Katarina Stanoevska

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.

Escapism, describing a temporary escape from everyday life into the world of media, is considered as a key driver of media use and has been studied extensively in relation to traditional media such as television. However, in the context of social media, little is known about the prevalence and mechanisms of escapism. Against this background, we conducted an online survey with 775 Facebook users that examined the antecedents of Facebook escapism as well as its outcomes on entertainment experiences. The results reveal that Facebook escapism is provoked by a low need for cognition and low life satisfaction. Regarding the effects, the findings indicate that Facebook Escapism not only fulfills the hedonic need for enjoyment but also the eudaimonic needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Furthermore, we found that differentiating between consuming, participating, and producing Facebook user types is insightful for explaining differences in the relationships of escapism with its antecedents and outcomes.