Social presence and e-commerce B2B chat functions

Abstract

Purpose Currently, online chat is in common use in e-commerce. By adding social interaction to the online context, companies hope to increase customers’ purchasing intentions. However, previous studies have not investigated how social presence is embedded in online business-to-business (B2B) chat conversations between buyers and sellers. Moreover, the functions of online chat in B2B sales have not been investigated. Design/methodology/approach The data was collected at a case company over the course of four years, from which the authors analyzed 157 online chat conversations between buyers (n = 157) and sellers (n = 9) with a theory-driven thematic analysis. In addition, data from the company’s customer relationship management system was collected to specify buyer types. Findings The results reveal that social presence was embedded in online B2B chat via buyers’ interactive, affective and relationship maintenance responses. Social presence differed depending on the type of buyer, with only existing customers having relationship maintenance responses. E-commerce B2B chat functions can be described as multiple and changing depending on the buyer–seller relationship stage. Research limitations/implications Having data only from one case company limits the results to one type of industry. Practical implications The results can be used in sales training and when developing online chat services. Originality/value Results bring scientific utility to B2B sales and marketing research, as the authors build a bridge between social presence, the existing theoretical model on B2B buyer–seller relationship development and online chat as a communication medium. Other researchers may use this understanding when exploring B2B buyer–seller interaction in different digitalized communication media.

Moderni yritysten välinen suhdemyynti korostaa vuorovaikutusosaamisen merkitystä

“…Artikkelissa numero kaksi (Koponen & Rytsy, 2020) teoriataustaan kuului sosiaalinen läsnäolo sekä digitaalisen myyntivuorovaikutuksen kirjallisuuskatsaus. Tutkimuskysymykset olivat: Kuinka sosiaalinen läsnäolo näyttäytyy myyjien ja asiakassuhteen eri vaiheessa olevien asiakkaiden välisissä chat-keskusteluissa?…”

Artificial intelligence in business-to-business marketing: a bibliometric analysis of current research status, development and future directions

“…For instance, Rantala et al (2020) state that it is vital for B2B marketers to consider problems from the customers' perspective and analyse the information of buyers. Therefore, prospective research was conducted to concentrate on customer value generation and real-time AI for customer information management (Koponen and Rytsy, 2020; Bahrami et al , 2020). It aims to help B2B marketers to develop appropriate strategies for different customer segments, create real-time information management as well as generate recommendations to customers in their buying decisions.…”

Communication in the Gig Economy: Buying and Selling in Online Freelance Marketplaces

“…A buyer that self-discloses a high amount of personal information might also appear less attractive as a prospective business contact (Collins and Miller 1994). Because extensive self-disclosures are unusual in initial B2B online exchanges (Koponen and Rytsy 2020), such disclosures might be perceived as inappropriate (Moon 2000).…”