IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/operea/v21y2021i4d10.1007_s12351-019-00510-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Dynamic allocation of promotional budgets based on maximizing customer equity

Author

Listed:
  • Mehrdad Memarpour

    (Tarbiat Modares University)

  • Erfan Hassannayebi

    (Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch)

  • Navid Fattahi Miab

    (Bu-Ali Sina University)

  • Ali Farjad

    (Kharazmi University)

Abstract

Marketing managers allocate extraordinary amounts of budgets for supporting their organization’s marketing plans. Choosing the right measure for allocation of promotional budgets to customers has always been a challenging issue and consequently has drawn considerable attention in the past few years. Related studies emphasize using Customer Lifetime Value or Customer Equity (CE) as a measure of customer’s profitability, based on which a firm can efficiently allocate its marketing budget to customers. In this study, the focus is on allocating the limited promotion budgets to customers to maximize CE. Using Markov decision process (MDP), the firm’s actions are linked to the customers’ behavior and the corresponding values. To solve MDP with a budget constraint, a heuristic method is proposed for finding the optimal or near-optimal policies for each customer segment. To confirm the validity of the method, the decision model is implemented in a business-to-business context to maximize CE by determining the optimal sales promotions to customers. The result of the proposed heuristic method is compared with a stochastic dynamic programming model. The result of experiments shows that the discount factor increases the difference between the obtained solutions becomes more significant. The difference approves the importance of accounting the optimal level of promotional budget for each customer segment. The average improvement gained by the optimal budget allocation ranges from 2 to 5.5%. The findings of this research indicate the essential of adopting different marketing policies for each customer segment.

