Prof. Dr. Kristina Harthaller

Business Administration | Omnichannel Marketing & Sales +43 512 2070 - 3131 kristina.harthaller@mci.edu

My work focuses on consumer behavior along the customer journey and on digital marketing. I am particularly interested and experienced in multi-, cross-, and omni-channel management, customer experience creation and in marketing communication at new digital touchpoints. For my research papers, I have conducted online experiments, collected field data, mined text data, and analyzed the data sets using stylometric analyses, text analyses, and regression analyses (including mixed and multi-level approaches).

Professional work experience

02/2024 - present
Professor Omnichannel Marketing & Sales - MCI The Entrepreneuerial School
02/2023 - present
Study Coordinator Marketing & Sales - MCI Management Center Innsbruck
10/2021 - 01/2024
Associate Professor at the Department Business & Management - MCI Management Center Innsbruck
09/2021 - 10/2021
Senior Lecturer, Department Business & Management - MCI Management Center Innsbruck
03/2019 - 08/2021
Postdoctoral Researcher, Project Leader and Director Competence Center Omnichannel & Customer Experience Management - Institute of Retail Management, University of St.Gallen
04/2014 - 02/2019
Research Associate & Doctoral Candidate - Institute of Retail Management, University of St.Gallen
03/2013 - 09/2013
Communications & Media (Internship) - Swarovski KG
02/2011 - 08/2011
Marketing & Sales (Internship) - Olympiaworld Innsbruck

Education

04/2014 - 02/2019
Ph.D. HSG - University of St.Gallen
Ph.D. in Management (Specialization: Marketing)
08/2011 - 06/2012
EM Business School Strasbourg
ERASMUS Exchange Year
09/2008 - 12/2013
Mag. - University of Innsbruck
International Economic and Business Studies

Teaching (faculty internships etc.)

11/2024 - 11/2024
TIROLER Wirtschaftskammer
KI im Gewerbe - Chancen & Herausforderungen
09/2024 - 09/2024
TIROLER Wirtschaftskammer
KI im Handel - Chancen & Herausforderungen
05/2024 - present
ZHAW School of Management and Law
AI-gesteuerte Kundenberatung und -service im Vertrieb
09/2021 - present
MCI Management Center Innsbruck
Consumer Psychology & Neuromarketing, Cause Marketing, Digital Transformation, Omnichannel Commerce, International & Global Marketing, Marketing Research & Intelligence, Marktbearbeitung & Vetrieb, Design des Marktangebots, Marketing & Sales II
04/2021 - present
Bodensee Campus GmbH
Retail Marketing, Markt- und Werbepsychologie
02/2020 - 06/2023
University of St.Gallen
Retailing Innovations
03/2019 - 03/2021
University of St.Gallen (Executive Education)
Moments-of-Truth – How Can Retailers Increase Loyalty for Different Customer Segments?, ROPO Reality – How Can Retailers Steer the Customer Journey?, Neue Kanäle in Zeiten der Digitalisierung und Vertikalisierung, Omni-Channel & Customer Journey Management
02/2019 - 06/2021
University of St.Gallen
Managing the Digital Transformation, Digital Disruption in Retailing, Marketing Functions
04/2015 - 04/2015
Sandoz Pharmaceuticals AG
Der neue Gesundheitsmarkt: Gefahren und Chancen

Practice related research and developmental project

04/2021 - 03/2024
Projektmitarbeiter - Swiss National Science Foundation
Marketing Education in a Digital World: The Impact of Gamified Experiential Education in Transformative Learning

Competitive Research Award

02/2021 - 02/2021
American Marketing Association (AMA)
2021 AMA’s Retail and Pricing SIG Best Paper award for a paper published in 2019 that has made a significant contribution to the retail or pricing literature
05/2020 - 05/2020
Journal of Retailing
2020 Davidson Award for the best paper best paper published in the Journal of Retailing in 2019
01/2019 - 12/2019
EHI Retail Institute
Science Award Nomination (Top Dissertations)
01/2017 - 12/2017
European Marketing Academy (EMAC)
EMAC Best Paper Award Finalist (Top 20 Papers)

Positions in professional/academic societies

01/2020 - present
Member - Association for Consumer Research (ACR)
01/2017 - present
Member - European Marketing Academy (EMAC)
01/2017 - present
Member - American Marketing Association (AMA)

Board membership with significant responsibilities

11/2024 - present
Wissenschaftlicher Beirat - Bachelorstudiengang Luxury Hotel Management (Bodensee Campus)

