The Starbucks effect: When name-based order identification increases customers' store preference and service satisfaction

Autor(en)

Sarah Lim, Stijn M. J. van Osselaer, Joseph K. Goodman, Christoph Fuchs, Martin Schreier

Abstrakt

Retailers traditionally use a number system to match a product or service to a customer, ensuring that the customer receives the right product (e.g., a specific hot drink). However, some retailers have started to match an order by using a customer's name. Six studies, including an incentive-compatible experiment and field study, examine whether, when, and why order identification by a customer's name can either benefit or harm retailers. In contrast to prior research suggesting a negative effect of using a customer's name in marketing communications (e.g., online ads), the current research demonstrates a positive effect of identifying an order by name, which we refer to as the “Starbucks effect.” This positive effect, however, is mitigated or even backfires under specific circumstances. The results suggest that managers can use customers’ names while avoiding the use of numbers to increase customer preference for stores and service satisfaction, but with caution, especially in situations where privacy concerns may arise, even when the customer is only asked for their first name and could provide a fake name.

Organisation(en)

Institut für Marketing und International Business

Externe Organisation(en)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ohio State University, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU), Cornell University

Journal

Journal of Retailing

Band

100

Seiten

316-329

Anzahl der Seiten

14

ISSN

0022-4359

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2024.04.002

Publikationsdatum

06-2024

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

502054 Entrepreneurship

Schlagwörter

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Marketing

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/5e6395c9-f653-4b73-83c1-5b0f3adfc0c8