Omni-Channel Interactive Marketing for Sustainable Marketing Effectiveness

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, marketers are empowered with numerous interaction technologies whether online or offline to engage consumers [1,2]. Traditionally, marketers usually have to interact with consumers with firms’ employees. However, social media has largely reshaped the landscape of consumer–brand interaction, making it quicker, more direct and bidirectional [3–5]. For instance, a large number of firms now are building brand communities (e.g., online forums and brand fan pages) to facilitate consumer brand engagement consisting of consumer-consumer interaction and consumer–brand interaction [6–10]. More recently, short video [11], live-streaming [12,13] and virtual reality (VR)/ augmented reality (AR) [2,14] have increasingly been adopted by firms to engage consumers. It is also a trend that AI-enabled chatbots (e.g., ChatGPT) are playing an increasingly important role in many areas such as the service, shopping and information provision context [15]. 

Looking into the future, scholars and marketers are excited to embrace the coming of metaverse marketing because it allows a more immersive and vivid consumer experience in a 3D virtual environment [16,17]. In the metaverse, brands can design virtual spaces for their consumers, communicate with consumers with avatars, and more importantly market virtual goods and experiences for higher brand performance.

We believe that new interaction technology will not replace traditional interaction technology because each technology has its advantages; rather, we believe that the new interaction technology and traditional interaction technology should be complementary in creating a better consumer experience, creating an opportunity for omni-channel interactive marketing [18]. In other words, by employing all available communication and interaction channels, firms are likely to increase consumer engagement and eventually enhance brand performance at a higher level.

It is well established that consumers’ engagement with brands is a very valuable resource that contributes to firms’ sustainable marketing performance [19,20]. Thus, marketers would always aim to be connected with consumers with various interaction technology. Given the continual evolution and increasing diversity of communication channels and the managerial importance of omni-channel interactive marketing, in this Special Issue, we would like to explore the topic of consumer behaviors in the context of omni-channel interaction and firms’ omni-channel interactive marketing strategies, which may bring innovative insights into brand management and brand innovation.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• The impact of social media interaction on brand performance;
• Live-streaming marketing and consumer engagement;
• AI-enabled human–computer interaction;
• AIGC (AI generated contents) and sales performance;
• The impact of consumer–brand interaction on brand outcomes;
• Social media content marketing and sustainable marketing;
• Branding with emerging interactive technology;
• AR/VR interactive technology and users experience;
• Social media engagement;
• Effects of online and offline consumer–brand interaction;
• Consumer behaviors in the metaverse;
• Avatar-based communication and marketing.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

References

1. Liao, J.; Chen, K.; Qi, J.; Li, J.; Yu, I.Y. Creating Immersive and Parasocial Live Shopping Experience for Viewers: The Role of Streamers’ Interactional Communication Style. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing 2023, 17, 140–155, doi:10.1108/JRIM-04-2021-0114.
2. Tan, Y.-C.; Chandukala, S.R.; Reddy, S.K. Augmented Reality in Retail and Its Impact on Sales. Journal of Marketing 2022, 86, 48–66, doi:10.1177/0022242921995449.
3. Dong, X.; Liao, J.; Chang, Y.; Zhou, R. Consumer Responses to Online Advertising and Online Reviews: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Responses and Affective Responses. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research 2022, 23, 207–222.
4. Dong, X.; Chang, Y.; Liao, J.; Hao, X.; Yu, X. The Impact of Virtual Interaction on Consumers’ pro-Environmental Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Platform Intimacy and Love for Nature. Information Technology & People 2023, ahead-of-print, doi:10.1108/ITP-02-2021-0164.
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6. Liao, J.; Li, M.; Wei, H.; Tong, Z. Antecedents of Smartphone Brand Switching: A Push–Pull–Mooring Framework. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics 2021, ahead-of-print, doi:10.1108/APJML-06-2020-0397.
7. Liao, J.; Chen, J.; Dong, X. Understanding the Antecedents and Outcomes of Brand Community-Swinging in a Poly-Social-Media Context: A Perspective of Channel Complementarity Theory. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics 2021, 34, 506–523, doi:10.1108/APJML-11-2020-0820.
8. Liao, J.; Dong, X.; Guo, Y. Examining Knowledge Contribution in Firm- versus Consumer-Hosted Virtual Brand Community. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications 2020, 41, 100963, doi:10.1016/j.elerap.2020.100963.
9. Liao, J.; Huang, M.; Xiao, B. Promoting Continual Member Participation in Firm-Hosted Online Brand Communities: An Organizational Socialization Approach. Journal of Business Research 2017, 71, 92–101, doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.10.013.
10. Veloutsou, C.; Liao, J. Mapping Brand Community Research from 2001 to 2021: Assessing the Field’s Stage of Development and a Research Agenda. Psychology & Marketing 2023, 40, 431–454, doi:10.1002/mar.21782.
11. Liu, X.; Shi, S.W.; Teixeira, T.; Wedel, M. Video Content Marketing: The Making of Clips. Journal of Marketing 2018, 82, 86–101, doi:10.1509/jm.16.0048.
12. Zheng, S.; Chen, J.; Liao, J.; Hu, H.-L. What Motivates Users’ Viewing and Purchasing Behavior Motivations in Live Streaming: A Stream-Streamer-Viewer Perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 2023, 72, 103240, doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103240.
13. Zheng, S.; Wu, M.; Liao, J. The Impact of Destination Live Streaming on Viewers’ Travel Intention. Current Issues in Tourism 2023, 26, 184–198, doi:10.1080/13683500.2022.2117594.
14. Luangrath, A.W.; Peck, J.; Hedgcock, W.; Xu, Y. Observing Product Touch: The Vicarious Haptic Effect in Digital Marketing and Virtual Reality. Journal of Marketing Research 2022, 59, 306–326, doi:10.1177/00222437211059540.
15. Crolic, C.; Thomaz, F.; Hadi, R.; Stephen, A.T. Blame the Bot: Anthropomorphism and Anger in Customer–Chatbot Interactions. Journal of Marketing 2022, 86, 132–148, doi:10.1177/00222429211045687.
16. Giang Barrera, K.; Shah, D. Marketing in the Metaverse: Conceptual Understanding, Framework, and Research Agenda. Journal of Business Research 2023, 155, 113420, doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113420.
17. Hazan, E.; Kelly, G.; Khan, H.; Spillecke, D.; Yee, L. Marketing in the Metaverse: An Opportunity for Innovation and Experimentation. McKinsey Quarterly 2022, 1–7.
18. Batra, R.; Keller, K.L. Integrating Marketing Communications: New Findings, New Lessons, and New Ideas. Journal of Marketing 2016, 80, 122–145, doi:10.1509/jm.15.0419.
19. Hollebeek, L.D.; Macky, K. Digital Content Marketing’s Role in Fostering Consumer Engagement, Trust, and Value: Framework, Fundamental Propositions, and Implications. Journal of Interactive Marketing 2019, 45, 27–41, doi:10.1016/j.intmar.2018.07.003.
20. Kumar, V.; Pansari, A. Competitive Advantage through Engagement. Journal of Marketing Research 2016, 53, 497–514, doi:10.1509/jmr.15.0044.

Dr. Junyun Liao
Dr. Xuebing Dong
Dr. Morgan Yang
Guest Editors

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