Engaged, but with what? Objects of engagement in technology-aided B2B customer interactions

Abstract

Using new technologies in customer interactions is a popular way of trying to increase customer engagement. It is, however, unknown how such efforts by marketers' affect engagement, and particularly to what that engagement relates to. By analysing interview and observation data, the engagement manifestations of customers of a B2B company using virtual-reality technology were studied. The results show that customer engagement can be targeted at not only brands or firms but also the service the firm offers or the technology that enables the service. It is argued that the different objects of engagement can coexist and support each other but engagement with the firm is less susceptible to fluctuations. Marketers should be aware of what triggers customer engagement and what it is targeted at.

Keywords

Customer engagement; objects of engagement; virtual reality; marketing technology; business-to-business

Published in

Journal of Marketing Management
2020, volume: 36, number: 3-4, pages: 334-360
Publisher: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

SLU Authors

• Mattila, Osmo

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • University of Eastern Finland

UKÄ Subject classification

Economics

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2020.1736603

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/105282