The impact of television
dependency on teleshopping
adoption
Carla Ruiz Mafe
´
and Silvia Sanz Blas
Department of Marketing, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
Abstract
Purpose – To analyse key drivers of television dependency and its impact on teleshopping adoption.
Design/methodology/approach – The applicability of the media dependency scale is tested in the
Spanish market. The impact of demographics, television exposure and television affinity on television
dependency is analysed together with behavioural changes deriving from television dependency
(willingness to teleshopping).
Findings – Data analysis shows that the media dependency scale needs to be adapted to the Spanish
market and Spanish televiewers show intermediate levels of television dependency. Dependent
televiewers are mainly mature, feel high-television affinity and have high levels of exposure as
televiewers. Television dependency determines teleshopping adoption, with the most relevant factor
being that of searching guides for decision taking and fun.
Practical implications – This research enables companies to know the different objectives which
television can help consumers to attain and, therefore, what aspects to highlight in their direct
marketing strategies. Television agents should exploit the dimensions television offers to increase
individual dependency and message effectiveness. The significant influence that “decision taking and
fun” exerts on willingness to teleshopping shows managers that program contents become a key tool
to increase future television purchases.
Originality/value – Despite dramatic online differences were discovered between television
dependent and non-dependent consumers, very limited research has been conducted to examine
them. There are still no enough studies that analyse the background and effects of television
dependency on the non-purchasing televiewers behaviour. This paper analyses the background of
television dependency and its influence on future purchase intentions of non-buyer Spanish
televiewers.
Keywords Television, Direct marketing, Teleshopping, Spain, Dependent demand
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Although the rate of change is not the same in all countries due to the different
influences of cultural, legal, political, technological and economic development, Spain
has seen significant changes in the world of television in recent years, with television
currently invaded by satellite, cable and digitalisation, technologies which are
replacing airwaves (Bigne
´
et al., 2006). In Spain, the new technologies and deregulation
of the television industry have brought dramatic changes including: new means of
signal transmission, audience fragmentation as the result of the huge increase in
supply, specialised programming, new contents, new marketing formulas which
influence access to teleshopping and new forms of financing (advertising or
pay-per-view).
Non-store retailing is a form of retailing in which consumer contact occurs outside
the confines of the retail store, such as vending machines, electronic shopping, at home
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1750-5933.htm
Impact of
television
dependency
5
Direct Marketing: An International
Journal
Vol. 2 No. 1, 2008
pp. 5-19
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1750-5933
DOI 10.1108/17505930810863608