Comm 470 - Sample Persuasive Message Paper

Sample Persuasive Message Paper

COMM 470

Electronic commerce has become a part of our everyday lives. We have many retail choices available through the Internet, which can save time and effort. Electronic retailers realize this has become an increasingly competitive environment. These retailers must not only find new customers, but also retain the existing customers. With any retail company, business research is vital for their existence. Electronic retailers must understand customer behavior to better serve their customers and help understand the decision process a customer goes through prior to making a purchase.

The purpose of this paper is to identify three behaviors inherent in e-tailing. I will discuss the communications medium in which each behavior occurs. I will also explain how each medium enables e-commerce. I will analyze each behavior using the communication process, to include the purpose, sender, receiver, message, environment, noise, technology, and feedback. I will develop a sample persuasive message aimed at a virtual audience.

E-tailing Behaviors

When a consumer begins to look for a product or service on the Internet, there are many factors taken into account. Most consumers will gravitate to brand names they trust to begin a product search because they have established a bond of trust with a name through traditional shopping methods. The behavioral e-tailing consumer model can be broken down into three areas; the product, the process, and the partnership. The intent of electronic retailers is to intervene at every level to influence the buyer’s decision and gain trust and loyalty to ensure a repeat visit to their site or subsequent sale.

The first behavior in the consumer model I will discuss is the product or service search. This is initially influenced by independent or uncontrollable variables (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, , 2008). These are personal and environmental characteristics like age, gender, culture, and lifestyle. The intervening or moderating variables are within the control of the vendor. The factors like price, variety of products, and services is how they can intervene and influence the initial search. The communications medium used by e-tailers are pricing and advertisement via the Internet and websites. The use of their brand name and promotional Internet banners will also drive a consumer toward a specific product or service for further research and eventually a purchase. Using the communication model, the sender (consumer) begins to search the Internet looking for a product (purpose). The Internet (technology) returns the information with advertisements and pricing (receiver), and the feedback