Final theses
We are delighted that you are interested in supervising a thesis at the Chair of Business Administration, in particular Marketing and Retailing. On this page you will find all the necessary information about a possible thesis and a link to the application form. Please read all the information carefully.
Framework data for theses
Basic information
In addition to theses written in German, you can also write theses in English (subject to availability).
In addition, all students who write their thesis at the Chair of Marketing and Retailing will present their current work status and their next steps once in a short presentation (the presentation will take place approx. four weeks after the start of work). These presentations will take place on Fridays from 8:30-12 a.m. via WebEx. Further information will be sent by e-mail.
Application procedure:
Applications for thesis supervision should be submitted at least 2 months before the desired start date.
Applications must be submitted via the online form.
Only complete applications will be considered. A complete application includes a CV, a transcript of records with current credit points and a letter of motivation. (PDF documents)
To apply, you should have completed coursework beyond ABWL at the Chair of Marketing.
You should have read the guidelines
for scientific work in advance . These are mandatory for the preparation of your thesis!
Subject areas
Trade management and trade policy
Theses in the field of retail marketing focus on current strategies of retail companies. For example, questions of location selection and the location strategies of retailers are of interest: Where do retailers settle? Which agglomerations or cooperations are they looking for? And what impact do retailers' location strategies have on cities and the development of urban structures? Equally interesting, however, is how customers choose their shopping locations in the first place. This is an essential prerequisite for the design of suitable location concepts and strategies.
Possible topics:
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Location strategies of retail companies
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City marketing: A state-of-the-art analysis of concepts, strategies and potentials
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City marketing of the future: Analysis of the status and development trends of city marketing strategies and concepts against the background of changing shopping behavior
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Vacancy management in the retail sector
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Factors influencing the choice of shopping locations: A state-of-the-art analysis
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Habitualization of shopping behaviour? - An analysis of purchasing behavior over time
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The importance of digital platforms for retail
General information on consumer / buyer behavior
Theses in the field of "consumer/buyer behavior" deal with the description and explanation of consumer behavior when making purchasing and/or consumption decisions. Furthermore, the empirical analysis of potential determinants and effects of customer behavior is of interest in order to derive strategic recommendations for successful marketing and implications for future research projects in this field. In principle, all of the topics listed below are to be understood as sub-topics of consumer / buyer behavior, as they all deal with the behavior of potential consumers at specific stages of the purchasing process.
Possible topics:
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Investigation of perceived shopping convenience in online/offline retail
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Effects of product design or ecologically sustainable advertising on the selection decision
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Analysis and evaluation of the success factors of digital advertising messages/campaigns
Cross-border e-commerce and international marketing
The proportion of cross-border online orders is growing continuously, which presents both retailers and researchers with new challenges. On the one hand, shoppers are becoming more global, while on the other, competitive pressure is increasing in the domestic market. This raises questions about consumer perception, consumer groups, customer profiles and motives. At the same time, theses in the field of international marketing focus on topics such as the configuration and coordination of international marketing, cultural influences, the globalization of brands and sales strategies. Both areas require an analysis of international consumer behavior, whether in cross-border e-commerce or on digital platforms.
Possible topics:
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Analysis and evaluation of consumer perception of features and elements to identify domestic or foreign online store affiliation and their influence on consumer behavior/purchase intention
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Standardization and adaptation in international marketing against the background of globalization and (re-)localization
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The analysis and comparison of subjective and objective knowledge in cross-border e-commerce
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Who, what why? Customer profiles and motives in cross-border e-commerce
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Perceived globalization/localization of brands
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Regional shopping trend vs. cross-border e-commerce
Influencer marketing
Influencers, who can be found on various social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and blogs, generally have a significant online fan base and are considered experts or trendsetters in their respective fields. Influencer marketing builds on this, aiming to leverage the trust and credibility that influencers have built up with their followers to increase brand awareness for companies, encourage interaction and ultimately persuade consumers to make purchasing decisions. Various research questions could thus arise in the context of influencer marketing that can help to improve the understanding and effectiveness of this marketing strategy.
Possible topics:
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Social media trends
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Brand success through social media persona strategies
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Social media-driven CSR communication
Children's buying competence
Children and young people are an important target group for marketing: many products and advertising messages are specifically designed to reach children. Despite this, there has been little research into how competently they make their purchasing decisions and how they learn to avoid pitfalls when shopping. The work to be awarded is empirical and is mainly carried out in schools and with children.
Possible topics:
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How do children acquire purchasing skills?
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How do they react to point-of-sale promotions and advertising?
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What influence do peers, parents and teachers have on purchasing decisions?
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How can children control buying impulses?
Digitalization of the retail trade
Stationary retail and digitalization. Do they go together? Growing online trade, changing customer purchasing behaviour, increasing branchization in cities and rapid technological progress are putting stationary retail under increasing pressure. Theses in the field of retail are intended to examine the question of how retailers should strategically position themselves in relation to the topic of digitalization. The focus is on the research question of how and which technologies can be used sensibly in which environment.
Possible topics:
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Interaction of interpersonal advice and digital POS technologies in retail
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Systematization of strategic challenges in digital (retail) trade
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Cross-/omni-channel strategies in stationary retail
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Competitor analysis and adaptation of technologies in stationary retail
Artificial intelligence / digital voice assistants
"Alexa - Remind me to start my thesis tomorrow!" Cortana, Siri, Alexa, Bixby and Google are the digital voice assistants on everyone's lips. In the course of digitalization, it is not surprising that there is almost daily news about new lines of development and new features in the field of artificial intelligence. The market offers strong growth potential, particularly with regard to the associated networking under the heading of smart home. However, the new technology is not only growing in the home, but also in the mobile sector (smartphones, wearables...). In addition, artificial intelligence in the form of chatbots, for example, is also becoming increasingly important for customer management in the retail sector. Due to the still very new market, there are some gaps in research regarding the acceptance and use of artificial intelligence.
Possible topics:
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Acceptance of artificial intelligence
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Differences in use: public vs. private use
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How natural can a voice be? Does this strengthen trust and credibility?
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Do artificial intelligences (digital voice assistants/chatbots etc.) have the potential to replace device-based shopping?
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Advantages and disadvantages of the humanization (appearance, voice, feelings) of artificial intelligence (digital voice assistants/chatbots etc.)
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Use of artificial intelligence in online customer management (e.g. for complaints/advice etc.)
Color and contrast research in advertising and brand logos
The field of color and contrast research examines the effect of visual design elements on the perception and behavior of consumers. Colors and contrasts play a central role in the design of brand logos and commercials, as they can evoke emotional reactions and increase the recognizability of a brand. In particular, it examines how colors and contrasts in logos influence associations with certain values, industries or emotional states and how they support brand identity. This research offers valuable insights into the optimization of logos for different target groups and markets.
Possible topics:
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The influence of color psychology on the perception of brand logos
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The role of contrasts in the recognizability of logos in different contexts
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Intercultural differences in the perception of color and contrast in advertising clips
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The importance of color design for trust in brands
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Analysis of color harmonies in logos