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Brand Building on the Doorstep: The Importance of the First (Physical) Impression

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  • Moreau, C. Page

Abstract

Many brands spend considerable resources to optimize the consumer’s online path to purchase only to have their products arrive unceremoniously on the consumer’s doorstep a few days later in a battered cardboard box. In this article, I argue that many firms are foregoing an opportunity to both strengthen their brand and decrease return rates when they ignore the potential of a product’s delivery package to create a brand-building experience. Why are investments in doorstep branding effective and which firms stand to benefit the most from them? The goal of this article is to raise these questions, offer a framework to address them, and provide preliminary evidence in a proof-of-concept study demonstrating that branding experiences can travel directly to the consumer’s front door.

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  • Moreau, C. Page, 2020. "Brand Building on the Doorstep: The Importance of the First (Physical) Impression," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 155-167.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jouret:v:96:y:2020:i:1:p:155-167
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretai.2019.12.003
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    6. Castillo-Villar, Fernando Rey & Villasante-Arellano, Ana Josefina, 2020. "Applying the multisensory sculpture technique to explore the role of brand usage on multisensory brand experiences," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    7. Grewal, Dhruv & Gauri, Dinesh K. & Roggeveen, Anne L. & Sethuraman, Raj, 2021. "Strategizing Retailing in the New Technology Era," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 97(1), pages 6-12.
    8. Duong, Quang Huy & Zhou, Li & Meng, Meng & Nguyen, Truong Van & Ieromonachou, Petros & Nguyen, Duy Tiep, 2022. "Understanding product returns: A systematic literature review using machine learning and bibliometric analysis," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    9. Grewal, Dhruv & Roggeveen, Anne L., 2020. "Understanding Retail Experiences and Customer Journey Management," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 3-8.
    10. Jeannot, Florence & Dampérat, Maud & Salvador, Marielle & El Euch Maalej, Mariem & Jongmans, Eline, 2022. "Toward a luxury restaurant renewal: Antecedents and consequences of digitalized gastronomy experiences," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 518-539.

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