Referral Effect in B2B Competitive Marketing - the Ceiling Effect of Referrals -

IF 2 4区 管理学 Q3 BUSINESS
Liming Zhao, Chen Ke
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

ABSTRACT In business-to-business (B2B) competitive marketing, less reputable suppliers must find ways to outcompete more reputable ones. As a marketing strategy, suppliers may ask their business partners or affiliates to recommend them to potential customers (supplier-initiated referrals). Referrals may help reduce potential customers’ uncertainty regarding suppliers’ overall capabilities and subsequently influence their supplier selection decisions. Thus, the following question arises: What is the effect of supplier-initiated referrals in B2B competitive marketing environments? To answer this question, we constructed a theoretical framework and conducted a quasi-experimental study. The results indicate that supplier-initiated referrals have a significant positive impact. Interestingly, the overall impact of referrals on a potential customer’s decision is nonlinear. In other words, the marginal effect of referrer credibility on potential customers’ supplier selection decisions decreases at a certain point, creating a ceiling effect.
B2B竞争营销中的推荐效应——推荐的天花板效应
摘要在企业对企业(B2B)竞争营销中,信誉较差的供应商必须找到击败信誉较好的供应商的方法。作为一种营销策略,供应商可能会要求其业务合作伙伴或附属公司向潜在客户推荐他们(供应商发起的推荐)。推荐可能有助于减少潜在客户对供应商整体能力的不确定性,并随后影响其供应商选择决策。因此,出现了以下问题:在B2B竞争营销环境中,供应商发起的推荐会产生什么影响?为了回答这个问题,我们构建了一个理论框架,并进行了准实验研究。结果表明,供应商发起的推荐具有显著的积极影响。有趣的是,推荐对潜在客户决策的总体影响是非线性的。换言之,推荐人可信度对潜在客户供应商选择决策的边际效应在一定程度上降低,从而产生上限效应。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
2.20
自引率
35.70%
发文量
22
期刊介绍: The Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing® encourages diversity in approaches to business marketing theory development, research methods, and managerial problem solving. An editorial board comprised of outstanding, internationally recognized scholars and practitioners ensures that the journal maintains impeccable standards of relevance and rigorous scholarship. The Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing features: •basic and applied research that reflects current business marketing theory, methodology, and practice •articles from leading researchers covering topics of mutual interest for the business and academic communities
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