Suggested Citation

  • Mehrdad Memarpour & Erfan Hassannayebi & Navid Fattahi Miab & Ali Farjad, 2021. "Dynamic allocation of promotional budgets based on maximizing customer equity," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 2365-2389, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:operea:v:21:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1007_s12351-019-00510-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s12351-019-00510-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12351-019-00510-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12351-019-00510-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. J. Andrew Petersen & V. Kumar & Yolanda Polo & F. Javier Sese, 2018. "Unlocking the power of marketing: understanding the links between customer mindset metrics, behavior, and profitability," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 46(5), pages 813-836, September.
    2. Pfeifer, Phillip E. & Ovchinnikov, Anton, 2011. "A Note on Willingness to Spend and Customer Lifetime Value for Firms with Limited Capacity," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 178-189.
    3. Berger, Paul D. & Bechwati, Nada Nasr, 2001. "The allocation of promotion budget to maximize customer equity," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 49-61, February.
    4. Ma, Ming & Li, Zehui & Chen, Jinyuan, 2008. "Phase-type distribution of customer relationship with Markovian response and marketing expenditure decision on the customer lifetime value," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 187(1), pages 313-326, May.
    5. Dong, Weimin & Swain, Scott D. & Berger, Paul D., 2007. "The role of channel quality in customer equity management," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 60(12), pages 1243-1252, December.
    6. Bitran, Gabriel & Mondschein, Susana, 1997. "A comparative analysis of decision making procedures in the catalog sales industry," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 105-116, April.
    7. W-K Ching & M K Ng & K-K Wong & E Altman, 2004. "Customer lifetime value: stochastic optimization approach," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 55(8), pages 860-868, August.
    8. Chiang, Lan-Lung (Luke) & Yang, Chin-Sheng, 2018. "Does country-of-origin brand personality generate retail customer lifetime value? A Big Data analytics approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 177-187.
    9. Olga Perdikaki & Subodha Kumar & Chelliah Sriskandarajah, 2017. "Managing Retail Budget Allocation between Store Labor and Marketing Activities," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 26(9), pages 1615-1631, September.
    10. Filiz Cetin & Cigdem Alabas-Uslu, 2017. "Heuristic solution to the product targeting problem based on mathematical programming," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(1), pages 3-17, January.
    11. Ekinci, Yeliz & Ülengin, Füsun & Uray, Nimet & Ülengin, Burç, 2014. "Analysis of customer lifetime value and marketing expenditure decisions through a Markovian-based model," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 237(1), pages 278-288.
    12. Duncan I. Simester & Peng Sun & John N. Tsitsiklis, 2006. "Dynamic Catalog Mailing Policies," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(5), pages 683-696, May.
    13. Dahana, Wirawan Dony & Miwa, Yukihiro & Morisada, Makoto, 2019. "Linking lifestyle to customer lifetime value: An exploratory study in an online fashion retail market," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 319-331.
    14. Anton Ovchinnikov & Béatrice Boulu-Reshef & Phillip E. Pfeifer, 2014. "Balancing Acquisition and Retention Spending for Firms with Limited Capacity," Post-Print hal-01261385, HAL.
    15. Becker, Jan U. & Greve, Goetz & Albers, Sönke, 2009. "The impact of technological and organizational implementation of CRM on customer acquisition, maintenance, and retention," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 207-215.
    16. Anton Ovchinnikov & Béatrice Boulu-Reshef & Phillip E. Pfeifer, 2014. "Balancing Acquisition and Retention Spending for Firms with Limited Capacity," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(8), pages 2002-2019, August.
    17. Marc Fischer & Sönke Albers & Nils Wagner & Monika Frie, 2011. "Practice Prize Winner --Dynamic Marketing Budget Allocation Across Countries, Products, and Marketing Activities," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(4), pages 568-585, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Klein, Robert & Kolb, Johannes, 2015. "Maximizing customer equity subject to capacity constraints," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 111-125.
    2. Hamidreza Koosha & Amir Albadvi, 2020. "Allocation of marketing budgets to maximize customer equity," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 561-583, June.
    3. Philipp Afèche & Mojtaba Araghi & Opher Baron, 2017. "Customer Acquisition, Retention, and Service Access Quality: Optimal Advertising, Capacity Level, and Capacity Allocation," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 19(4), pages 674-691, October.
    4. Kohsuke Matsuoka, 2020. "Exploring the interface between management accounting and marketing: a literature review of customer accounting," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 157-208, September.
    5. Blattberg, Robert C. & Malthouse, Edward C. & Neslin, Scott A., 2009. "Customer Lifetime Value: Empirical Generalizations and Some Conceptual Questions," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 157-168.
    6. Johannes Habel & Sascha Alavi & Nicolas Heinitz, 2023. "A theory of predictive sales analytics adoption," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 13(1), pages 34-54, June.
    7. Eva Ascarza & Scott A. Neslin & Oded Netzer & Zachery Anderson & Peter S. Fader & Sunil Gupta & Bruce G. S. Hardie & Aurélie Lemmens & Barak Libai & David Neal & Foster Provost & Rom Schrift, 2018. "In Pursuit of Enhanced Customer Retention Management: Review, Key Issues, and Future Directions," Customer Needs and Solutions, Springer;Institute for Sustainable Innovation and Growth (iSIG), vol. 5(1), pages 65-81, March.
    8. Verhoef, Peter C. & Venkatesan, Rajkumar & McAlister, Leigh & Malthouse, Edward C. & Krafft, Manfred & Ganesan, Shankar, 2010. "CRM in Data-Rich Multichannel Retailing Environments: A Review and Future Research Directions," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 121-137.
    9. Hans Buhl & Robert Klein & Johannes Kolb & Andrea Landherr, 2011. "CR 2 M—an approach for capacity control considering long-term effects on the value of a customer for the company," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 187-204, December.
    10. Chang, Shuhua & Zhang, Zhaowei & Wang, Xinyu & Dong, Yan, 2020. "Optimal acquisition and retention strategies in a duopoly model of competition," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 282(2), pages 677-695.
    11. Hans Buhl & Martin Gneiser & Julia Heidemann, 2009. "Ein modelltheoretischer Ansatz zur Planung von Investitionen in Kundenbeziehungen," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 175-195, October.
    12. Kessara Kanchanapoom & Jongsawas Chongwatpol, 2023. "Integrated customer lifetime value (CLV) and customer migration model to improve customer segmentation," Journal of Marketing Analytics, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(2), pages 172-185, June.
    13. Robert W. Palmatier & Andrew T. Crecelius, 2019. "The “first principles” of marketing strategy," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 9(1), pages 5-26, June.
    14. Ascarza, & Neslin, & Netzer, & Lemmens, Aurélie & Anderson, Zachery & Fader, Peter S. & Gupta, S. & Hardie, B.G.S. & Libai, Barak & Neal, David & Provost, Foster, 2018. "In pursuit of enhanced customer retention management : Review, key issues, and future directions," Other publications TiSEM 28a90d28-6daf-42f1-bd8e-e, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    15. So Yeon Chun & Dan A. Iancu & Nikolaos Trichakis, 2020. "Loyalty Program Liabilities and Point Values," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 22(2), pages 257-272, March.
    16. Giuliano Tirenni & Abderrahim Labbi & Cesar Berrospi & André Elisseeff & Timir Bhose & Kari Pauro & Seppo Pöyhönen, 2007. "—Customer Equity and Lifetime Management (CELM) Finnair Case Study," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(4), pages 553-565, 07-08.
    17. Ekinci, Yeliz & Ülengin, Füsun & Uray, Nimet & Ülengin, Burç, 2014. "Analysis of customer lifetime value and marketing expenditure decisions through a Markovian-based model," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 237(1), pages 278-288.
    18. Ben Ali, M. & D’Amours, S. & Gaudreault, J. & Carle, M-A., 2018. "Configuration and evaluation of an integrated demand management process using a space-filling design and Kriging metamodeling," Operations Research Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 5(C), pages 45-58.
    19. So Yeon Chun & Anton Ovchinnikov, 2019. "Strategic Consumers, Revenue Management, and the Design of Loyalty Programs," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(9), pages 3969-3987, September.
    20. Yeliz Ekinci & Füsun Ulengin & Nimet Uray, 2014. "Using customer lifetime value to plan optimal promotions," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(2), pages 103-122, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:operea:v:21:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1007_s12351-019-00510-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.