Dr. Zahy Ramadan

Zahy Ramadan is an Associate Professor of Marketing. He holds a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from Manchester Business School, an MBA and a BSc in Business Marketing with Distinction, both from LAU. His research is focused on social media saturation, brand-consumer relationships and shopper marketing.

Ramadan is also a Chartered Marketer (Chartered Institute of Marketing) and has 17 years of work experience covering the Near-East, Arabian Peninsula and Asia-Pacific markets across several industries, namely FMCG, luxury goods and consumer electronics.  He has also conducted several workshops in Asia-Pacific, specifically China and South Korea, on shopper marketing, in-store retail fundamentals and SKU-mix strategy. 

Ramadan r eceived the Excellence in Teaching Award   back in September 2019 distinguishing himself in teaching innovation. 

Teaching Interests

  • Marketing Strategy
  • Digital Marketing Management 
  • Marketing Communications
  • Shopper Marketing

Research Interests

  • Risks of Social Media
  • Online Brand Communities
  • Brand-Consumer and Brand-Brand Relationships
  • Shopper Marketing and the Customer Journey
  • Shopper’s First Moment of Truth in Social Networking Environments 
  • Technological Effects and Disruptions on Shopper Behavior

Consulting Activities

  • Consulting workshops for a leading global pharmaceutical company on creating the in-pharmacy environment to Improve patient care in the Arab countries’ pharmacy channel (2016).
  • Consulting for a leading regional FMCG company on the Route to Market Digital Strategy for the Omni-Channel Arab Shopper (2015).
  • Development of a marketing activation plan for a regional telecom company (2015).
  • Consulting project for ACDI/VOCA and USAID – Devising the Gulf market strategy and implementation for Lebanese exporters through the Lebanese Business linkage Initiative (2011)
  • Acted as the global lead on consumer and shopper insight development for Samsung as well as being a category strategist and retail insights developer covering the Chinese market  (2012-2013)
  • Key consulting projects developed and delivered to Samsung, PepsiCo China, Mattel, and Wrigley (2012-2013)

Selected Publications

Articles in Refereed Journals:

Ramadan Z. (2021), ““Alexafying” shoppers: the examination of Amazon’s captive relationship strategy”, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 62(September)

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M. and Bou Saada, R. (2021), “Fooled in the relationship: how Amazon Prime members’ sense of self-control counter-intuitively reinforces impulsive buying behavior”, Journal of Consumer Behavior, in press

Ramadan Z. and Nsouli, N. (2021), “Luxury fashion start-up brands’ digital strategies with female Gen Y in the Middle East”, Journal of Fashion Marketing & Management, in press

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M., and El Essrawi L., (2021), “From Amazon.com to Amazon.love: How Alexa is redefining companionship and interdependence for people with special needs”, Psychology & Marketing, 38(4), 596-609

Farah, M.F. and Ramadan, Z. (2020), “Viability of Amazon’s driven innovations targeting shoppers’ impulsiveness.” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101973.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F, and Shatila, L. (2020), “The Examination of Self-Service Replenishing Solutions’ Potential”, International Journal of Web Based Communities, (In Press).

Ramadan, Z. and Farah M.F. (2020), “Influencing the Influencers: The Case of Retailers’ Social Shopping Platforms”, International Journal of Web Based Communities, (In Press)

Ramadan, Z. (2019), “Brand–Brand relational moments”, Journal of Brand Management, 26(6), 705-716.

Abosag, I., Ramadan, Z., Baker, T. and Jin, Z., (2019), “Customers’ Need for Uniqueness Theory versus Brand Congruence Theory: The Impact on Satisfaction with Social Network Sites”, Journal of Business Research, (In Press).

Ramadan, Z. (2019), “The Democratization of Luxury Services”, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 37(6), 660-673.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F. and Daouk, S. (2019), “The effect of e-retailers’ innovations on shoppers’ impulsiveness and addiction in web-based communities: The case of Amazon’s Prime Now”, International Journal of Web Based Communities, 15(4), 327-343.

Farah, M.F., Ramadan, Z., and Harb, D. (2019), “The examination of virtual reality at the intersection of consumer experience, shopping journey and physical retailing”, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 48, 136-143.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., and Kassab, D. (2019), “Amazon’s approach to consumers’ usage of the Dash button and its effect on purchase decision involvement in the US market”, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 47, 133-139.

Ramadan, Z., Abosag, I. and Zabkar, V. (2018), “All in the Value: The Impact of Brand and Social Network Relationships on the Perceived Value of Customer’s Endorsed Facebook Advertising”,  European Journal of Marketing,  https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-03-2017-0189

Ramadan, Z., Farah M. and Dukenjian A. (2018), “A Typology of Social Media Followers: The case of luxury brands”,  Marketing Intelligence & Planning ,  https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-01-2018-0039   (forthcoming)

Ramadan, Z. (2018). The gamification of trust: the case of China’s “social credit”.  Marketing Intelligence & Planning,  36(1), 93-107.  https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-06-2017-0100

Farah, M. & Ramadan, Z. (2017). Disruptions versus more disruptions: How the Amazon dash button is altering consumer buying patterns.  Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Vol.39 November 2017, 54-61, doi :10.1016/j.jretconser.2017.07.005

Ramadan, Z. & Mrad, M. (2017). Fashionable Stereotypes and Evolving Trends in the United Arab Emirates.  Customer Needs and Solutions, 1-9, doi :10.1007/s40547-017-0073-z

Ramadan, Z. (2017). Examining the dilution of the consumer-brand relationship on Facebook: the saturation issue. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 20(3). doi :10.1108/qmr-07-2016-0064

Ramadan, Z. & Farah, M.F. (2017).  The advent of the ‘Social Moment of Truth’ in online communities.  International Journal of Web Based Communities, 13(3). 

