Developing a Viral Marketing Model for Online Businesses Using a Mixed Method Approach

Abstract

Abstract:The purpose is identifying the components and developing inner relationships between viral marketing components in online business. The research statistical population comprises of 15 individuals in three generations of X, Y and Z in the qualitative section, and 460 online customers in the quantitative section. in the qualitative section used the projection technique (word association, sentence completion, and visioning exercises) which is performed as an in-depth interview. Via MAXQDA software and in the quantitative section, 12 experts were employed to indicate Lawshe's index and from SPSS for exploratory factor analysis and inner relationships of identified components were specified and tested according to the DEMATEL technique and MATLAB and AMOS software. Validity and reliability in the qualitative part due to continuous conflict, use of integration in research, valid researcher review and in quantitative part of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to measure validity with AMOS software and Cronbach's alpha method with SPSS software to measure reliability Used. Findings in the qualitative section indicate 6 new components in the field of viral marketing included: online support, online products, online attractiveness, online risk, online appeal and online trust. The results by using DEMATEL and SEM also showed that viral marketing model in online businesses is such that there are relationships between online support and online appeal, online appeal and online persuasion, online appeal and online trust, and online trust and online risk-taking, whereas there are no relationships between online services and online appeal, and online persuasion and online risk-taking.

Keywords

• viral marketing
• online businesses
• online trust
• projection technique
• dematel technique