Cultural Targeting A Key To On Line Consumer Receptivity (EM)

VIVEK COLLECE OF COMMERCE
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
What is Cultural Targeting?

Cultural targeting is the practice of marketing to one or more audiences of a specific
ethnicity -- typically an ethnicity outside of a country's majority culture, which is
sometimes called the "general market." Typically, multicultural marketing takes
advantage of the ethnic group's different cultural referents -- such as language,
traditions, celebrations, religion and any other concepts -- to communicate to and
persuade that audience.
People tend to live within their cultural boundaries; i.e., people have their own
cultural values and norms, which influence the way they think, feel and act. People in
a particular ethnic group tend to share the language, customs, values, and social
views, and these influence peoples cognitive (beliefs and motives), affective
(emotion and attitude) and behavioral (purchase and consumption) processes. Based
on this notion of advertising as a mirror, cultural values and standards are implanted
in ads in such a way that consumers can see themselves and identify with the
characters in the ads and feel affinity with the brands.
What is Online Marketing?

Online advertising, also called Internet advertising, uses the Internet to deliver
promotional marketing messages to consumers. It includes email marketing, search
engine marketing, social media marketing, many types of display advertising
(including web banner advertising), and mobile advertising. Like other advertising
media, online advertising frequently involves both a publisher, who integrates
advertisements into its online content, and an advertiser, who provides the
advertisements to be displayed on the publisher's content.
Cultural Targeting: A Key To On-Line Consumer Receptivity
Other potential participants include advertising agencies that help generate and place
the ad copy, an ad server who technologically delivers the ad and tracks statistics, and
advertising affiliates who do independent promotional work for the advertiser.
Behavioral targeting has evolved from tracking consumers' online action to evaluating
their mindsets and personality traits. As technology continues to help marketers
understand the consumer, the next advancement in behavioral targeting methodology
should incorporate culture into the targeting mix.
Multicultural marketing is gaining traction for good reason. Online shopping by

African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and other minorities has also increased
dramatically during the past five years. Moreover, Internet usage among minorities is
on the rise. A recent study by multicultural advertising firm Global Advertising
Strategies found high Internet usage among people. These different ethnic groups
provide marketers with opportunities to create more focused messaging. Since those
who belong to ethnic groups operate within their own cultures, targeting can move
beyond segmentation by ethnicities and actually tap into consumer preferences based
upon cultural norms.
Why Culture Should Be The Next Big Focus In Targeting?

Culture Affects Behaviors
Culture's defined as: "The accumulated habits, attitudes and beliefs of a group of
people that define for them their general behavior and way of life."
It's a force that's visible and invisible, cognitive and affective, conscious and
unconscious, rational and irrational all at the same time. Most importantly, culture
influences behaviors by impacting a person's perception of events in surrounding
environments.
Everything a person sees is viewed through a culture-specific lens. Thus, if a person's

behaviors are to be measured and understood with maximum amount of accuracy, the
behaviors have to be placed within her cultural contexts.
With regard to online actions, consumers' propensities to visit certain sites or exhibit
increased interest in specific topics are shaped by their culture. In an industry that
heralds the phrase "know your audience," the opportunity cost of not factoring culture
into targeting tactics can translate into losses in marketing effectiveness. A look at
retail purchase cycles of ethnic populations provides some food for thought on how
cultural norms can be translated into different online behaviors.
The retail purchase cycle for Latinos is typically longer because they tend to shop in
larger, often multigenerational families or with friends. It's highly possible, then, that
Latinos have longer purchase cycles when shopping online. Perhaps making a
purchase online isn't so much an individual effort, but something that involves the
whole family. If that's the case, targeted ads should be very different for this particular
population. For example, if an ad is shown for travel packages, it's not going to be a
weekend getaway for two but a more family-oriented vacation deal.
All behaviors are learned and displayed in specific cultural contexts. Thus, targeting
consumers based on their cultural frameworks is a huge opportunity for expansion of
business. Integrating variations in consumer preferences and purchase-drivers into
targeting tactics leads to more effective messaging that will resonate on a more
personal level with each consumer. It's all about getting the right combination. And
getting it right with culture is the way to go for behavioral targeting.
Current scenario in India

