Dissertation: Online Shopping Has Changed What is Expected of Salespeople

17.09.2013

​MSSc Sanna-Mari Renfors ’s dissertation shows that the increasing popularity of online shopping clouds the salesperson’s role in personal sales work. The salesperson is expected to be a personal information source and to take part in the purchasing decision.

According to the dissertation, the buyer comes to meet the salesperson in order to gain versatile product information. The salesperson is expected to provide user experiences, not only facts.

‒ The rapid growth of online shopping has dimmed the salespeople’s role. When encountering a customer, the salesperson easily guides the buyer to search for product information in the internet. They don’t understand their dialogic role in helping the buyer with the purchasing decision, Renfors says.

MSSc Sanna-Mari Renfors defends her doctoral dissertation (in Marketing) entitled Myyjän toiminnan laatu kuluttajapalvelujen myyntikohtaamisessa ‒ Ostajan näkökulma myyjän suoritusarviointiin (Evaluating the quality of sales behaviors in sales encounters - A study of buyers’ quality perceptions in business-to-consumer services selling) on the 20th of September, 2013.

Opponent: Petri Parvinen (Aalto University)
Custodian: Aino Halinen-Kaila

>> The details of the event

>> Read the dissertation (English summary from page 173)

Created 17.09.2013 | Updated 17.09.2013