Consumer Research & Market Insights
The “Consumer Research & Market Insights” specialist group is interested in the relationships between consumers and companies, brands and products. On the one hand, it deals with research into the experience and behavior of people in different phases of the consumption process. On the other hand, the marketing strategies (national and international), business models (in the linking of analog and digital worlds) and sustainable behaviors of companies are examined. The relationships between consumer behavior and corporate behavior are illuminated by empirical studies.
We investigate the experience and behavior of consumers during the customer experience journey, i.e. both before the purchase during contact with marketing measures and information procurement, during the purchase at the point of sale and after the purchase in the consumption phase. The research interest includes both the visible behaviors, but also inner, psychological mechanisms that can be used to explain the why and how of purchase and consumption processes. Examples of psychological mechanisms are emotions, motivations, attitudes or processes of absorbing, processing and storing information.
In an increasingly digital world, research into the use of digital products and media is increasingly coming into focus. This is reflected in research topics relating to user experience, user-generated content, personalization measures, digital profiles, data pricing processes and privacy in the digital context or so-called dark patterns.
Socially significant topics such as sustainability are included and ecological and social aspects of marketing design are examined, particularly in product design and brand communication. The reactions of consumers to the sustainability communication of companies, the implementation of their own sustainable behavior and the hurdles and obstacles that arise in the process are of particular interest.
The empirical studies employed use a broad spectrum of methods from market and social research, for example quantitative and qualitative survey methods online and offline, experiments or apparatus-based methods such as eye-tracking or camera-based emotion measurement. The results are used to develop recommendations for product development and marketing in a wide range of application areas.
Landing page of the subject group: https://www.hs-pforzheim.de/digitalisierung_und_it
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The specialist group is made up of the following members and research fellows:
Head of the specialist group:
Prof. Dr. Anja Spilski (Chair of Marketing Communication and Marketing)
Members:
Prof. Dr. Margarita Bidler (Customer Insights & Data Analytics)
Prof. Dr. Tobias Brönneke (Economic administrative law with European references)
Prof. Dr. Thomas Cleff (Quantitative Business Administration with Statistics and Operations Research)
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Föhl (Psychological market research)
Prof. Dr. Yasmin Merz (Digital Marketing and Digital Media)
Prof. Gabriele Naderer (Market psychology and buyer behavior)
Forschungsfellows:
ARTICLE IN MAGAZINE
CLEFF, T. Gidakovic, P., Zabkar, V., Zecezic, M., Sagan, A., Woijnarovska, M., Soltysik, M., Arslanagic-Kaladjci, M., Dlacic, J., Askegaard, S., ... (2024). Trying to buy more sustainable products: Intentions of young consumers. Journal of Cleaner Production, 434, 140200. doi:10.1016/
Walter, N., FÖHL, U., Zagermann, L. (2024). Big or Small? Impact of Influencer Characteristics on Influencer Success, with Special Focus on Micro- Versus Mega-Influencers. Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising*, 1-23. doi:10.1080/10641734.2024.2366198
Walter, N., FÖHL, U., Sader, F., Nies, A. (2024). Act as you preach! Authentic brand purpose versus “woke washing’s” impact on brand credibility: The moderating role of cause involvement and consumer skepticism. Journal of Business Research, 184, 114868. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114868
Reeh, A., Walter, N., Sander, F., CLEFF, T. (2023). Shopping for a worthy cause - the theory of planned behaviour for vegan personal care products with a special focus on animal welfare. International Journal of Business Environment, 14 (4), 488-526. doi:10.1504/IJBE.2023.10056159
Horschutz, N. E., Korbee D., Jaroudi, I. Viere, T., NADERER, G., Fournier, G., Integrating automated minibuses into mobility systems. Socio-technical transitions analysis and multi-level perspectives. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 188 (122260). doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122260 . (2023)
Korbee, D., Fournier, G., NADERER, G. (2023). The potential of automated minibuses in the socio-technical transformation of the transport system. Transportation Research Procedia, 72, 2936-2943.
Horschutz Nemoto, E., Korbee, D., Jaroudi, I., Viere, T., NADERER, G., Fournier, G. (2023). Sustainability assessment of the deployment of automated minibuses in urban mobility of European cities. Transportation Research Procedia, 72, 1364-1371. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2023.11.599
SPILSKI, A. (2023). Gestaltung von Kommunikation - Möglichkeiten der Kreation als Einführung in den Themenschwerpunkt dieser Ausgabe. transfer - Zeitschrift für Kommunikation und Markenmanagement, 69 (2), 23-29.
