Applications of Internet-Based Marketing Instruments by Multichannel Retailers: A Web Site Analysis in the U.S. and the UK

Abstract

Online and off-line retailers fulfill a wide range of functions that are beneficial to manufacturers as well as to individual consumers. In doing so, they apply a mix of marketing instruments for their store-based and Internet-based distribution channels. As the Internet offers many different innovative alternatives of marketing instruments, the question arises as to what extent online retailers apply Internet-based marketing strategies in order to attract online customers. The empirical study presented in this chapter aims at finding out to what extent powerful multichannel retailers utilize these different Internet-based marketing instruments. The study is conducted by Web site observation in order to represent the customer’s point of view. A total of 60 online shops in the United States and in the United Kingdom are analyzed using 17 marketing-related observation criteria. The study reveals that the observed multichannel retailers still prefer “traditional” retail marketing instruments on their online shops and often do without innovative Internet-based marketing instruments such as personalization or content and information offering. Additionally, we identified fewer differences between the observed U.S. and UK retailers than expected. These findings should spur further research on the use of e-marketing by online retailers especially in an explanative manner.