The E-commerce Industry in India has come a long way since its early days. The
market has matured and new players have entered the market space. Retail on Internet
is witnessing very positive growth trends and end users are having numerous choices
to buy from. In the present dynamic scenario, e-commerce market in the B2C space is
growing in demand as well as in the range of services. In view of the literacy rate and
infrastructure in India, the number of online users is considerable when compared to
the rest of the developing nations. But, the transition to online purchasing from
traditional purchasing is taking a long time in the Indian market.
Status of e-marketing in India
Although, India has come out of infancy stage of e-marketing and progressing rapidly
but still it is far behind the developed countries like U.S.A, Canada and U.K. There
are several factors which have impacts on status of e-marketing in India. Majority of
the Indian population resides in villages where the literacy level is low and the
infrastructure required for e-marketing is inadequate. The instances of cyber crimes
are growing at increasing rate in the field of e-marketing. In the absence of adequate
legal protection, people hesitate to indulge in online marketing. The cultural scenario
of India is entirely different from those countries where e-marketing has become
common practice. India is multi lingual and multi cultural country. Around two dozen
languages are spoken in India. The multi lingual characteristic of India hinders
the growth of e-marketing. High initial investment in setting of infrastructures of emarketing also counts towards the progress of e-marketing.
However, in the light of advancement of technology the factors discussed above are
diluting and it is expected that India will soon catch up with the advanced countries
on this front.
CHAP 2: IMPORTANCE OF CUTURAL TARGETING
Since the beginning of advertising, successful marketers have recognized the

importance of consumer research. And it has long been accepted that consumer
research should establish how promotional offers can satisfy the needs of customers in
specific target markets.
The analysis presented in this article suggests that the cultural context (the social,
technological, political, economic, and physical environment) of consumers should set
the foundation for understanding how to satisfy their needs and for meeting their
expectations. This article will explore why cultural target market research should be
analyzed to qualify relevant content and viable consumers.
Why Is Cultural Understanding Important To Online Marketing?

Culture is significant to online marketing because it establishes the foundation for
how consumers think, communicate, and process information. By providing
contextual information about potential consumers, cultural target market research sets
the stage for strategic targeted marketing, and it is the foundation for online
promotional content.
Understanding the cultural background of prospects and customers is fundamental to

traditional marketing and is equally important online. The culture of online consumers
should be embodied in promotional content that is consistent with cultural
expectations. Online marketers have begun to recognize the importance of this
cultural connection by advocating localization and customization based on the
location and cultural background of their clients' target audience.
If we consider how we might disconnect online content from culture and attempt to
communicate with consumers without a cultural foundation, we will quickly conclude
that this is a futile exercise. In other words, it's impossible to disconnect the Web from
culture because online content is generated via the cultural filter of the folks who
produce content (designers, marketers, advertisers, corporations, governments, etc.).
In fact, contemporary researchers assert that the entire Web represents a cultural
document that emulates cultural values and ideals, as well as cultural standards of
economic exchange and communication. By including cultural research as a
component of target market research, online marketers and their clients have an
opportunity to embrace and capitalize on cultural variation by producing culturally
relevant content that is consistent with the ideals and expectations of a specific
cultural group.
Contemporary research indicates that online promotional content is most effective

when it is consistent with the cultural expectations of consumers. Those findings also
confirm that target market research that facilitates this cultural connection with
consumers is both necessary and profitable. This approach to target market research
has been applied since the 1950s, when successful international corporations began
marketing in earnest in contexts other than their native culture. Of course, some
notable cultural blunders come to mind.
American Motors. That is one of many such cultural errors companies have made
because of a lack of cultural target market research. Companies such as American
Motors quickly learned the importance of tailoring content (language, colors,
symbols, behavioral expectations, etc.) to the cultural expectations of a target market.
The importance of culture as a means of qualifying online consumers is not yet fully
recognized and integrated into industry lexicon.
For example, the American Marketing Association defines Environmental Analysis as

