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Automated adaptive selling

Maurits Kaptein (Jheronimus Academy of Data Science, Den Bosch, The Netherlands and Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands)
Richard McFarland (Department of Marketing, ESSEC Business School, Cergy-Pontoise, France)
Petri Parvinen (FAF University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland and DIEM Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland)

European Journal of Marketing

ISSN: 0309-0566

Article publication date: 23 February 2018

Issue publication date: 16 April 2018

1763

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to develop and test a method of automating, for online retailers, the practice of adaptive selling, which is typically used by salespeople in face-to-face interactions. This method customizes persuasive messages for individual customers as they navigate a retailer’s website.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper demonstrates a method for the online implementation of automated adaptive selling using sales influence tactics. Automated adaptive selling is compared to nonadaptive selling in three e-commerce field studies.

Findings

The results reveal that adaptive selling is more effective than nonadaptive selling. The click-through rates increased significantly when adaptive selling was used.

Research limitations/implications

This paper highlights the effectiveness of existing theories concerning adaptive human-to-human selling and their utility to online selling. The authors demonstrate the added value of adaptive selling in e-commerce, thereby opening up a novel area of research into adaptive selling online. While the paper focuses on the adjustment of sales influence tactics, other factors could be investigated for adjustment in future research (e.g. prices).

Practical implications

The methods, described in detail, are readily available for implementation by online retailers. The implementations are timely and increasingly valuable as e-commerce expands into interpersonal channels (e.g. instant messengers and social media).

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to formally implement automated adaptive selling as described in the ISTEA model in an e-commerce setting.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Screenshots of the participating websites and the implementations of the influence tactic are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Citation

Kaptein, M., McFarland, R. and Parvinen, P. (2018), "Automated adaptive selling", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 52 No. 5/6, pp. 1037-1059. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-08-2016-0485

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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