Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Irene Williams

Abstract

Some U.S. e-commerce retail organizations use inadequate visual product presentation strategies that are limited to static product images and uninspiring textual descriptions. E-store customers have a stake because they are the beneficiary of the higher quality online shopping experience produced when rich media is used. Viewed through richness media theory, the purpose of this summative program evaluation was to evaluate the effectiveness of using rich media in e-store product listings. The evaluation was performed for a partner organization 1 year after the organization implemented a rich media implementation program in its e-store product listings. The results of the first repeated measures t tests indicated using rich media in e-store product listings increased annual sales revenue by 14.2% and total profit dollars by 8.8%; however, the results of a weekly profit comparison between 2016 and 2017 were not statistically significant, t(52) = .768, p = .446. The results of the second repeated measures t test indicated customer retention increased by 7.4% annually after implementing the rich media implementation program; however, the results of a weekly customer retention comparison between 2016 and 2017 were not statistically significant, t(52) = 2.002, p =.051. The results of the thematic analysis revealed one theme: maintaining rich media must be cost effective. The implications for positive social change include the potential for increasing consumer trust in convenient, e-retail shopping practices and reducing consumer dependency on inefficient shopping practices at traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Consumers with more detailed product information can make more informed purchase decisions, resulting in a reduced number of product returns and a higher quality online shopping experience.

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