E-commerce or S-commerce? A managerial perspective on online customers engagement

E-commerce has rapidly evolved in the last decade thanks to the irruption of the Web 2.0 and the social tools. Using Internet-based media and deploying social commerce, many e-tailers are transforming the ways in which they are building relationships with customers online. Thus, social commerce has the potential to significantly enhance the competitive advantage of a firm by having a positive impact especially on customer relationships and, consequently, on revenue growth. As a results, there is a growing interest, by both researchers and practioners, in identifying new ways of looking at the customer and in understanding how to enhance customers engagement within online environment as a key issue to success. Although the study of the engagement is not new, there is limited focus on e&s-commerce and online customer engagement. Thus, the present paper aims at exploring the emerging strategies of e-tailers to stimulate customers engagement by attracting and alluring both potential new buyers and existing customers in Italy. The analysis will be carried out through telephonic or face-to-face in-depth interview with experts in e-commerce and digital marketing. It is expected that results will show how e-tailers are trying to stimulate online customer engagement through social activities and the so called Web 2.0 applications in order to interact and assist consumers in their decision making and acquisition of products and services