follows "The gathering and analyzing of data about a company's or nation's external
environment to identify trends and their impact upon an organization or country.
Included among the environmental forces considered are the political, cultural, social,
demographic, economic, legal, international, and ecological factors."
Rather than considering an environmental analysis from the perspective of a

corporation, one might instead prioritize the environment from the perspective of
potential consumers. Culture should also be recognized as part of the internal
environment.
How Should Cultural Understanding Affect The Practice Of Online Marketing?
Understanding the cultural context of a local, regional, or national target audience

provides perspective for engaging the research agenda of a specific marketing
initiative. Just because a potential consumer can access your client's online content
doesn't mean that the offer or the content is relevant.
Online marketers and their clients must therefore recognize that just because a website
is accessible worldwide doesn't mean that the content is relevant to a global audience.
Though your clients' content can be accessed across the world, your clients' target
population is not the world population.
Unfortunately, without cultural target market research, consumers with different

backgrounds are being culturally disqualified because content is perceived as foreign
and unfamiliar to them. Rather than becoming culturally qualified via culturally
customized content, these potential consumers will most likely continue searching for
content that resonates with their cultural expectations.
Elements of specific cultures provide the contextual framework for how consumers
with different cultural backgrounds interpret and perceive the world, including Web
content. Companies and online marketing consultants should maximize relevance and
consumer receptivity by prioritizing cultural research as a component of their initial
target market analysis.
Consumers with different cultural backgrounds demonstrate different consumer

behaviors and are most receptive to content that is consistent with cultural
expectations. Therefore, to maximize relevance, receptivity, companies should
customize Web design and promotional content based on cultural expectations of their
target market.
The diversity of cultures that make up the global marketplace necessitates

customizing websites to the needs of customers from specific countries and cultures.
Rather than excluding and disqualifying potential consumers, marketers should see
the value in respecting target populations' cultural expectations.
Cultural Impact on Marketing
Business people need to be careful that they never underestimate the impact that
culture can have on consumer buying behaviour. Developing your understanding,
tolerance and acceptance of cultural differences is crucial if your international
marketing objectives are to be accomplished.
There are a number of key cultural elements that international marketers need to take
into
consideration
when
designing
products,
developing
promotions
and
implementing distribution systems in foreign markets. These elements include values,

beliefs, thought processes, symbols, traditions, religion and language.
It is generally assumed that people are not born with a culture, but are born into a
society in which they develop certain cultural traits and beliefs. Culture has an impact
on people right from when they are born all the way into adulthood, which gives it a
highly persuasive quality. In many countries, cultural traits will prevent a person from
doing something that is common in another culture or encourage behaviour that is
uncommon elsewhere.
It is important that international marketers pay particularly close attention to the

persuasive nature of culture. You can't simply assume that people will disregard their
culture just because a product you have introduced will make their life easier. Many
aspects of culture have survived thousands of years and are likely to continue so long
as they are being taught to children from a young age. Many countries are reluctant to
let go of their culture and actively try to preserve it against foreign influence.
Language is a particularly important factor to consider when developing international

marketing campaigns. It might not seem like a problem at first; all you need is a good
interpreter. However, language is extremely complex with significant differences
occurring not just between countries, but across different regions. The best way to
deal with language issues is to deal with people who grew up in your target market.
They are far more adept at recognising potential issues than translators who learnt a
second language later in life.
Religion, tradition and local customs are also important considerations. You need to
make yourself aware of the local culture to ensure that you don't accidently or
carelessly offend people. It is important that you remain sensitive and tolerant to
different points of view and ensure that your brand doesn't contain any symbolism
that could be offensive in the local culture.
Culture is the complex phenomenon of learned behavior patterns and perceptions

