Before purchasing new products, customers often have the desire to consult a variety of information sources (e.g., product tests, online reviews, frontline-employee advices) to make better purchase decisions (Broilo et al. 2016). However, the process of information search has changed tremendously over the past decades due to digitalization and an increasing number of online content (Jerath et al. 2014; Noble et al. 2006). Companies’ reactions to these new information search opportunities are very different. For example, Amazon decided to dispense with frontline-employees in their physical store (Forbes 2017). Other companies provide free Wi-Fi access in their bricks-and-mortar stores to support customer online activities (e.g., Woolworths and Best Buy). The purpose of this investigation is to uncover how frontline-employee interaction and mobile Internet search at the store affect consumers’ buying decision process. Initially, an exploratory study on different information sources at a physical store was designed with the aim to provide insights about the impact of information search on consumers’ product choice certainty. The qualitative data analysis shows that most participants had a main focus on content that is related to the considered products. However, there is an essential difference between the focus on perception of information and the source characteristics for participants in the mobile search and frontline-employee condition. While consumers who use their mobile devices to search online for information were more aware of information characteristics, consumers who get personal advice from a frontlineemployee mostly indicated expertise, credibility, and persuasiveness of the information source to be relevant. The results of a quantitative field study provide an initial examination of the influence of the information source on customers’ product choice certainty and its drivers. In this context, the investigation demonstrates that mobile Internet search as well as customer service can support customers in case of making a certain purchase decision for a product. However, customers who got their information by frontline-employees instead of using their mobile devices to search online for information are more certain about their product choice. This is in line with the results of the qualitative study, since an interaction with the frontline-employee leads to higher interactive decision making.

This study applies optimization-based algorithm to develop combination classification methods. We propose a genetic algorithm-based combination classification method of multiple decision trees to improve predictive accuracy, optimize classification rules, and interpret classification results. The basic algorithm for decision tree has been constructed in a top-down recursive divide-and-conquer manner. Based on different split measures (attribute selection measures), different decision tree algorithms can be produced, and then multiple decision trees can be formed. We proposed the parallel combination model of multiple decision trees. On top of the combination model, multiple decision trees are parallel combined. Each decision tree produces its own classification rules according to training samples from which one can present the classification result using probability distribution of target class label. At the bottom, the classification result of each decision tree serves as the input for combination algorithm in producing classification result and rules for the combination model. Combination algorithm adopts weighted summation of the outputs of probability measurement levels from individual decision trees, while genetic algorithm optimizes connection weight matrix. Finally the target class label with the largest probability output value is selected as the decision result for combination classification methods. The proposed method is applied to the issues of customer credit rating assessment and customer response behaviour pattern recognition in CRM. From the simulation results it is concluded that the proposed method has higher predictive accuracy than single decision tree. Moreover, it retains good interpretability and optimizes classification rules.

This research was conducted in order to examine the influence of corporate reputation in terms of as an employer towards both brand reputation and customer purchase decisions represented by brand perception, purchase frequency and category of items purchased. In this study, customers’ perception of the brand was also explored to identify the core blocks that form customers’ perception of the brand. The results indicate that corporate reputation did not have a strong influence on brand reputation, as customers viewed them as separate entities. Customers tended to form their brand perception based on the product features as opposed to the corporate reputation. In terms of purchase decision, the results showed that they were made and driven based on the customers’ brand perception with category of items purchased reflecting aspects of the brand perception. The study demonstrates that customers’ awareness of the corporate reputation does not affect purchase behavior, while brand perception is hardly impacted by the awareness of corporate reputation based on a survey focusing on a renowned domestic fashion-clothing retailer conducted among Japanese shoppers. Reputation is formed from a synthesis of the perception, opinions and attitudes of an organization’s stakeholders including employees, customers and community (Post and Griffin, 1997). It basically is a perceptual representation of a company’s past actions and future prospects that describe the firm’s appeal to all of its key constituents (Fombrun, 1966). Corporate reputations and brands are important assets in enabling organizations to exploit opportunities and mitigate threats (Argenti and Druckenmiller, 2004). A favourable reputation correlates with superior overall returns (Robert and Dowling, 1997; Vergin and Qoronfleh, 1998) as it encourages investments from shareholders, attracts good staff and retains customers (Markham, 1972). While corporate reputation is a stakeholder’s perception and evaluation of the organization over an extended period of time, corporate brands involve the organization’s efforts and initiatives in the form of corporate expression. Literature states that corporate brand comprises of two aspects: first corporate expression, which covers all mechanisms employed by the organization to express its identity and second, stakeholder images that are formed from interaction and experience with the brand (Abratt and Kleyn, 2011). Consumers judge brands based on trust that is developed from the way consumers view brand reputation, brand competence and brand constituent (Lau and Lee, 1999). The intricate relationship between reputation and brands leads to the heart of the study whether both are positively correlated, where the more positive the reputation, the stronger the brand is. In the fashion industry, labels play an important role hence among other aspects this study covers an interesting point where it looks at a fashion brand that has a fairly bad reputation and examines the extent of which the reputation is able to influence the brand perception as well as the customers’ purchase decisions.

