Katarina Stanoevska

This abstract analyses if push notifications of social media (SM) to users lead are the starting point for habit-forming feedback loops according to the hook concept based on the example of Facebook push notifications. Facebook push notifications are conceptualized as starting point of a chain of persuasive offerings that result in Facebook triggered escapism. A push notification is successful, i.e. has high persuasiveness when addressed users react on it, enter the platform and stay longer in Facebook. Thus, through reacting on push notifications users get immersed into Facebook’s entertainment and media offerings, which results in a triggered escapist consumption of the offered content by the platform. The empirical results reveal that self-control is negatively related to triggered Facebook escapism. Usability of push Facebook notifications is positively related to triggered Facebook escapism. Triggered Facebook escapism furthermore results in positive effects for users in term of enjoyment, autonomy, competence and relatedness. It is negatively related to feeling of guilt.

More and more decisions are made on screens. Digital nudging attempts to guide users’ decisions on these screens. One relevant application area of digital nudging are customer journeys. Emerging research on this topic mainly analyses digital nudging on companies’ owned conversion screens (i.e. websites). However, in a multi-channel, multi-owner customer journeys (i.e. own website and search engine or social media) there is increasing need to guide users through various digital touchpoints along all stages of the customer journey. This paper examines existing research on the application of digital nudging throughout customer journeys. The literature review reveals that nudging has been considered in customer journey-related literature, but so far with little explicit cross-referencing to nudging and behavioral economics research. The scientific contribution of this paper comprises a synthesis of existing research, identification of research gaps and a research agenda to study the application of digital nudging along the customer journey.