An investigation into impact of online customer service strategies on sales and customer retention: a study of Sports direct UK

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ABSTRACT

The major purpose of this dissertation is to conduct an investigation regarding the impact of online customer service strategies on sales and customer retention of the UK based sports firm known as Sports Direct Company. There is also a need to assess the usefulness of the current marketing strategies followed by Sports Direct Company. It is even important to see the relationship among various variables which will be discussed in the study. An interview will be conducted with the Area Manager of the Sports Direct Company UK and other customers numbering around 30 people. The responses will be generated with the help of interview questions and Questionnaire where the Manager and the respondents would answer all the questions in detail. The manager will explain the current position of the marketing strategy followed by the company and would provide an insight of the future strategy which will be pursued by the firm. Therefore, these are going to be the major issues related to research study that will be discussed in detail.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACTii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

1.1 Overview of the topic1

1.2 Problem Statement2

1.3 Research Questions2

1.4 Research Objectives3

1.5 Significance of the Study3

1.6 Purpose and Rationale of the Study4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW5

2.1 Background of the online marketing strategy5

2.2 The impact of online marketing strategy on customer retention6

2.3 Various factors related to Online Marketing strategy and Customer Retention7

2.4 The importance of consumer trust in Online Marketing Strategies8

2.5 Evaluation Approach of the Literature Review10

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY12

3.1 Description of the Research Design12

3.2 Research Philosophy12

3.3 Overview of Research Methodology13

3.4 Types of Data Collection Methods14

3.5 Theoretical model14

3.6 Sample Size for the study14

3.7 Research Instrument15

3.8 Limitations of the Study15

3.9 Ethical Concerns for the Research16

REFERENCES17

APPENDIX19

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Overview of the topic

The importance of the online customer service strategies has been crucial for most of the organisations in the corporate world. The reason is the emergence of the e-commerce which has made it possible for the organisations to reach the customer through online sources. It is one of the major tools of advertising for organisations these days because of the high dependence on the internet. There are many companies that are using the online sources for reaching the large number of customers. The usage of online customer service strategies assists the companies in reaching the optimum level of customer retention. This option is used by any type of company whether it is a sports brand, manufacturing firm, service firm or any other company operating in a particular industry. The benefits of using this strategy are numerous which makes it the best option for the firm. Though, the case is different for the online marketing strategies because the firms need proper mechanism to conduct the advertising in an appropriate way (Haenlein & Kaplan, 2004, 97).

Customer retention exists as one of the most challenging and lucrative organizational goals for a business. Marketing theory has long recognized that customer satisfaction provides ...