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Online Marketing Platforms Increase The Customer Engagement And

Understanding Through Online Value Proposition: A Case Study On E-
Commerce Business In Bangladesh

Article · June 2019

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Online Marketing Platforms Increase The Customer Engagement 1

ISSN 1562-269X

Social Science Review

Volume 36 Number 1 June 2019

Faculty of Social Sciences

University of Dhaka
 ONLINE MARKETING PLATFORMS INCREASE THE
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT AND UNDERSTANDING
THROUGH ONLINE VALUE PROPOSITION: A CASE
STUDY ON E-COMMERCE BUSINESS IN
BANGLADESH
Md. Al Amin1,
Arifur Rahman Bhuiyan2

Abstract

With the advent of technology, the online marketing platforms have buoyed the
companies to connect with the customers more commendably and ensure the
engagement of the customers with the promotion of the products. Companies can
stretch out to the maximum number of customers and proliferate their percipience
about the product which can contribute momentously to their growth in the
business. Furthermore, customers’ understanding and engagement can be
safeguarded with online value proposition leading the way for an integrated digital
platform which can be used for advanced business functioning. The primary target
of this research is to discover the implications of online marketing platforms to
craft a better engagement of the customers to the business that can produce a
branded E-commerce. Online marketing platforms such as Facebook, Google+,
Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn etc. can be of great significance for the companies to
espouse precise market targets, gauge the value experience and offer enhanced
benefits to the customers. That is why; investigation of the implications of these
platforms is imperative for completion of the improvement of promotion of e-
commerce business. The result of the research delivers affirmative upshots for the
online marketing platforms. Nevertheless, the enterprises that are functional in the
market tend to undercut the implications of the online marketing platforms to the
path of creating a branded e-commerce. A greater articulation must be provided
to these online marketing platforms in order to undergo adequate resource
allocation for the marketing procedures. Nonetheless, a clear comprehension of
the attributes and behavioural patterns of the end users is desirable in this case.
Hence, sufficient amount of market research is pivotal in this realm.

1
Md. Al Amin is Lecturer, BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology, BUFT, Dhaka
Email: [email protected]
2
Arifur Rahman Bhuiyan is Lecturer, Public Administration, University of Dhaka
Email: [email protected]

Social Science Review [The Dhaka University Studies Part-D], Vol. 36 No.1, June 2019
244 Amin and Bhuiyan

Key Terms: Online marketing platforms, E-Marketing, Information Communication

Technologies (ICT), Integrated Digital Platforms, E-business, Internet Marketing,
Indoctrinations, Branded E-commerce, Online Value Proposition (OVP), value experience,
offering mix, alternative differentiations.

Introduction

In the present context of business, online marketing platforms have become

indispensable parts of the marketing process. Using the virtual pathway of the
internet, a large amount of customers can be conveniently approached by the E-
commerce enterprises. The customers at present become more eager to purchase
their desired products from E-commerce enterprises due to their convenience and
attraction (Ireck and Settle, 2009). The implications of an effective marketing
strategy for an E-commerce enterprise will be assessed in this research.
In this research, various kinds of online marketing platforms will also be addressed
to find out their prospects in the function. The major platforms that will be assessed
in this research are Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn etc. Moreover,
this research will also assess how these platforms can be used appropriately to
thrive in the marketing operations.

Rationale Statement

At present time, the use of online marketing platforms has been skyrocketed within
every industry. With the advent of technology, the E-commerce industries can
connect with the customers more effectively. A large number of companies are
using the online marketing platforms to increase their customer engagement and
understanding. Although there are numerous researches in the field of online
marketing platforms, there is no research as to how the online marketing platforms
impact on the customer engagement and understanding and results in branded
ecommerce or integrated digital platforms (IDP). This signifies that the online
marketing platforms should be able to pave the way for access to better information
about the products and services to the customers which makes it convenient for
them to engage with the company by means of integrated digital platforms. This
research will analyse just that by identifying some online marketing platforms and
analysing whether they can contribute to better customer engagement and value
proposition. There are more than three million users of social media at present in
Online Marketing Platforms Increase The Customer Engagement 245

Bangladesh. Using this huge pool of customers, the companies can greatly enhance
the profitability of the business. If this gigantic crowd of customers can be engaged
with a company, the profitability of the company is likely to plunge up in the sky.
That is why; the implication for this research is significance. Hence, this research
is conducted with appropriate platforms to ensure better understanding as to how
the online marketing platforms can have impact on customer engagement and
understanding.

3. Research Objectives
This research partakes the following objectives:
1. To analyse the effectiveness of utilizing the online marketing platforms as
a means of attracting customers towards the business
2. To assess the efficacy of the current strategies adopted by E-commerce
businesses for drawing the attention of customers in Bangladesh
3. To investigate the pathway for undertaking an appropriate online marketing
strategy for improving the revenues of the business by E-commerce
businesses in Bangladesh
4. To deliberate how online marketing strategies can be implemented by the
E-commerce companies in Bangladesh in a productive manner.

