Exploring the influence of submission devices on customer referral creation and receiver reactions in customer referral programs

Wolf L, Klopfer LM, Steul-Fischer M, Reinsperger M (2024)


Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Journal

DOI: 10.1002/cb.2397

Abstract

Customer referral programs (CRPs) are considered an effective means of customer
acquisition through which firms stimulate existing customers to refer services and
products to potential new customers. Digitalization and technological developments
have led to the common practice of using digital devices like smartphones or laptops
to create and submit customer referrals. This is the first study to investigate the influence
of submission devices in CRPs from both the sender's and receiver's perspective.
Based on four experiments, we demonstrate that smartphone-generated
referrals are shorter and less positive than those composed on laptops/PCs. These
differences in text length and valence negatively influence receiver responses, leading
to lower purchase intentions due to the perceived usefulness of the referral mediating
this relationship. Our findings underscore the important role of submission
devices for online referral behavior and contribute to the growing body of research
on device-mediated consumer behavior, offering crucial insights to optimize the promotion
and design of CRPs.

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How to cite

APA:

Wolf, L., Klopfer, L.-M., Steul-Fischer, M., & Reinsperger, M. (2024). Exploring the influence of submission devices on customer referral creation and receiver reactions in customer referral programs. Journal of Consumer Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2397

MLA:

Wolf, Lukas, et al. "Exploring the influence of submission devices on customer referral creation and receiver reactions in customer referral programs." Journal of Consumer Behaviour (2024).

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