Editorial

This issue contains five papers reflecting a rich research agenda and a variety of innovative methodologies.

Topics covered include: online purchase delay resulting from procrastination using Internet based ethnography ('Netnography'); the effectiveness of multi-sponsor loyalty programmes; the buying behaviour of participants in online auctions; the influence of share ownership on repeat purchase intentions; and the timing of new consumer product launches to take advantage of seasonal factors.

Research methods include analysis of web-based community dialogue; focus groups followed by a questionnaire-based survey; computer aided telephone interviews (CATI) using a panel pre-recruited by a commercial online survey company; a random sample of 46,440 retail bank customers; and the analysis of a large database.