4. Research Questions
The following research questions are incorporated in this research:
1. Which are the additionally effective online marketing platforms that can
attract more customers to the business?
2. What role can be played by the online marketing platforms in retaining more
customers for a particular business?
3. How the E-commerce companies functioning in the market can improve
their online marketing process for embracing progress?
4. What are the strategies of E-commerce business in Bangladesh to gain
competitive advantage in the market?
5. How can the companies make effective use of online value proposition to
ameliorate customer understanding and customer engagement for the E-
commerce?
246 Amin and Bhuiyan

Literature Review

In the process of business for various organizations, the online marketing platforms
are the latest addition to the overall marketing procedure. The online marketing
platforms are significantly useful to take the business beyond the peripheries of
international borders (Broniarczyk and Alba, JW, 2004). In this literature review,
various aspects and attributes of the online marketing platforms will be discussed
which will be pivotal for attracting more customers for the business of the
companies.

The E-commerce Platform

E-marketing refers to a comparatively fresh notion of marketing that incorporates
the use of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) for carrying out the
promotional functions of the products and services (Aaker, 2011). With the use of
the E-marketing platforms, the information regarding the goods and services can
be disseminated more rapidly and conveniently. However, the terms such as E-
Marketing, Internet Marketing, E-commerce, E-Business etc. are often confused
and misused in the business sector depicting the same meaning. E-marketing is used
in a broader aspect of internet marketing and it incorporates the use of
platformssuch as Intranets, Extranets, and Mobile Phones etc. Also, E-commerce
and E-business have an even larger implication in their usage of the term. However,
in order to reach the most significant customers of the business, the E-marketing
process has proven to be very effective. It can convey the indoctrinations of the
business more effectively to the customers (Aaker, 2011). Moreover, the E-
marketing process also helps to reach out to a large number of customers in a
significantly low amount of time. With the discovery and introduction of cutting
edge platforms and communication apparatus, the E-marketing process has been
going through significant development. At present time, search engines are also
playing substantial role to advertise and promote the products of the companies to
the potential customers.

However, a number of comparable procedures should be adopted by the entities of

business along with the strategies that utilize the notions of the traditional business
Online Marketing Platforms Increase The Customer Engagement 247

sector. In the online marketing sector, the processes that are similar to the
conventional marketing strategies, methodologies and objectives are primarily
incorporated. The online marketing campaign also guarantees convenient and fast
access to the products and services that paves the way for a suitable network of the
organization. The potential customers can find the offers of the companies clearly
in the webpage which creates a better understanding of the functions and processes.
Hence, the online marketing campaigns can bring about greater success for the E-
commerce enterprises.

On the contrarily, various types of online marketing platforms are used by the
companies with courtesy of the newly developed website and software (Aaker,
2011). The use of these online platforms can prove to be very effective for
enhancing the business agendas of the companies. The E-commerce companies
tend to adopt the market portal model in order to integrate with the buyers and
suppliers that pave the way to collaborate their features and functions (Broniarczyk
and Alba, JW, 2004). Thus, this model primarily assists the E-commerce company
to establish and sustain an effectual communication process with the existing and
potential customers.

Moreover, in most cases, the internet marketing mix resembles the regular
marketing mix of the business entities (Aaker, 2011). The companies can conduct
more effective promotion using the internet by means of these marketing mix
elements. At first, different kinds of products are offered by E-commerce business
in Bangladesh in its activities (Paco, 2009). Primarily,the business entities develop
these products to satisfy the consumers in the market. The internet marketing
process paves the way for reaching out to the virtually present customers of the E-
commerce business and promote the visually attractive products directly to them
and offering more information along with the visual features of the products.
Secondly, the price of the products is also a crucial factor which is significantly
influenced by the behavioural patterns and attributes of the customers (Hunt,
Lambe and Wittmann, 2002). The E-commerce companies are able to understand
the mind-set and perspectives of the customers by establishing robust interactions
with them. The representatives of the companies can also understand the
willingness of the customers to pay a certain amount of price for the products.
Thirdly, the placement of the product is another major factor of the marketing mix
248 Amin and Bhuiyan

which refers to create a particular impression and idea within the minds of the
customers while they are considering the products (Broniarczyk and Alba, JW,
2004). Since in E-marketing, the products are promoted virtually, the placement is
also done abstractly for the products. Lastly, the promotion of the products is the
factor that the E-commerce enterprises have to consider (Gobe, 2001). Various
platforms are available in the internet marketing process such as advertisement,
affiliated marketing, direct mail, social media marketing etc. In this way, the
maximum amount of customers can be reached by the companies.

