Research

Use of digital sales technologies by suppliers of original equipment manufacturers (OEM) for B2B order applications and after-sales services

With the increasing digitalisation of B2B business relationships, customers are now more informed than ever. The trend towards more negotiating customers is changing the role of sales, which now requires more time and effort to obtain and analyse in-depth customer information and use it to create attractive offers. B2B customers expect a holistic value proposition, the added value/USP of which must be communicated accordingly. However, particularly in the case of customised solutions, such as those provided by OEM suppliers, the assessment of the value proposition for the customer can be fraught with uncertainty. This often requires a pronounced technological understanding. The communication of the advantages of one's own offer is therefore of central importance, as the final selection as a supplier and the sale of downstream products and services in the further product life cycle can depend on a successful presentation.

In view of these developments, the research project is investigating how digital technologies can be used specifically in the sales of OEM suppliers in order to optimise positioning in the supplier selection process and strengthen the after-sales area.

An empirical study on the role of transactional governance and marketing intelligence in co-innovation

Companies that co-operate in innovation networks face the challenge of finding a balance between contractual security and operational flexibility when developing governance with their innovation partners. Transactional governance plays a central role here by minimising the risk of opportunistic behaviour through detailed contracts and making the collaboration profitable for both sides in the long term. However, in times of technological turbulence, i.e. rapidly changing technical developments, this contractual security is particularly challenging, as detailed contracts cannot cover all potential uncertainties. A conflict of objectives arises between the desire for comprehensive protection and maintaining flexibility in order to be able to react to unforeseeable developments.

In this context, marketing intelligence acts as a kind of "early warning system". It supports companies in recognising technological changes at an early stage and preparing accordingly. This improved information situation reduces the uncertainty caused by technological turbulence.

The research project empirically investigates how transactional governance works in innovation partnerships and how marketing intelligence can contribute to reducing uncertainty in a market environment characterised by technological turbulence in order to increase innovation performance.

The influence of internal marketing measures on the adoption of innovations by sales employees

The digital transformation opens up a multitude of opportunities for companies to develop new (digital) products and services. Research in this area shows that the failure rate of new product launches is relatively high and represents a clear challenge for companies. In order to prevent product launch failures, the employees who are in daily contact with the new products and the corresponding customers play a crucial role. This problem gives rise to the following overarching question: What internal impetus can companies provide to support the "in-house" introduction of new products among employees in order to be able to launch new products and services on the market more successfully in the long term?

Marketing Intelligence and Dynamic Capabilities

Decision makers increasingly need to engage the ecosystem, not just the organisation, as innovative leaders tackle problems in climate change, health, education and technology. As decision makers try to solve some of the world's biggest problems, they must deal with increasing uncertainty and complexity. Increasing complexity is also forcing today's successful organisations to adopt new business models and new business practices with more agile approaches. To deal with such situations as future decision makers, managers should utilise marketing intelligence.

Marketing intelligence helps decision makers to reduce uncertainty and increase their chances of success. Marketing intelligence know-how enables managers to operate in a data-driven digital marketing environment. The importance of data in decision-making has also increased significantly as a result of digitalisation. However, data acquisition and analysis are only the first steps; the central challenge is to gain insights from this in order to design and communicate customer-centred products and services. This requires a mix of different competences - in addition to knowledge of relevant data sources inside and outside the company and analytical skills, sound knowledge of marketing, market and consumer psychology as well as management is required in order to be able to operate professionally in a data-oriented interdisciplinary environment and ecosystem.

Dr Herbert Endres examines the factors that make it possible to successfully master the transformation of society and the economy.

Implementation of product-service systems in industrial machinery and plant engineering: An empirical analysis of determinants, activities and successes in the servitisation process

Companies in the industrial machinery and plant engineering sector are faced with the challenge of further developing their business models in an increasingly dynamic and competitive environment. The transformation from product-centred to integrated product service systems (PSS) offers an opportunity to tap into additional value creation potential. These so-called servitisation approaches combine products and services in order to meet changing customer requirements.
The research analyses the requirements under which companies can successfully implement digital PSS on the market by taking external and internal factors into account. It examines which requirements and characteristics contribute to the success of PSS in terms of business performance in the market.
The aim is to understand digital servitisation as a central transformation process and to develop best practices for companies that want to strengthen their competitiveness through digital PSS.

The influence of a company's learning culture on the impact of marketing measures to increase organisational technology acceptance

The pressure on organisations to change remains consistently high and requires employees to be highly adaptable and willing to learn. Without a culture that actively promotes learning, the acceptance and successful integration of new technologies can falter, ultimately jeopardising a company's long-term competitiveness and ability to innovate. But what influence does the learning culture have on the acceptance of technology by management and employees and what role do targeted control instruments, particularly internal marketing, play in this? The aim of the research project is therefore to use a longitudinal study in the early phase of the introduction of a technology under consideration to gain scientific insights into how targeted internal marketing measures based on the given corporate and learning culture influence acceptance behaviour in organisations. These findings are relevant for internal technology-based changes, but also for providers of these technologies in order to successfully integrate them with their customers.