-sized enterprises—remain insufficient. Amid the focus on the challenges of sustainability transformation, the heightened necessity and opportunities in customer management should not be overlooked. It seems essential to integrate sustainability into customer management strategies.

  This research contributes to the growing field of sustainable customer management, providing companies—particularly those lacking the necessary competencies and resources—a valuable guide to incorporating sustainability into their customer management practices.

  Contact person: Andreas Seiferth

• Designing Digital Customer Interfaces

  The success of online shops depends not only on attractive assortments but also on delivering a superior customer experience. In offline environments, pleasant customer experiences are created by designing visually appealing shops, using sounds, smells, and providing samples.

  In comparison, online shops have finite possibilities and are primarily limited to visual design such as search bars, filters, and product pictures that guide and provide customers with information that is needed to make a purchase. Yet, it is much more difficult to evoke emotions and sensory felling as well as providing a human touch. This restriction can decrease the customer experience and inhibit purchases.  In turn, we need to develop shop designs and orchestrate various shopping tools to address the limitations of online shopping to warrant the success of online shopping business models.

  In our research, we answer the question how to design online shops that create a pleasant experience and affect customers' shopping behavior positively. Thereby, we support online retailers to design pleasant shopping experiences that finally generate value for the shoppers and retailers.

  Contact person: Christopher Stein

• Intersection of Marketing, Data Science and Social Responsibility

  Over the past years, humanity generated, replicated and consumed more data than ever before. As a consequence, businesses and researchers alike are wondering how to make sense of all the newly generated data, how to help marketers in practice to get valuable insights from e.g. e-WoM such as user generated content on social media and, ultimately, how to increase profit.

  However, with the increased use of large data sources, algorithms and prediction methods, we ask ourselves where we want to head as a society and how we can use these newly gained methods in a socially responsible way. In our research, we therefore critically investigate how firms use loopholes in network policies and regulations such as the general data protection regulation (GDPR) and examine the consequences for customers, businesses and society as a whole.

  With the help of user generated content, we further strive to understand consumer reactions on corporate unethical behavior and to demonstrate the large impact of morally questionable choices in the business context.

  With this research, we want to draw attention to the ethically relevant questions in a data driven world and give insights for marketers and policy-makers to make socially responsible while economically viable decisions.

  Contact person: Stefanie Dewender