Theoretical Framework

Theory: The ‘technology imperative’ theory provided by Markus and Robey

(1988) and further improved by Thakur (2016) can be crucial to understand the
complex relationship between people and technology. This complex relationship
can play a crucial role to understand how online marketing platforms can be used
to create an integrated digital platform that will pave the way for Branded E-
Commerce. Furthermore, the ideas of structure and user’s perspectives have been
incorporated in the ‘adaptive structuration theory’ (AST) provided by DeSenctis
and Poole (1994) and further developed by Karsten and Jones (2008). This helps to
analyze the role of technology in achieving positive organizational change that
provides scope for better customer engagement. In addition, some studies apply the
affordance theory as a theoretical lens for empirical studies to address the social
and structural factors to make higher level of consumer engagement using online
marketing platforms (Cousins and Robey, 2015). Further ideas about the variables
can be identified using the following table:

According to the theory provided by Restrepo (2010), market targeting along with
segmentation and positioning is the essence of strategic marketing. Moreover,
researchers have drawn on the value measures that are developed in different cross
cultural research. According to Schwartz and Bilsky (2017), value experience is the
perceptions of the consumers on how their needs are being met and how their
benefits are addressed. Furthermore, according to the theory provided by Correa et
al. (2017), offering mix primarily consists of distinct offering lines where each line
consists of individual offers or items. Lastly, as per the theory provided by Ping
(2013), alternative differentiation is defined as the estimation of the customers of
Online Marketing Platforms Increase The Customer Engagement 249

the availability of similar kinds of services from alternative service providers. The
differentiation and attractiveness of the alternatives are lower when more similar
services are available to the customers.

Table 1.1 Definitions of the Terms

Term(s) Definition References

Online Online marketing platforms refer to the tools (Selligent.com,
Marketing for promotion using online mechanisms and 2018)
Platforms reaching out to the maximum number of
customers.
Market Target Market targeting is the process of evaluating (Kotler et al.,
each segment of the market along with its 2015)
attractiveness in selecting one or more
segments of the market to enter.
Value of The value of customer experience refers to (Kirby et al.,
Customer expectation of the customers that the 2013)
experience enterprise will deliver a certain level of
standard in product or services.
E-Marketing E-Marketing Mix involves some additional (Lee, 2018)
Mix features along with the basic marketing mix.
The 4Ps of the basic marketing mix are
reinforced by personalization, privacy,
customer service, security, site, sales
promotion, community etc.
Benefits In the case of business, the perceived benefits (Miranowski,
and perceived cost create a straightforward 2017)
relationship that leads to value creation for the
products and services.
Product Product differentiation alternatives provide (Miranowski,
Differentiation options for incorporating features that are 2017)
Alternatives: unique
250 Amin and Bhuiyan

Customer Customer engagement has been (Thakur,

Understanding conceptualized to explain the interactive 2016).
& relationship of the customers with different
Engagement kinds of media channels and brands

Branded E Integrated digital marketing is a process to (Selligent.com,

commerce: create a presence for the customer’s brand and 2018)
Integrated to position the brand to ensure that it becomes
Digital a presence in and of itself.
Platform
Online Value Online value proposition is primarily tied to (Smart
Proposition the brand positioning and it effectively Insights,
identifies the reasons why the customers will 2018).
click on, return, register or purchase from a
particular website
As these tools are mostly used at different parts of world, the eight online marketing
platforms that have been chosen for this research are Facebook, Google+, Twitter,
Pinterest, LinkedIn, Flickr, Hootsuite and MailChimp. These online marketing
tools are chosen for this study because they are most frequently used by the
organizations in the business sector. Each of these online marketing tools has
different strengths and benefits which are used in the business to achieve a higher
level of customer engagement with the business.

Online value proposition denotes to the assurance of crafting value to the

customers on specific products or services using the online marketing platforms
and apparatuses (Biyan, Nuruzzaman and Chowdhury, 2016). Besides, online
marketing platforms and value propositions have profound relationship with each
other since connecting with more and more customers produces massive
opportunity to capture market target and maintain their interest towards certain
products (Saipe, 2011). Additionally, online marketing platforms characterizes
value experience as the customers perceive the products in the way that the
enterprises want them to (Morgan, 2015). Contrariwise, these enterprises can
determine some offering mix which is essential to sustain their interest as many of
them propose various kinds of offers adding to these products (Mahmud, 2015).
Online Marketing Platforms Increase The Customer Engagement 251

Equally, the major purpose of these enterprises is to provide the customers with
more benefits as well as convenience to create more value to their products and
services. Subsequently, for an emerging economy such as Bangladesh, online
marketing platforms have intense impacts on enhancing their circumference and
increasing their profitability (Akhtar, 2016). Facebook, Google+ and Twitter are
widely used by the general populace of Bangladesh and the enterprises are aware
of this fact which they commendable use in their marketing actions. Value
proposition is a vastly accepted notion considered by the companies in their
processes as they make use of the modern technologies for disseminating
information about their promotions and offers with the glimpse of an eye. So far,
these have proven to be very effective in this case. Now it will be reviled that the
first hypothesis of the study will be as below:

H1: the eight online marketing platforms primarily creates the online value
proposition for E-commerce business.