inherited from our forefathers which distinguishes our society from other societies. It
determines the attire we wear, the food we eat, the places we live in and many other
dimensions of our daily life.
Culture influences are not static and do change over time, so it is the responsibility of
marketing manager to check those changes and adapt their marketing policies, given
that culture to a great extent determines how, why, when and for whom products and
services are purchased.
The impact of culture on consumer buying behavior is perhaps more apparent and
thrilling in overseas markets given that culture differences result in different attitudes,
customs and perceptions, all of which affect marketing strategy.
Marketing strategies that have proved successful in one country often cannot be
applied directly in other markets because of culture differences. For example an
American manufacturer tried to sell jars of baby food in an African country.
The product information was given on the jar label. But most of the potential
customers were illiterate. They were unable to read the print on the label.
In conclusion, marketing planning for one country will not be successful in other
countries because of culture differences. So the marketers should be aware from all
aspects of their culture practices and this can be achieved by treating each country as
a separate market.
How Is Cultural Qualification Applied As An Online Marketing Strategy?
If we think of the cultural qualification concept as a funnel marketing strategy, then

culture represents the initial filter that provides the context for culturally customized
marketing tactics designed to lead consumers toward a conversion. Cultural
understanding provides the structure for promotional content that's consistent with
expectations and perceptions of consumers from specific cultural backgrounds. When
consumers are culturally qualified at the start of a marketing funnel, familiar cultural
expectations have a positive impact on the decisions they make as they move down
the funnel toward conversion.
The following are some questions to address when conducting target market research
to culturally qualify content and consumers for online marketing:
What cultural design elements (language, color, images and their inferred
meanings, symbols, gender depictions, etc.) can be incorporated to enhance
the connection with your customers?
How can you customize content for culturally qualified search engine
marketing (PPC, display ads, and granular messaging elements, including
phraseology) to reflect those values?
Cultural qualification as a goal of target market research should consider whether

your company is seeking to satisfy the needs of a local, regional, national, or
multinational customer base. Define the locations of the most-likely consumers of
your clients' products or services. Next, identify how the cultural and geographic
context of the target market should affect promotional content and synthesize cultural
context with promotional content, thereby connecting culturally qualified consumers
with culturally qualified offers.
Ideally, cultural qualification research should be combined with geo targeting to

synthesize content for the people and places inside a targeted geographic area, thereby
creating more relevant content across and within national boundaries. Cultural
targeting can and should be local, regional, national, or multinational depending on
the cultural makeup of a target population. Therefore, cultural qualification (and
cultural relevance) is significant when marketing to multiethnic target markets within
the same country.
The
cultural
context
of
consumers
should
not
be
overlooked
and
to
recommend cultural qualification as an online marketing strategy designed to ensure

that the most-qualified consumers are connected with the most-relevant promotional
content.
CHAPTER 3: CONSUMERS PERCEPTION
Why Are People Scared To Shop Online?
Fear of credit card information being stolen: If you dont live under a rock than
you know the amount of credit card fraud that happens. Many consumers fear much
of the identity theft comes from the internet, etc. It is extremely important that your
website feels like a secure shopping experience for the user. Make sure you have all
the trust seals in place, SSL certificates, etc to make consumers feel they can shop in
your online store without a fear of their credit card information being jeopardized.
Its not a real store: The internet may still be a fantasy world to many people who
dont really trust it. The only thing they can rely on is that there is a web address
where they can shop that may not be enough. Make sure your website includes a
physical address and always a prominent phone number to contact you.
Youll see my information: People may think that your website / business will solicit
their information. This is a hard issue for your website to really get across that you
dont (shouldnt) do. Make sure that at checkout you have a disclaimer that says:
YourWebsitesName.com does NOT solicit any information provided by you to any
third party businesses.
I cant tell what the product is really like: Many consumers are afraid to shop
online because they may not be sure they will get what they see or not sure how it will
look like in person. The way to fix this is really to have three things that can sell the
product for you.
Not being able to track orders: If people dont get a tracking number after they
placed the other, panic mode will set in. Have you shipped my item? Where is my
tracking number? I know youve heard this many times! Make sure your customers
understand the processing time and what method it is shipping and set the right
expectations for when they will receive a tracking number through their email.
Needing a help person / assistance: Its all about having a phone number site-wide
and live chat to help people with any questions they might have. Product information,
shipping information, assistance placing an order, etc.
If you dont like it, youre stuck with it: I cant stress to you how your return policy
will determine the success of your ecommerce business. No Returns? Good luck
really beating your competitors. Offer the most competitive return policy you possibly
can without losing.
What Are The Solutions?
Increase Consumer Receptivity with Cultural Targeting

