User Base Growth via Viral Marketing: The Contributory Factors : case: Ostosnero by Avansera Ltd.
Nguyen, Tai; Le, Thuy (2013)
Nguyen, Tai
Le, Thuy
Lahden ammattikorkeakoulu
2013
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201305076838
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201305076838
Tiivistelmä
The past decade has witnessed a surge in the number of digital start-ups, many of which have achieved widely acclaimed success in less than a few years, attracting phenomenal numbers of users worldwide. A common marketing strategy has been employed: viral marketing. Viral marketing is recognized among practitioners and researchers as a contemporary and important marketing tool.
Avansera Ltd., a Finnish start-up founded in 2012, is developing a digital shopping intelligence platform entitled OstosNero. OstosNero optimizes users’ shopping experiences while providing businesses with useful data. Avansera aims to build a broad and sustainable user base for OstosNero.
The main objective of this thesis is to assist the case company in formulating its viral marketing strategy for OstosNero by exploring and providing insights into user attraction and user retention, in both theory and practices.
This study’s nature is exploratory and applied business research. Therefore, the authors employ a combination of deductive approach and qualitative method. The collection of both primary and secondary data is performed. Primary data is acquired from the authors’ unstructured interviews and open, small-group discussions with the case company’s CEO and employees. Secondary data is obtained from publications such as books, journals, articles, reports, previous studies in the literature, and electronic sources.
This thesis’ core is comprised of three main parts. First, the authors undertake a detailed review of viral marketing and its application for digital services. Second, contributory factors in user base growth in the literature are extracted; the authors then examine historical cases that have achieved rapid and sustainable growth in user base in order to see how these factors have been practically implemented. Third, on the basis of theoretical findings and practical analyses, the authors formulate a list of contributory factors that can be utilized in the case company’s marketing strategy and provide recommendation accordingly. Overall, this study leads the authors to believe that there is a correlation between the implementation of the contributory factors and user base growth.
Avansera Ltd., a Finnish start-up founded in 2012, is developing a digital shopping intelligence platform entitled OstosNero. OstosNero optimizes users’ shopping experiences while providing businesses with useful data. Avansera aims to build a broad and sustainable user base for OstosNero.
The main objective of this thesis is to assist the case company in formulating its viral marketing strategy for OstosNero by exploring and providing insights into user attraction and user retention, in both theory and practices.
This study’s nature is exploratory and applied business research. Therefore, the authors employ a combination of deductive approach and qualitative method. The collection of both primary and secondary data is performed. Primary data is acquired from the authors’ unstructured interviews and open, small-group discussions with the case company’s CEO and employees. Secondary data is obtained from publications such as books, journals, articles, reports, previous studies in the literature, and electronic sources.
This thesis’ core is comprised of three main parts. First, the authors undertake a detailed review of viral marketing and its application for digital services. Second, contributory factors in user base growth in the literature are extracted; the authors then examine historical cases that have achieved rapid and sustainable growth in user base in order to see how these factors have been practically implemented. Third, on the basis of theoretical findings and practical analyses, the authors formulate a list of contributory factors that can be utilized in the case company’s marketing strategy and provide recommendation accordingly. Overall, this study leads the authors to believe that there is a correlation between the implementation of the contributory factors and user base growth.