H2 H3
H1
Branded
Online Customer E
commerce:
Online Understan Integrated
Marketi
Value ding & Digital
ng Platform
Propositi Engageme
on nt

Fig: How Online Marketing Platforms Increases the Customer Engagement and
Understanding through Online Value Proposition

H1: the eight online marketing Platforms primarily create the online value
proposition for Ecommerce business.
H2: Customer understandings and customer engagement are the direct or indirect
results of the online value proposition for Ecommerce business.
H3: Customer understandings and customer engagement increases the Branded
ecommerce and Integrated Digital platform
252 Amin and Bhuiyan

The online marketing platforms that are considered in the hypothesis are some of
the most widely used platforms for promotion and advertisement of products for all
kinds of enterprises across the world. Subsequently, Facebook, Google+ and
Twitter not only provides opportunity to connect with the customers personally, but
they also use audio, pictures and video to provide them with the more clarified
experience about certain products and services. Seeing these gestures and visual
traits, customer understanding and engagement get enhanced and they can
contemplate on their needs and how they can fulfil those needs using the products
of the companies. Thus, a weightier value proposition is created using the online
marketing platforms. Therefore, it is clear from the theoretical view point that the
second hypothesis will be

H2: Customer understandings and customer engagement are the direct or

indirect results of the online value proposition for E-commerce business.

Whenever, we want to determine what the Branded e-commerce refers, it is the

creation of pompous brand image of an enterprise using the online business
methodologies. Branding of products is effectively done by the enterprises which
are accelerated greatly by the online marketing platforms. Also, the Integrated
Digital Platform is an indoctrination that has changed the course of the marketing
processes for all the enterprises. The integration of social media with email,
websites, blogs, online portals, news and so on has proliferated the integration of
the marketing procedures for the businesses.

H3: Customer understandings and customer engagement increases the Branded

E-commerce and Integrated Digital platform

It is evident, after going through this discussion, that the online marketing platforms
drastically increase customer understanding and customer engagement that leads
the enterprises towards the establishment of a branded e-commerce. Additionally,
Online Marketing Platforms Increase The Customer Engagement 253

the integrated digital platform is the mammoth playing field for the business
entities, which can be used for conducting any marketing action and stretch it
beyond the borders of the company. Using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,
Google+, LinkedIn etc., and the enterprises can enhance the overall procedures of
marketing and provide the potential customers with information which would
otherwise be concealed in absence of these platforms.

For this study, different variables have been taken from different theories which
have strengthened their rigor. The value of customer experience

For this study, the online marketing platform variable has been derived from the
study of Thakur (2016) where these platforms have been linked to understanding
customer engagement and loyalty. The importance of value proposition has been
derived from a similar study conducted by Cusumano (2012) where the value of
products has been associated with the use of appropriate platform. Consequently,
branded e-commerce is another significant factor in any quasy-commodity strategy
according to the theory provided by Figueiredo (2000). E-commerce brands will be
key points of differentiation for the consumers. Lastly, the integrated digital
platforms have been derived from the works of Neittaanmäki, Galeieva and
Ogbechie (2016) where a greater emphasis has been provided on platform-centric
ecosystems.

Variable Identified:

From the above analysis we can identify the variables as the Dependent variable
which is Y= Strength of branded E-commerce and level of Integrated Digital
platform with the the Independent variables are X1= Facebook, X2= Google+, X3=
Twitter, X4= Pinterest, X5= LinkedIn, X6= Flickr, X7= Hootsuite, X8= MailChimp,
X9= Online Value Proposition, X10=Customer understandings and engagement.

Research Methodology

There are various types of investigations that can be done in a particular research.
This research intends to discover the impact of online marketing platforms to
increase customer understanding and engagement. The researcher has undertaken
various investigational techniques for this research. Primarily, the questionnaire
survey method has been used in this research. A five point Likert Scale has been
254 Amin and Bhuiyan

used to conduct this particular study where 1 represents strongly disagree and 5
represents strongly agree. With this method, the respondents are asked some
questions from a questionnaire which they had to answer appropriately (Jha, 2008).
Along with this method, the face to face interview has also been used by the
researcher. Additional information can be derived with the face to face interview.
Both metric (nominal and ordinal) and non-metric (interval and ratio) level data
have been used to conduct this study.

