Affiliate Marketing. The Customer Acceptance of Cashback Platforms

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Objective and Research Question
• Structure and Methodological Approach
• Affiliate Marketing
• Definition
• Market players and their objectives within Affiliate Marketing
• Merchants
• Affiliates
• Affiliate Networks
• Customers
• Functional Principle of Affiliate Marketing
• Advertisement methods
• Tracking methods
• Compensation methods
• Cashback Marketing
• Definition of Cashback
• Functional Principle of Cashback Platforms
• Market Players
• Commission and Tracking Method within the Cashback system
• Customer Acceptance within Cashback Platforms
• German Cashback market
• State of Research of the German Cashback market
• Mehr Transparenz – mehr Kundennähe
• Kundenurteil: Fairness von Cashback-Portalen 2019
• Von C&A bis Zooplus - diese Rabatte sind drin
• Studie: Bonusprogramm Monitor 2019
• Empirical Research - Customer acceptance of Cashback Platforms
• Methodology and Method
• Sampling Method
• Purpose, Design and Structure of the Questionnaire
• Survey Results
• General Survey and Sample characteristics
• General online purchasing behaviour
• Cashback knowledge
• Cashback users
• Non-Cashback users
• Summary of Findings
• Cashback users
• Non-Cashback users
• Comparison of Non-Cashback users and Casback users
• Empirical Research - an expert interview with iGraal
• Background Information of iGraal
• Expert Interview with iGraal
• Methodology and Method
• Sampling Method
• Scope, Structure and Design of the Questionnaire
• Survey Results
• Summary of Findings
• Recommendations for Cashback Platforms

Objectives and Key Themes

This master thesis provides a comprehensive overview of Affiliate Marketing, focusing specifically on the concept of Cashback and its impact on customer acceptance of Cashback Platforms. It analyzes existing studies on Cashback shopping to gain insights into consumer behavior and satisfaction with the Cashback system. The research explores the customer acceptance of Cashback Platforms by examining limiting and influencing factors related to their use. Through a quantitative survey of online customers over 18 years old and a qualitative interview with iGraal as an affiliate, the study investigates various aspects of customer acceptance, including communication, acquisition, and overall satisfaction within the Cashback company. The findings offer insights into the German Cashback market and provide recommendations for Cashback Platforms to enhance their customer acceptance.

• Affiliate Marketing and its applications
• Cashback as a marketing strategy
• Customer acceptance of Cashback Platforms
• Limiting and influencing factors affecting Cashback platform use
• Recommendations for improving customer acceptance in the German Cashback market

Chapter Summaries

• Introduction: This chapter introduces the thesis's objective and research question, providing an overview of the study's scope and methodological approach.
• Affiliate Marketing: This chapter defines Affiliate Marketing and explores its core components, including market players, objectives, functional principles, advertisement methods, tracking methods, and compensation methods.
• Cashback Marketing: This chapter focuses on Cashback Marketing, defining the concept of Cashback and explaining its functional principles within Cashback Platforms. It also delves into market players, commission and tracking methods within the Cashback system, and explores the broader context of customer acceptance and the German Cashback market.
• Empirical Research - Customer acceptance of Cashback Platforms: This chapter outlines the methodology and method of the quantitative research conducted for this study. It describes the sampling method, the purpose, design, and structure of the questionnaire, and presents the survey results, analyzing general survey and sample characteristics, online purchasing behavior, Cashback knowledge, and the experiences of both Cashback users and non-Cashback users.
• Empirical Research - an expert interview with iGraal: This chapter presents a qualitative interview conducted with iGraal as an affiliate. It provides background information on iGraal and outlines the methodology, sampling method, and structure of the interview. The chapter summarizes the interview findings.
• Recommendations for Cashback Platforms: This chapter offers recommendations for Cashback Platforms based on the findings of the quantitative and qualitative research. These recommendations aim to improve customer acceptance and optimize the Cashback experience.

Keywords

This master thesis focuses on Affiliate Marketing, particularly Cashback, and its impact on customer acceptance of Cashback Platforms. Key themes include consumer behavior, market research, empirical analysis, and the German Cashback market. The study explores factors influencing customer acceptance, such as knowledge, trust, perceived value, and satisfaction. The research utilizes quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to gather insights into customer perspectives and provide recommendations for improving Cashback Platforms' customer acceptance.