Generative AI for growth hacking: How startups use generative AI in their growth strategies

IF 10.5 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Business Research Pub Date : 2025-03-21 DOI:10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115320

Arash Rezazadeh , Marco Kohns , René Bohnsack , Nuno António , Paulo Rita

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This study explores how startups and scaleups in Europe and the US use generative AI in their go-to-market strategies across product-led, sales-led, and operational efficiency-driven growth. Through interviews with 20 cases spanning pre-seed to Series E funding stages, we 1) analyze generative AI’s role in growth strategies, 2) identify large language model use cases for tackling growth challenges such as customer churn, and 3) develop a framework for AI capabilities that guides managers in building, refining, and reflecting on their knowledge of using generative AI for growth hacking. Key findings include the implications of generative AI for technical and non-technical content creation in product-led growth, promotional content creation and repurposing, and customer experience personalization in sales-led growth, and market research, market entry strategies, and customer engagement in operational efficiency-driven growth. Findings empower managers to develop effective generative AI-driven growth hacking strategies while proactively managing unintended organizational, competitive, and societal consequences.

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来源期刊

Journal of Business Research BUSINESS-

CiteScore

20.30

自引率

10.60%

发文量

956

期刊介绍： The Journal of Business Research aims to publish research that is rigorous, relevant, and potentially impactful. It examines a wide variety of business decision contexts, processes, and activities, developing insights that are meaningful for theory, practice, and/or society at large. The research is intended to generate meaningful debates in academia and practice, that are thought provoking and have the potential to make a difference to conceptual thinking and/or practice. The Journal is published for a broad range of stakeholders, including scholars, researchers, executives, and policy makers. It aids the application of its research to practical situations and theoretical findings to the reality of the business world as well as to society. The Journal is abstracted and indexed in several databases, including Social Sciences Citation Index, ANBAR, Current Contents, Management Contents, Management Literature in Brief, PsycINFO, Information Service, RePEc, Academic Journal Guide, ABI/Inform, INSPEC, etc.