Einfluss von brand owned Touch-points auf die Kaufentscheidung von Motorräder

Abstract

The aim of this scientific work is to conduct basic research in the area of motorbike purchasing decisions. There is currently no research on this topic in Europe. This thesis aims to close this research gap. In order to achieve this goal, two research questions are addressed in this thesis: Firstly, which brand owned touchpoints are considered by end consumers:inside for the purchase of (new) motorbikes? Secondly, can these touchpoints be categorised into groups based on certain characteristics? In order to answer these two research questions, a three-stage method was used. Firstly, focus group interviews were conducted with the help of experts from the motorbike industry. The aim of these focus group interviews was to find out which touchpoints customers can use to get in touch with the company. Based on this list, an online survey was then conducted and sent out to customers of the KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas brands based in the DACH region. In the final step, the results of the online survey were analysed using statistical analyses. First, the data was evaluated using descriptive analyses. The touchpoints were then grouped using a combination of principal component and confirmatory factor analyses. In the final step, the touchpoints were assigned a monetary influence on the sales value of the motorbikes using Bayesian multiple regression. This methodology was preceded by a literature review, which ensures a standardised understanding of important terms and concepts in the context of this work. A central finding of this work is that brand-owned touchpoints exert a significant influence on the purchase decisions of motorbikes, but that other types of touchpoints also contribute significantly to shaping purchase decisions. The four most influential brand-owned touchpoints are ‘brand websites’, ‘test drives’, ‘advice’ and ‘YouTube’. Another significant finding of this study is that the majority of touchpoints do not have a positive effect on the sales value of motorbikes. In particular, those touchpoints that, according to the survey results, have a major influence on the purchase decision have a negative impact on the sales value of motorbikes.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	German (Austria)
Awarding Institution	Johannes Kepler University Linz
Supervisor	Robert Zimmermann (Supervisor)