Knowing your target market is something every new marketer learns is the most
important of creating the most effective campaigns. While many marketers feel as if
they understand their target market pretty well, they fail to leave out cultural targeting,
and this results in getting lower levels of success. When you know the cultural values
of your target market and use them in your marketing efforts, you will notice an
increase in customers because they will feel more comfortable doing business with
you.
Cultural target markets include all parts of your target market, including who is most
likely to need your products and services, but it goes a step further. It also includes the
social, technological, political, economic and physical environment of your target
market. This is important information to define because your target markets culture is
the foundation for how they communicate, think and process information. It allows
you to know how to target in ways they are most likely to view your marketing efforts
and how they will understand them.
No place is cultural marketing more important than for online efforts. If you are an
online business selling internationally, you need to pay close attention to how you
market to the cultures you are focusing your campaigns on.
Cultural marketing not only includes how you talk to your target market, but how you
lead them through the entire sales process. Older customers are more likely to
appreciate your marketing if it is clear and concise with specific instructions Click
the blue button to place your order, where younger, more internet savvy target
markets might get bored and click away from your site if you are too explanatory. For
younger target markets, offering faster methods to purchase items or request
information would be ideal.
The better you know the culture of your target market, the more personal you can get
with them. Personal marketing through social media is some of the most powerful
marketing efforts you can make. Not only will you know how to create your messages
to them, you will know what information they will be most likely to find valuable.
Keep Followers Happy for Increased Engagement

Social media marketing requires ongoing efforts to keep followers happy. Keeping the
followers you have happy is much more valuable than focusing on just gaining as
many followers as possible because long term followers that enjoy your social media
efforts are more likely to become long term customers than those who just discovered
your online presence.
One way to keep followers happy for increased engagement is to find out what they
are most interested in and making sure to give that to them on a consistent basis. For
example, if your website sells aftermarket auto parts, then you can imagine that your
followers appreciate automotive information including tips, tricks and the latest news.
Creating quick posts that give them this information will keep them happy because
they will feel as if you are adding in a valuable way to what they are passionate about.
Another way to keep followers happy for increased engagement is to ask them to
share their opinions about your products and services. People enjoy feeling heard and
when you ask for their opinion, and then respond when they answer, they will feel as
if you value their interaction and will be encouraged to speak up more often. An
example for an aftermarket auto parts company would be to ask followers what they
use for a specific maintenance project for their car. Many of them will be happy to let
you know their favorite ways to care for their autos and this could start a great
conversation with other followers.
As you can see, with a little bit of imagination and knowing who the people are who
are most likely to follow your social media sites, you can keep them happy and
increase engagement at your site. It also helps to run analytics to study which efforts
you made were the most popular and replicate the elements that made them a favorite.
Loyal followers can become loyal customers.
Use Social Media to Learn More about Your Target Market

