Research focus

The Department of Marketing oversees a number of its own research projects in the areas of customer experience management (CEM), acceptance of new (communication) technologies and sustainable consumer behavior, as well as communication and sales management. This includes the investigation of strategies, instruments and methods for optimizing the customer centricity of public and private institutions.

The importance of haptics in marketing communication

This research area is concerned with analyzing the relevance of haptic stimuli for target group contact via offline and online media. In this context, the connection or interaction of haptic and visual perception is examined in particular.

Acceptance of new products and communication technologies by consumers

The objective of this research area is to analyze the acceptance of new product and communication technologies by consumers. In this context, the relevance of usability and the trustworthiness of innovative technical product-related and / or communication-related applications for user acceptance are investigated.

Sustainable Consumer Behavior (Transformative Consumer Research)

In this research area, socio-psychological and structural factors are investigated with regard to their significance for (non-)sustainable purchasing decisions and lifestyles. A particular focus is on the tension between personal interest and moral considerations in the context of individual purchasing decisions. The results of this research will be used to derive implications for the promotion of sustainable purchasing decisions for the marketing of sustainability-oriented companies and consumer policy.

Avoiding returns in online shopping

The aim of this research area is to investigate subjective reasons for returns in online shopping and to derive implications for return avoidance. Subjective reasons refer to causes of returns that are related to expectations and behaviors of customers (e.g., shopping therapy) and are not directly attributable to the supplier.

Customer Experience Management in Digital Contexts

The aim of this research area is to develop approaches and methods for identifying relevant requirements and designing significant touchpoints in e-commerce, and to derive practice-oriented implications for action.

The scientific research is flanked by changing practical and transfer projects such as image analyses, customer satisfaction studies and workshops for private-sector companies and public institutions.