Ramadan, Z. & Farah, M.F. (2017).  The Pokémonisation of the first moment of truth.  International Journal of Web Based Communities,  13(2).

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F. & Mrad, M. (2016). An Adapted TPB Approach to Consumers’ Acceptance of Service Delivery Drones .  Technology Analysis & Strategic Management.  doi :10.1080/09537325.2016.1242720 

Chapters in Books:

Farah, M., Mrad, M., Ramadan, Z. and Hamdan, H. (2020, June). “Consumers’ Reactions to Drone Delivery Services”, In International Conference on Advances in National Brand and Private Label Marketing. Springer, Cham.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M., and Audi, H. (2019, June). “The Advent of the Voice Moment of Truth: The Case of Amazon’s Alexa”, In International Conference on Advances in National Brand and Private Label Marketing (pp. 165-174). Springer, Cham.

Ramadan, Z. and Abosag, I., (2017). “The Mystique of Customers’ Saturation Behaviour in Online Brand Communities”, in  Consumer Behavior, Sabah, S., InTech: Rijeka, ISBN 978-953-51-5393-1.

Ramadan, Z. & Abosag, I. (2016). “Understanding Online Brand Relationships in Western Asia: The Case of Lebanon and Saudi Arabia”. In Melewar, T.C., Nguyen, B. and Schultz, D.E. (Eds), Asia Branding: Connecting Brands, Consumers and Companies. Palgrave Macmillan. 

Abosag, I., Martin, F. & Ramadan, Z. (2016). “Social Media and Branding in Asia: Threats and Opportunities”, in Melewar, T.C, Nguyen, B. and Schultz, D.E. (Eds), Asia Branding: Connecting Brands, Consumers and Companies. Palgrave Macmillan.

In Refereed Conferences:

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Bou Saada R., (2021), Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on Amazon Prime, Summer AMA Academic Conference, Boston, 4th-6th August

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Sleiman A., (2021), E-commerce and shoppers’ evolution post Covid-19, Summer AMA Academic Conference, Boston, 4th-6th August

Ramadan, Z. and Farah, M. (2020). The Advent of Artificial Intimacy: An AI-Consumer Relationship Framework using the Case of Amazon’s Alexa. Winter AMA Academic Conference, San Diego, U.S., 14th-16th February

Farah, M.F., Ramadan, Z., & Mehdi, A. (2019). The impact of fake news on brands and social media. Summer AMA Academic Conference, Chicago, U.S., 9th-11th August

Abosag, I. and Ramadan, Z. (2018). Similarity vs. Uniqueness: How Social ads counterintuitively motivate the need for uniqueness. International Colloquium on Corporate Branding, Identity, Image and Reputation (COBIIR), Calabria, Italy, 3rd-5th September

Farah, M.F. and Ramadan, Z. (2018). The impact of retailers’ utilization of guerrilla-like marketing tactics on consumers’ attitudes. Global Brand Conference, Newcastle, U.K., 2nd-4th May

Farah, M.F. and Ramadan, Z. (2018). The long-term sustainability of retailer-driven tech innovations on shoppers’ impulsiveness. 3rd International Conference on Marketing, Strategy and Policy, London, UK, 10th-11th April

Farah, M.F. and Ramadan, Z. (2017). The consumer’s journey in the era of ‘First Moment of Truth 2.0’. EIBA, Milan, Italy, 14th-16th December

Farah, M.F. and Ramadan, Z. (2017). The Rise of the Impulsive Shopper: The Case of the Amazon Dash Button. Association for Consumer Research, San Diego, United States, 26-29 th October.

Abosag, I. and Ramadan, Z. (2017). The Paradox of Brand Similarity with Customer Uniqueness on Social Network Sites’ Satisfaction. The AM Brand, Identity and Corporate Reputation Special Interest Group (SIG), Kalmar, Sweden, 26-28 th April.

Ramadan, Z. & Abosag, I. (2016, April 27-29). The Co-Creation of Social Reputation; The Effect of Consumer – Social Networking Site’s Relationship on Socially Advertised Brands.  Paper presented at the AM Brand, Identity and Corporate Reputation Special Interest Group (SIG) conference, Bradford, UK. 

Ramadan, Z., Mrad, M. & Farah, M.F. (2015, October 28-31). A Contemporary Challenge in the Globalization of Service Technology; Moving from Self-Service Technologies to Drone-Delivery Interfaces.Paper presented at the  EAMSA Theory and Practice in Bridging Europe and Asia: Contemporary Challenges in International Marketing , London, UK. 

Ramadan, Z. & Abosag, I. (2015). From Community Addicts to Disengaged: The influence of Saturation on Consumer-Brand Relationship. Paper Presented at  The AM Brand, Identity and Corporate Reputation Special Interest Group (SIG), Turku, Finland.

Ramadan, Z. & Abosag, I. (2014). Saturated Nation; Online Brand Communities’ Addiction & its Effect on Consumer-Brand Relationships. Paper presented at Brands and Brand Relationships 2014 Conference, Boston, US.

Ramadan, Z. & Abosag, I. (2013). Saturation versus more Saturation in Online Communities: The Effect on Brand-Consumer Relationship . In proceedings of The AM Brand, Corporate Identity and Reputation Special Interest Group (SIG), Porto, Portugal.

Ramadan, Z. & Abosag, I. (2012). C ustomers’ Satisfaction in online communities and its impact on brand-customer relationship. Paper presented  In the 20th International Colloquium on Relationship Marketing (ICRM), Nottingham, United Kingdom.

Books

Ramadan, Z. (2018). Marketing Strategy in the Age of the ‘Omni-Moment of Truth’. Independently Published, U.S. ISBN 1980962804