In order to ensure better response to the research, sampling is an effective strategy.

The sampling techniques that have been considered for this research are random
sampling, proportionate sampling, convenient sampling, stratified sampling, etc.
After considering all these methods, the convenience sampling technique has
been undertaken by the researcher. In this process, the researcher will select the
samples which are convenient for him. With the convenient sampling, the resources
available to the researcher can be appropriately allocated which can be used in other
segments of the research. For this research, a sample of 100 respondents has been
undertaken. Among these 100 respondents, the researcher will conduct
questionnaire survey on 70 persons and interview on 30 persons. The people
residing in Mirpur, Kazipara, Kalabagan and Dhaka University area are the primary
respondents for this research. They are aged between 17-50 years which ensures
their effective cognitive capacity. Interview will also be conducted on teachers of
University of Dhaka, Daffodil International University, Asia Pacific University,
East West University and BGMEA University of Fashion & Technology. The
sources of data can be of two types. The first is Interview and Survey which is
used for collecting the primary sources of Information. In this research project on
this research intends to analyze how shopping environment and facilities impacts
on customer buying Attitudes to develop the Bangladeshi shopping malls, the
conduction of the questionnaire survey and the in-depth interview on the
selective respondents have been essential. Then again, the secondary sources of
data are crucial for ensuring better results which can reinforce the primary data.
The secondary data sources include books, journals, news portals, websites,
articles, blogs, online publications etc. These sources of data are significant for
deriving the desired outcome from the research.
Online Marketing Platforms Increase The Customer Engagement 255

The authors will use both metric (nominal and ordinal level data) and non-metric
(Interval and ratio level data) data for the analysis of the research project. The
researchers analysed the data get from the survey by means of three regression
models3
Data Presentation and Data Analysis
Introduction:
All of the respondents of the research hail from Bangladesh and the questions that
are asked in the questionnaire are set in the context of Bangladesh. The respondents
consist of young adults and adults who directly use the social media and other
online platforms. The major aim of the research is to assess the impact of online
marketing platforms on customer engagement and customer understanding. In the
process of data presentation, it has been arranged regarding to the demographic
orientations.
Survey Questionnaire Analysis (Quantitative Data Analysis)
The questions in the questionnaire have been created in the Likert Scale. In this
scale, the responses of the respondents have been procured using the scale ranging
from ‘very satisfied’ to ‘very dissatisfy’. The analysed result of survey question
“The use of Facebook Marketing is effective for improving E-commerce
company performance” is crucial to understand whether Facebook can improve
the performance of the E-commerce companies in Bangladesh. It is evident from
the analysis that 47.5% of the respondents are satisfied and 17.5% are very satisfied.
On the other hand, a very small portion of the respondents are dissatisfied. That is
why, they agree to the fact that Facebook can play significant role to improve the

3 Regression analysis for Hypothesis-1: Y= β0+β1X1 +β2X2 +β3X3 +β4X4 +β5X5 +β6X6 +β7X7 +β8X8
+ e3 [Here, Y= Online Value Proposition, X1= Facebook. X2= Google+, X3= Twitter, X4= Pinterest,
X5= LinkedIn, X6= Flickr, X7= Hootsuite, X8= MailChimp, β0 = Intercept of The Line, e = errors
associated with the models]
Regression analysis for Hypothesis-2 is a statistical process for estimating the relationships among
variables. Regression Equation-2: Y= β0+β1X9+e. [Here, Y= Level of Customer understandings
and Customer Engagement, X9= Online Value Proposition, β0 = Intercept of The Line, e = errors
associated with the models]
Regression analysis for Hypothesis-3 is a statistical process for estimating the relationships among
variables. Regression Equation-2: Y= β0+β1X1 +β2X2 e. [Here, Y= Strength of branded E-
commerce and level of Integrated Digital platform, X10 =Customer understandings and engagement,
β0 = Intercept of The Line, e = errors associated with the models]
256 Amin and Bhuiyan

performance of the E-commerce businesses. So, the effectiveness of Facebook as

an online marketing platform to attract customers towards the business can be
identified.

