Abstract

Purpose - In recent years, many companies include franchises have acquire customers by making an online stores and they are carrying out permission marketing activities with e-mail and SMS. Permission marketing requires voluntary customer approval for receiving commercial messages such as cross-selling and upselling. Therefore, it is necessary for the business to induce the customer's acceptance. The purpose of this study is to examine which type of different messages can affect higher in consumer persuasion. Thus, we investigated the impact of descriptive norm message on intention of reception in an online store context, and its interaction with chronic regulatory focus. Research design, data, and methodology - This study hypothesized that the descriptive norm message would affect positive influences to consumers' intension of reception. Specially, this study inquired into whether the interaction effect between descriptive norm and regulatory focus. To verify the hypothesis, we conducted 2 × 2 between-subject factorial design with message type (general message and descriptive norm message) and regulatory focus(promotion focus and prevention focus) as independent variables. Participants of the experiment were assigned to one of 2 kind experimental situations randomly according to characteristics of message type. A total of 131 participants (descriptive norm message: 65, general message: 66) responded for this study. The data were analyzed using frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and two-way ANOVA. Result - The results of the study are as follows. First, we found main effects of the descriptive norm message. The intention of reception were significantly higher in the descriptive norm message rather than general message as in previous researches. Second, interaction effect between the descriptive norm message and regulatory focus was significant. The prevention focus (vs. promotion focus) were hight in a positive behavior intention when the descriptive norm message was given. Conclusions - This study verifies the main effect and interaction effect of descriptive norm message and regulatory focus on the consumers' intention of reception in permission marketing, and persuasive message in the online store context. The results of this study will provide various advantages to companies that want to establish long lasting relationship with customers by carrying out permission marketing in the future.