Due to the convenience of use and rapid access to their information to find, many Internet users utilize the search engines or portal sites to find their information and web sites. However, many researches related with web site evaluation pointed out that many factors have to be considered to increase the usefulness of the site and the degree of user's preference about the site. In this research, based on the previous research, preference factors are derived to evaluate the portal sites. And then, five portal sites are evaluated by the questionnaire. CHAID, a decision tree technique, is used to analyze the results of survey and the relationships of preference factors. This research can be an indicator when we analyze the preference factors of portal site and other kinds of web sites using decision tree.

The study investigates how marketing mix factors are mediated by health consciousness and service quality in creating fresh fruit buying decisions of customers in Vietnam. This study employs samples of customers in Vietnam via the survey questionnaire. The authors have used a total of 256 responses that acquired the valid criteria. The compound of data analysis comprises reliability test, validity test, exploratory factor analysis, group analysis and multiple regression analysis to structure the hypothesized model. Respectively, the structural equation model (SEM) is applied to conduct the multiple multivariate equations. By the assumption of causal-effect relationship between independent variables such as marketing mixed factors, and mediator as health consciousness and service quality, which potentially impact on purchase decision; the SEM method is deployed. The results reveal that consumers have paid no attention to the marketing mix factors, but they care much about service quality and health consciousness. Thus, health consciousness and service quality are effective mediators. These findings are new and contribute to the consumer behavior and retail marketing literature. The findings of this study can provide assistance to managers in the given field to understand more easily the consumer behavior about fresh fruits, then improve their own performance.

The study aims to identify Service Quality factors that affect purchase decision on Click and Collect service through the mediating variable of customer emotions at Mobile World stores in Ho Chi Minh City. This study employs a mixed methods research design. Data were collected through online self-completion questionnaire distributed to 316 customers who used to experience Click and Collect service at the Mobile World stores in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The theoretical model was tested through two-stage regression analysis (PATH model). The findings show that factors of service quality such as Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy, Tangibility, and Emotions affect the decision to purchase online and receive products directly at Mobile World stores in Ho Chi Minh City. Responsiveness and Assurance have a significant positive impact on the customer's emotions. Consequently, these factors should be considered and addressed when conducting multi-channel services. Obviously, employees must first be trained to be able to deliver the promise of the retailer to their customers. Based on the results of the study, the authors provide managerial implications for retailers in Vietnam in the multi-channel retail environment to develop Click and Collect at retail stores across the country and the world.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between customer trust and intention to return to the traditional market by using empirical analysis. Research design, data, and methodology – For the empirical analysis of this study, questionnaires were conducted for adults and over 20s. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed to consumers with experience in traditional markets, and 163 of them were used for empirical analysis. In order to analyze the relationship between customer trust and return visit intention by consumers visiting the traditional market, variables were selected through 10 constructive concepts and revised based on previous studies. The SPSS for win 18.0 was used for data analysis. Results – In order to clarify the relationship between consumer's visit to traditional market and customer's trust, it was found that the tolerance values of both the visiting factors and the consumers' perceptions of traditional markets were higher than .01. In the relationship between visitor's visit to traditional market and customer's trust, price was positively related to customer trust at 0.1% level. Image, product quality and freshness of traditional market were 5% Positive effects were found. These results show that consumers who visit traditional markets gain customer's trust in price, image, product quality and reliability of traditional market. Conclusions – In this study, the results of this study are as follows: First, the effect of customer trust on customer satisfaction is affected by the image (emotion) consumers feel about traditional market, the trust level about the price of goods offered by the market, The confidence level of freshness, the reliability of consumers' connection with the local economy, the consumer's traditional marketplace, and the level of awareness of the service (kindness) of the variables on the independent variables. As a result of the analysis, it was found that among the influence variables of customer trust used in this study, consumers had a high level of confidence about the price of commodities offered by the market, quality of goods, and freshness, The same relationship, market environment such as hygiene or cleanliness, connection with a local economy, service (kindness) of traditional market did not affect consumers' trust in traditional markets.