On the other hand while the researchers analysed the result of survey question
“Google+ can help the E-commerce Company to reach out to the maximum
number of customers”, he found that the significance of Google+ in improving the
performance of the E-commerce company will be assessed. It is evident from the
analysis that 45% of the respondents are satisfied and 15% of the respondents are
very satisfied. Conversely, 40% of the respondents are neutral. The respondents
who are neutral do not use Google+ or they do not know how it can be used for
online marketing. Hence, it is clear that Google+ can significantly improve the
performance of the E-commerce.
However, the analysed result of survey question “Use of Twitter for marketing
provide safety and security to the customers as an online marketing platform” is
seen that 55% of the respondents agree to the statement that Twitter is crucial to
improve the performance and customer engagement for the organizations. The
respondents who use Twitter are positive about its implications since more and
more individuals are using Twitter in Bangladesh. The E-commerce companies in
Bangladesh can also seek the attraction of the customers from abroad by using
Twitter. So, the efficacy of the current strategies adopted by the e-commerce
business to draw the attention of the customers in Bangladesh is increased by using
Twitter.
Moreover, the analysed result of survey question “Using Pinterest can help the E-
commerce Company to maintain good relationships with the customers’ has
observed that 47.5% of the respondents are satisfied and 12.5% of the respondents
are very satisfied. This means that Pinterest is another significant online marketing
platform to ensure better customer engagement and improve the performance of the
company. Hence, for improving the performance of the company Pinterest can play
a crucial role.

In addition to the analysed result of survey question “Using Flickr can make the
products and services of the E-commerce Company more attractive” analysed that
47% of the respondents are satisfied and 20% are very satisfied. On the other hand,
Online Marketing Platforms Increase The Customer Engagement 257

17.5% are neutral. This means that Flickr is another great online marketing platform
which can significantly enhance the performance of the business to reach out to the
maximum number of customers. On Bangladesh, many social media marketers are
using Flickr to reach out to a large number of customers.
With a view to analyse the question “Using LinkedIn can help the E-commerce
Company to manage its activities more accurately’ it is apparent that 37.5% of the
respondents are satisfied and 30% are very satisfied. This means that they are
positive about the implications of LinkedIn as an online marketing platform which
can be crucial to reach out to a large portion of the customers. A huge number of
the professional’s use LinkedIn accounts to maintain their connectivity and this
opportunity can be used by the companies to market the products to them.
Moreover, the analysed result of survey question “Using MailChimp, the E-
commerce Company can improve the number of loyal customers” is seen that 40%
of the respondents are satisfied and 25% are very satisfied. It is concluded that they
agree that MailChimp is another online marketing platform that can enhance the
performance by reaching out to the customers. MailChimp is very effective for
conducting marketing through email. Nonetheless, 25% of the respondents are
neutral which means that they do not know what the implications of this platform
are.
The last survey question of study (Using Hootsuite, the E-commerceCompany can
make their products visually attractive) found that 40% of the respondents are
satisfied and 20% of the respondents are very satisfied. Also, 20% of the
respondents are neutral. This means, that Hootsuite can play an important role in
online marketing process as an effective online marketing platform.
Regression Analysis:
Regression Analysis for Hypothesis-1
H0:the eight online marketing platforms primarily create the online value
proposition for E-commerce business.H1: Online Marketing Platforms does not
increase the Customer Engagement and Understanding through Online Value
Proposition.
We can get the regression equation in the following format by using the following
table:
Y = -.212+.173X1 +.329X2 +.148X3+.185X4+-.135X5+-
.057X6+.0989X7+.219X8+e
258 Amin and Bhuiyan

a. Predictors (Independent Variables): Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest,

LinkedIn, Flickr, Hootsuite, MailChimp
b. Dependent Variables: the online value proposition for E-commerce business
In order to measure the dependent variables, the value of R is depicted in the ‘R’
column. The value of R has been calculated to be 0.862 which determines a
moderate relationship between the dependent and independent variables. On the
other hand, the value of R2 is 0.74. It indicates that the dependent variable will be
changed by 74% with regard to the independent variable which are are X1=
Facebook; X2= Google+; X3= Twitter; X4= Pinterest; X5= LinkedIn; X6= Flickr;
X7= Hootsuite; X8= MailChimp.
The analysis of variance in this research is provided in the following section:

a. Independent Variables: Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Flickr,

Hootsuite, MailChimp
b. Dependent Variables: the online value proposition for E-commerce business
It is seen from the ANOVA table that the value of F is 4.01 at the level of
significance of 0.05. Hence, the value of distribution F which is calculated is
24.884. So, the value of F which is calculated is greater than the critical value
(4.01<24.884). That is why the null hypothesis is rejected. Therefore, it can be
assumed that the use of the online marketing platforms does affect the value
proposition and customer engagement with the E-commerce business in
Bangladesh.
Besides, specific kinds of variables, for example, Facebook have the significance
level of 0.034. This level of significance is beneath the standard level.
Subsequently, this variable has the level of significance which is greater in this
specific situation. Likewise, other variable, for example, Google+ have substantial
effect on the client comprehension or engagement of the clients as indicated by the
examination. Therefore, another variable having noteworthy effect on the clients'
Online Marketing Platforms Increase The Customer Engagement 259