Running analytics is as important to online marketing as it is to run comprehensive
reports on marketing efforts. There are other ways to use social media in order to
learn more about who your target market is to help you appeal to them more and
create additional engagement. It only takes running occasional reviews that you or
someone on your staff can conduct. Some businesses are doing this monthly now to
help set up their upcoming content calendars to make sure they are delivering what
will be the most successful efforts.
The first thing to notice about your target market is what their profiles say about them.
If you notice that a large percentage of your target market all mention Loves Music
in their profile, that if you create posts using language such as That Rocks, your
target market is going to feel as if they can relate to your brand on a more personal
level. However if your notice in your profile that many of them mention how busy
they are, you can post time saving tips or other posts that would be helpful or best
related to by busy people. A quick and easy way to do this for Twitter is with
Follower wonk.
Learning about when your target market is most active in the different social media
networks you are involved with will help you know when the best time is to publish
your posts. When your posts show up as they are engaging, they are more likely to
engage with you than if you end up at the bottom of the list. Finally, notice what kind
of content they are posting at their own social media profiles. This will tell you a lot
about what content to publish that they will be most interested in and most likely to
share with others. When you take the time to know your target market, you will find
that it is much easier to determine how to create the most attractive image to appeal to
them. When you do this, you will notice that your analytics will start delivering higher
numbers of engagement and sales increases should follow shortly.
Skills Required
It is suggested that the following skills are required in the field of cultural marketing.
To spot patterns that allow subcultures to be grouped together, so that a common

marketing strategy may be extended to several subcultures in a group
To develop a distinct marketing strategy for each subculture, if there is a significantly
distinct cultural dimension that is important to the specific culture
To further segment audiences in a subculture, if needed, in terms of cultural affinity,
cultural identity or acculturation level (tactical adaptation within a subculture)
1. To develop parameters of culturally acceptable marketing stimuli; and
2. To establish a protocol for measuring cultural effectiveness of the stimuli.
This process is also known as ethnic marketing.
Creating a multicultural marketing strategy

Multicultural marketing focuses on customizing messaging and marketing channels
for each target group, as opposed to simply translating a general message into
different languages, or including token representation of different ethnic groups in
imagery.
Multicultural marketing is also complicated by the degree of mainstream cultural
assimilation within ethnic groups themselves. Some segments, such as recent
immigrants, may highly prefer use of their mother tongue, have limited proficiency in
the local language, and be highly geographically concentrated.
Other groups, such as second-generation individuals born in the new homeland, may
be bicultural but have less proficiency in their parent's mother tongue and be more
geographically dispersed.
Get the Timing Right
Timing is another cultural variable that can affect targeting efforts. The same holiday
may vary by both country and by culture.
In China/Taiwan, Valentine's Day is observed in July rather than February. Depending

on their acculturation level, Chinese living in America may or may not have adopted
the U.S. date. In a similar vein, Valentine's Day is celebrated on two different dates in
Japan. On Feb. 14, only females give gifts to their significant others, and gentlemen
return the favor on a holiday called White Day, celebrated March 14.
To effectively target an audience, focused messaging may either occur in a different

month of the year or be spread over a longer period to cover the date range based on
the identified preferences of various ethnic groups. Another example is Mother's Day,
which is celebrated on a different date in Latin America than in the United States.
As with other aspects of marketing, behavioral targeting efforts require the help of
research to identify key cultural preferences. Online surveys have been known to
illuminate differences in product feature preferences based upon cultural preferences.
Examples of Successful Cultural Targeting On-Line