Gröppel-Klein, A., Kirsch, K.-M., SPILSKI, A. (2021). (Hedonic) Shopping Will Find a Way: The COVID-19 Pandemic and its Impact on Consumer Behavior. Marketing ZFP - Journal of Research and Management, 43 (1-2), 96-109. doi:10.15358/0344-1369-2021-1-2-95
Walter, N., Asgari, O., CLEFF, T. (2022). What role does the brand play? Measuring the impact of customer-based brand equity on the selection of MBA programs at Dutch business schools. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, Online. doi:10.1080/08841241.2022.2048430
Höfling, T., Alpers, G., Büdenbender, B., FOEHL, U., Gerdes, A. (2022). What’s in a face: Automatic facial coding of untrained study participants compared to standardized inventories. PLoS One, 17 (3). doi:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263863
Lakemann, F., Walter, N., CLEFF, T. (2021). The impact of payment methods and payment-related marketing communications on e-commerce retailer trust. An empirical consumer analysis of Indonesian e-commerce start-ups. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC COMMERCE, 16 (4), 352-376. doi:10.1504/IJEB.2021.10041142
SPILSKI, A. (2021). Formen, Wirkungen und Perspektiven kooperativer Markenkommunikation. transfer - Zeitschrift für Kommunikation und Markenmanagement, 67 (4), 20-27.
ARTICLE IN BOOK
Sander, F., Thierry, C., Walter, N., CLEFF, T. (2024). The Effect of Brand Activism on Advertising Success and Purchase Intention. Analyzing Female Empowerment and Anti-Racism Advertising. In Erceg, A., Pozega, Z. (Eds.), Interdisciplinary Management Research XX. Osijek, Croatia; Pforzheim, Germany: Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Economics/ Pforzheim University, Business School.
FÖHL, U., Heil, N.-M. (2023). Welche Effekte haben reale und virtuelle Influencer auf die Einstellung zur Marke? In A. Erceg et al. (Ed.), Interdisciplinary Management Research (pp. 931-955). Osijek, Croatia; Pforzheim, Germany: Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Economics/ Pforzheim University, Business School.
Bienecker, M., CLEFF, T., Walter, N. (2022). Organic wine consumption in Germany. An Analysis of Consumer Purchase Intention for Organic wine based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. In Erceg, A., Požega, Ž. (Eds.), Interdisciplinary Management Research XVIII (pp. 397-428). Osijek, Croatia; Pforzheim, Germany: Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Economics/ Pforzheim University, Business School.
FOEHL, U. (2022). Konsumentenverhalten in einer digitalen Welt. In Theobald, E. & Gaiser, B. (Eds.), Brand Evolution (pp. 109-130). Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler.
CLEFF, T., Otterbach, M., Walter, N. (2021). Nachhaltigkeitskommunikation in Social Media. Der Einfluss unterschiedlicher Arten der Nachhaltigkeitskommunikation auf die Glaubwürdigkeit, auf die Werbe-/Markeneinstellung und die Kaufabsicht am Beispiel von Instagram. In Barkovic, D. et al. (Eds.), Interdisciplinary Management Research XVII (pp. 1183-1210). Faculty of Economics, Josip Juraj Strossmayer Univ.
Lindstät-Dreusicke, N., MERZ, Y. (2022). Podcasts und regionale Verlagsmedien – eine tragfähige Symbiose? In Theobald, E., Gaiser, B. (Eds.), Brand Evolution (pp. 507–538). Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler.
Linxweiler, R., MERZ, Y., Scheu, P. (2021). Kleine Marken, große Wirkung?. Wie Micro-Brands Influencer erfolgreich zur werblichen Kommunikation nutzen. In Stefan Detscher (Ed.), Digitales Management und Marketing (pp. 247-264). Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler.
Article in series of external research institution
Kienzler, T., FÖHL, U. (2024). When showing off is the best. Mediator and Moderator Variables for Status Consumption of Maximizers. AMA Winter Academic Conference (pp. 446 - 460).
Müller, C., Fastoso, F., SPILSKI, A. (2023). What drives perceived brand luxury with Gen Z? An exploratory study of German consumers. Conference of the Global Alliance of Marketing & Management Organizations (GAMMA), Seoul 2023.
Dressler, E., SPILSKI, A., Gröppel-Klein, A., Greff, T. (2022). When a Robot Asks for Help: The Impact of a Healthcare Robot Admitting a Weakness on Caregivers´ and Patients´ Intention to Use It. EMAC 2022 Annual Conference. Proceedings der European Marketing Academy Conference (EMAC).