inclusion value is the Twitter utilized as a part of the web based promoting process.
The significance level of this variable is 0.24. Consequently, it is obvious that the
platforms for file management bear critical effect on giving wellbeing and security
to the clients. Consequently, it can bring an ever increasing number of clients for
the change of the business.
Moreover, there is another variable, for example, Pinterest that have extraordinary
effect on the buying choice of the clients. The adjustment in the buying choice in
the clients is impacted by the Social Media Management Platforms. The
significance level of the variable is 0.053. This level of significance is very high
contrasted with the other autonomous factors. In this manner, the online social
media management platforms are successful to keep up better associations with the
clients. In addition, the limit of the Flickr to pull in the attraction of the clients
towards the business is additionally noteworthy for this situation which has the
significance level of 0.059. The visual content platforms are basic for drawing in
an ever increasing number of clients to the business.
There are some extra factors, for example, LinkedIn, MailChimp, and Hootsuite
and so forth. With the examination, it has additionally been clear that these
independent variables have better relationships with their reporter dependent
variables. All these needy factors additionally prompt a similar part which is pulling
in an ever increasing number of clients for the business. These independent
variables have significance levels of 0.389, 0.096 and 0.474. Along these lines, it
is apparent that these independent variables influence the expansion in number of
the clients.
Regression Analysis for Hypothesis-2
H0: Customer understandings and customer engagement are the direct or indirect
results of the online value proposition for E-commerce business.H1: Customer
understandings and customer engagement are not the direct or indirect results of
the online value proposition for E-commerce business. The regression equation in
the following format by using the following table:

Y = .212+.695X9+e
MODEL FIT
Model R R Square Adjusted R Std. Error of the
Square Estimate
260 Amin and Bhuiyan

1 .832a .690 .0.642 1.74389

a. Predictors: (Constant), the online value proposition for E-commerce
business
b. Dependent Variable:Customer understandings and customer engagement
In order to measure the dependent variables, the value of R is depicted in the ‘R’
column. The value of R has been calculated to be 0.862 which determines a
moderate relationship between the dependent and independent variables. On the
other hand, the value of R2 is 0.690. It indicates that the dependent variable will be
changed by 69% with regard to the independent variable according to the survey
results. From this, it can be concluded that the online value propositions is resulted
somewhat directly from the increase of customers’ understanding and engagement
using the online marketing platforms. The independent variables, in this case, are
X1= Facebook; X2= Google+; X3= Twitter; X4= Pinterest; X5= LinkedIn; X6=
Flickr; X7= Hootsuite; X8= MailChimp.
The analysis of variance in this research is provided in the following section:
ANOVAa
Model Sum of df Mean F Sig.
Squares Square
1 Regression 4.213 1 1.994 21.558 .000b
Residual 164.346 57 3.203
Total 171.333 59
a. Dependent Variables: Customer understandings and customer engagement
b. Independent Variables: the online value proposition for E-commerce business
It is seen from the ANOVA table that the value of F is 4.213 at the level of
significance of 0.05. Hence, the value of distribution F which is calculated is
21.558. So, the value of F which is calculated is greater than the critical value
(4.01<21.558). That is why the null hypothesis is rejected. Therefore, it can be
assumed that the use of the online marketing platforms does affect the value
proposition and customer engagement with the E-commerce business in
Bangladesh.
Regression Analysis for Hypothesis-3
H0: Customer understandings and customer engagement increases the Branded E-
commerce and Integrated Digital platform. H1 :Customer understandings and
Online Marketing Platforms Increase The Customer Engagement 261

customer engagement does not increase the Branded E-commerce and Integrated
Digital platform
We can get the regression equation in the following format by using the following
table:
Y = .212+.695X9+e
MODEL FIT
Model R R Square Adjusted R Std. Error of the
Square Estimate
a
1 .905 .819 .726 .853
a. Predictors: (Constant), Customer understandings and customer engagement
b. Dependent Variable:the Branded E-commerce and Integrated Digital
platform
In order to measure the dependent variables, the value of R is depicted in the ‘R’
column. The value of R has been calculated to be 0.905 which determines a
moderate relationship between the dependent and independent variables. On the
other hand, the value of R2 is 0.819. It indicates that the dependent variable will be
changed by 82% with regard to the independent variable according to the survey
results. This indicates clearly that the customer understanding and customer
engagement improves the branded e-commerce. The independent variables, in this
case, are X1= Facebook; X2= Google+; X3= Twitter; X4= Pinterest; X5=
LinkedIn; X6= Flickr; X7= Hootsuite; X8= MailChimp.
The analysis of variance in this research is provided in the following section:
ANOVAa
Model Sum of df Mean F Sig.
Squares Square
1 Regressi 3.987 1 1.994 26.558 .0000b
on
Residual 173.346 57 3.041
Total 177.333 59
a. Dependent Variables: Customer understandings and customer engagement
b. Independent Variables: the online value proposition for E-commerce business
It is seen from the ANOVA table that the value of F is 3.987 at the level of
significance of 0.05. Hence, the value of distribution F which is calculated is
26.558. So, the value of F which is calculated is greater than the critical value
262 Amin and Bhuiyan