Facebook advertisement
When it comes to social media marketing, Facebook is still the monster site to set
your efforts on. While many businesses have Facebook pages and do some form of
campaigning, nothing beats the amount of exposure you can get from Facebook Pay
Per Click (PPC) advertising. This advertising is highly targeted to show up to the right
people at the right time. While direct sales on Facebook remain low, using PPC ads
for lead generation, or getting potential customers to like your business Facebook
page and enter a contest is at an all time high. Converting Facebook followers into
paying customers from that point becomes much easier with the right marketing
efforts.
Facebook PPC ads show up on the right hand side of users Facebook profile pages
that fit the category information that you choose when you create your ad. Being able
to choose the category and keywords that will most likely catch your target markets
attention means that you must have an in depth knowledge of your target market. This
will create the best return for your investment.
Also, with social media becoming more important to stay engaged with, adding social
elements is another way businesses are redesigning their websites. If you think its
time to redesign your own business website, include social media tools. Giving
visitors the opportunity to quickly join your social media sites, and also Like, +1,
or otherwise share your content with their friends and followers.
You-tube advertisement
YouTubes statistics and analytic tool, and other social media metrics tools can help
you learn a lot about the results your videos are getting, but knowing what to do with
the information when you get it can be confusing to use in order to optimize your
efforts. While this stands true for all of your online activity, YouTube is one of the
trickier ones because videos are still a newer aspect of many businesses online
marketing efforts.
LinkedIn
While many people are using LinkedIn to post resumes, there is so much more you
can do as a professional and as a business. Many businesses are missing out on the
more important benefits of an active presence on LinkedIn because they are unaware
of many of the features that are available, and the fact that if a potential customer is
conducting research, they are going to look at LinkedIn for information before
looking at the other sites such as Facebook, Google+ or Twitter.
There are currently around 150 million users on LinkedIn and that number is
continuing to increase. Making sure your business has the opportunity to connect with
the more serious LinkedIn users in your target market will help establish your
business as a viable resource. There is no other social media site for proving your
companys value more than LinkedIn can do. Setting your own personal profile,
creating a business profile, linking them together and linking to all staff, contractors,
vendors and top customers is the best way to get started. You can also list your
products and services on LinkedIn which can help create an additional sales channel.
Online Shopping Sites in India
Flipkart.com
You can not only buy books online through Flipkart, but also mobile phones & mobile
accessories, laptops, computer accessories, cameras, movies, music, televisions,
refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing-machines, MP3 players and products from a
host of other categories. After takeover of letsbuy.com now flipkart is largest player
of e-commerce of India.
Flipkart.com began activities to make its presence felt on Facebook and Twitter. The
company has also used LinkedIn to connect with people. The popularity of the site
has grown through recommendations...people recommending the site to their family,
friends and co-workers. And what better platform than social media to leverage
word-of-mouth! Flipkart.com recognized that using social media is about being
human. The people who manage their channels infuse Flipkart's culture and
personality in what they do or say in tandem with their own personality.
Amazone.in
World leader in e-commerce market recently started operation in india, Now Indians
can buy Books, CDS and Electronic at cheaper price from Amzon.in. For limited time
they offering free shipping.
ebay.in
eBay.in is the Indian version of the popular online shopping portal eBay.com
worlds online marketplace. Ebay has a diverse and passionate community of
individuals and small businesses. Ebay offers used and fresh items with a wide
network of international shipping.
Snapdeal.com
SnapDeal offers everything from local daily deals on restaurants, spas, travel to
online products deals. They offer you best price with free shipping
Myntra.com
Myntra.com is leading online retailer of lifestyle and fashion products. Myntra offers
T-shirts, Shoes, watches and more at discounted price.
homeshop18.com
Here you find large range appliances, kitchen, cameras, mobiles, laptops, site, indian,
gifts, apparel, buy, online, gifts. and more, HomeShop18 is a venture of theNetwork18
Group, Indias fastest growing media and entertainment Group. Network18 operates
Indias leading business news television channels CNBC TV18 and CNBC Awaaz.
HomeShop18 has also launched Indias first 24 hour Home Shopping TV channel.
The company has its headquarters in Noida, UP. The website has received the Best
shopping site award from PC World Magazine in 2008
Yebhi.com
Yebhi is India Largest Shopping Destination for your Wardrobe. Shop for shoes,
apparels, jewelery, Bags and more. No matter yebhi rules in Apparel catagory and if
you want to buy clothes or shoes online this is best site, Their deals become more
lucrative with discount coupons, Now they are also selling mobiles at good price.
CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATIONS
CONCLUSION
The contribution this study makes to theories of online trust concerns the role cultural
values play in influencing the development of trust in Internet shopping. Presumably,
cultural impacts are limited in Internet shopping because shopping online is basically
an individual activity. The Internet and telecommunication technology have helped
create a new environment where cultural differences are blurred. In a global village,
an individuals desires, aspirations, and perceptions of their rights may be similar
regardless of their cultural background. Subsequently, consumers shopping practices
in the Asian culture may be similar to those in the Western cultures.
This study, however, suggests that the impacts of cultural values, though indirect, are
prevalent in the development of trusting relationships between consumers and online
merchants. Especially, the individualism-collectivism difference significantly affects
how much value and importance consumers place on the technical competence of the
online shopping system, vendors ability, and their benevolent intentions to
consumers, all of which, in turn, positively influence online trust.
These findings imply that there is a greater chance that an international trusting
relationship will form between Internet shoppers and sellers across the world when
the sellers understand the cultural patterns buyers follow to establish whether sellers
are trustworthy.
To increase consumer trust, the websites targeted toward consumers of individualistic
cultures should not only demonstrate their ability to perform all the tasks they are
supposed to do, but also provide relevant functions that facilitate accurate
transmission of information and completion of the transaction in a reliable and speedy
manner. On the other hand, the websites targeted toward consumers of collectivistic
cultures should emphasize their benevolent intentions.
Recommendations
Inform and reinforce the customers buying decisions by offering in-depth product
information. The content on product pages should be relevant and should give the
customer a virtual feel for the product. Ensure that your website addresses the key
elements of a product page.
Product names should contain relevant keywords to help customers find and identify
the right product. For a product such as a book, information about the author and
edition is required.
Use clear product images, with alternate views. Where appropriate, allow customers
to zoom in, see different color swatches, or spin the product around with a 360 view.
The product page for a book could get away with an image or two, but apparel should
offer most of these options.
Static images are not always sufficient to present a product. Video is a good way to
showcase complex products that need detailed explanation or a how to
demonstration.
Clearly list the price and availability. When products have variations (for example,
different capacities for a hard drive, or different colors for shoes), make it easy for
users to identify size and color combinations that are in stock (see the screenshot for
Kohls below). And provide sizing charts to avoid surprises and returns later. If your
business also has brick-and-mortar stores, allow users to check in-store availability
online.
Give customers a clear understanding of your products by providing detailed