(3.987<26.558). That is why the null hypothesis is rejected. Therefore, it can be

assumed that the use of the online marketing platforms does affect the value
proposition and customer engagement with the E-commerce business in
Bangladesh.
In depth Interview Questionnaire Analysis
According to the responses of the interviewees, the online marketing platforms
provides great benefits to the users as they can seek any kind of information about
a certain product of a specific company. The customers can search and look up
various features of the products and services to the social media page and websites
as well as follow their posts regularly. Besides, they can ask whatever they want to
the marketers at the social media page and get feedback immediately from them.
This leads towards a better understanding about the products and offers of various
companies and reveals scope for more involvement of the customers in the decision
making of the company. In addition, the integration of all the online platforms in a
singular marketing process is a revolutionary action which is welcomed dearly by
the customers
However, there are some negative sides of online marketing and business process
for the enterprises according to some of the respondents. Sometimes, it is seen that
the delivered products do not resemble the ordered products as the products posted
online seem more embellished and attractive. Hitherto, there are also some cases
where these enterprises fail to maintain effective transactions with their customers.
Moreover, these companies entail online payment for their customers which
requires having bank accounts along with credit or debit cards. Some of the
customers do not have any bank account in which case it becomes impossible to
provide the payment resulting in the end of transactions. Hence, online payment
system has to be improved to provide convenience to the customers as well as the
enterprises conducting online business. Therefore, the overall assumption of this
research is proved by the in depth interview that is conducted.
Conclusion Remarks
From this research, it has been palpable that the online marketing platforms are
laudable for proliferating the understanding and engagement of customers as all the
deliberated online marketing platforms are operational for amassing the quantity of
customers as all these platforms entice the customers in different comportments.
Hence, it achieves the first objective of the study as the digital platforms can attract
Online Marketing Platforms Increase The Customer Engagement 263

more customers towards the study. E-commerce businesses in Bangladesh part a

number of stratagems to safeguard the gratification of the customers using the
online marketing platforms. So, it achieves the second objective as the current
strategies adopted in the e-commerce industries can draw the attention of the
customers in Bangladesh more effectively. By adopting strategies of online
marketing process, the E-commerce companies may augment the commerce
meritoriously and resourcefully. The clienteles of E-commerce business in
Bangladesh would like to devise new features of the products and services. This
infers that catering new offers and strategies to preserve the customers from the
monotony of the regular activities is always a good idea for the business.
Furthermore, these enterprises must transcend from brick and mortar initiative,
which is conducting business through only physical means, to click and mortar,
which indicates conducting business on both online and using physical process. The
third objective of the study is fulfilled here because appropriate online marketing
strategy has been derived from here for greater revenue of e-commerce businesses
in Bangladesh. By means of the online platforms, the E-commerce Company can
apprise the customers about the prevailing offers and it can procure the opinions of
the customers about future strategies of the business. The customers are always
enthusiastic to provide their support to the E-commerce Company which is why
they should be ready to pay heed to the opinions of the customers. The existing
strategies of the E-commerce Company should be improved to address the
emerging trends in the market. Hence, it effectively achieves the fourth objective
of the research. The changing behaviour of the customers should also be assessed
by the E-commerce company and formulate effective plans to address their
changes.
Theoretical Contribution
Using the Online Value Proposition (OVP) model, the study has devised how
customer understanding and engagement can be ensured within the business and
creating an integrated digital platform. The gaps of the previous theories have been
overcome by adding value experience and offering mix to the model. It overcomes
the gaps in explaining the consumer engagement through their perceptions,
experience and offers presented by the company.
Practical Contribution
264 Amin and Bhuiyan

As a practical contribution, the companies will be able to ensure better customer

understanding and engagement. By using the integrated digital platform, the
companies can establish a branded e-commerce in the business sector. It will be
possible with the effective use of the online marketing tools. In this way, better
products will be purchased by the customers and more scopes will be revealed for
future research.
Limitation and Further Study
When the study was being conducted, the researchers have faced some significant
limitations. While conducting this kind of large scale study, time becomes one of
the pivotal impediments in the study. Furthermore, the researchers also faced
budget limitations and the expansion of the research towards higher level has been
hampered. Last but not the least, some of the interviewers also created major
impediments as they were reluctant to provide accurate and appropriate
information. There are scopes for studies in using Smartphone apps for the
companies in branded e-commerce.
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