descriptions, with text and multimedia. Descriptions should be simple, clear and
jargon-free. Consider tablet and mobile users by providing alternatives to Flash and
Java content, and dont require mouse hovering to access essential information.
Unbiased and unedited ratings and reviews by customers will help visitors make up
their minds about products that they may not be familiar with (for example, customer
reviews suggesting to buy half a shoe size larger for a better fit will help others not
make the same mistake). Many users look up ratings and reviews when they are in
stores, not only at their desk, so make ratings and reviews easily accessible from
mobile devices.
These could be complementary products (for example, a USB power adapter when the
customer is buying an iPod Touch), alternative products (different styles, models or
versions) or recommendations based on other peoples purchases (Customers who
bought this also bought). Whatever their nature, they should be relevant and
valuable to the user, not just an attempt to sell more.
Give users ways to save and share pages on the website. Businesses commonly do this
through wish lists, Email this page features, and social sharing and bookmarking.
Speaking of social, companies such as Buy.com (see screenshot below) and Wet Seal
are experimenting with social shopping, allowing users to shop with their Facebook
friends.
Make it easy for customers to reach you when they need help.
Different festival offers and discounts, free gifts on certain amount of shopping.
Last but not least, make the call to action clear and prominent to ensure that customers
know how to check out.
Bibliography
http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2012/8001/cultural-targeting-the-key-toonline-consumer-receptivity
http://plentifulmarketing.com/increase-consumer-receptivity-cultural-targeting
http://www.scribd.com/doc/29269643/Marketing-Project

Cultural Targeting A Key To On Line Consumer Receptivity (EM)

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What is Cultural Targeting?

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