Peer reviewed journal article

Kleinlercher, K., & Hacket, M. (2024). Employee Responses to Robots in Hospitality. Marketing Review St.Gallen, 4(2024).
Rudolph, T., Neumueller, K, & Kleinlercher, K. (2021). Employee Inspiration in Retailing: Opportunities and Risks. Marketing Review St.Gallen, 1, 34-41
Kleinlercher, K., Linzmajer, M., Verhoef, P.C., & Rudolph, T. (2020). Antecedents of Webrooming in Omnichannel Retailing. Frontiers in Psychology, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.606798
Evanschitzky, H., Bartikowski, B., Baines, T., Blut, M., Brock, C., Kleinlercher, K., Naik, O., Petit, O., Rudolph, T., Spence C., Velasco., C., & Wünderlich, N.V. (2020). Digital Disruption in Retailing and Beyond,. Journal of Service Management Research, 4(4), 187-204
Herhausen, D., Kleinlercher, K., Verhoef, P.K., Emrich, O., & Rudolph, T. (2019). Loyalty Formation for Different Customer Journey Segments. Journal of Retailing, 95(3), 9-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2019.05.001
Kleinlercher, K., Emrich, O., Herhausen, D., Verhoef, P.C., & Rudolph, T. (2018). Websites as Information Hubs – How Informational Channel Integration and Shopping Benefit Density Interact in Steering Customers to the Physical Store. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 3(3), 330-342.
Kleinlercher K. (2017). The Digital Disruption in Over-the-Counter Drug Retailing. Marketing Review St.Gallen, 5, 40-47.

Editorial-reviewed journal

Neumüller, K., & Harthaller, K. (2026). Mitarbeitendenbefragung umsetzen: Wie Unternehmen echte Veränderung erzielen. HR Performance, 2/2026.
Harthaller, K., & Neumüller, K. (2025). Feedback, das ankommt: Warum wir die Psychologie hinter Feedback besser verstehen müssen. HR Performance, 2/2025
Neumueller, K., & Kleinlercher, K. (2024). Hoch lebe die Inspiration: Mitarbeiterbefragungen neu gedacht. HR Performance, 2/2024, 52-55.

Chapters in books

Kleinlercher, K. (2024). Switching Behavior. In J. Gollnhofer, R. Hofstetter & T. Tomczak (Eds.), Elgar Encyclopedia of Consumer Behavior (pp.294-296). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Kleinlercher, K. (2024). Bounded Rationality. In J. Gollnhofer, R. Hofstetter & T. Tomczak (Eds.), Elgar Encyclopedia of Consumer Behavior (pp.35-37). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Kleinlercher, K. (2024). Impulse Buying. In J. Gollnhofer, R. Hofstetter & T. Tomczak (Eds.), Elgar Encyclopedia of Consumer Behavior (pp.183-185). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Kleinlercher, K. & Rudolph, T. (2023). Emmi: A Swiss Dairy Company Conquers the U.S. Market, in Phillips, Diane M. (2023): Marketing Strategy & Management: Globally-balanced, Sustainability-focused, Consumer-centric, 1st ed., SAGE Publishing, London, UK. ISBN: 978-1-5297-7856-4.
Rudolph, T., Kleinlercher, K., Linzmajer, M., & Diethelm, C. (2018). Contributing to Competitiveness in Retailing by Engaging in Sustainability: The Case of Migros, in Brinkmann, Robert and Garren, Sandra J. (ed.): The Palgrave Handbook of Sustainability. Palgrave Macmillan, 467-483.

Presentation of a paper at a conference, workshop or seminar

Harthaller, K., Böttger, T. M., & Laner, M. (2026). Managing Prestige in Global Digital Markets: How Communication Style Shapes Luxury Value Perceptions. AMA Global SIG NICE 2026 Conference, Nice, France.
Kleinlercher, K., & Maiello, M. (2024). Framing Effects in Threshold-Based Free Shipping. Paper presented at The American Marketing Association: 2024 Summer Academic Conference, Boston, USA
Neumueller, K., & Kleinlercher, K. (2024). The Power of Frontline Employee Inspiration in Times of Technological Change. Paper presented at The American Marketing Association: 2024 Summer Academic Conference, Boston, USA
Kleinlercher K., & Böttger, T. M. (2024). When Worlds Collide: Luxury Brand Positioning in Social Media. Paper presented at the AMA CBSIG 2024 Conference, Vienna, Austria.
Linzmajer, M. Wagner, T., Walsh, G. & Kleinlercher, K. (2024). Does Frontline Employee Ethnicity Shape How Organizational Clothing Affects Customers?, Paper presented at the 2024 AMA Winter Academic Conference, Florida, USA.
Rudolph, T., Kralle, N., & Kleinlercher, K. (2023). Increasing customers’ purchase and loyalty intentions through data-driven personalization in brick-and-mortar-stores. Presented at EMAC annual conference 2023, Odense, Denmark.
Linzmajer, M., Kleinlercher, K., Eggenschwiler, M., & Rudolph, T. (2023). Do, Undo, Redo: How Experiential Teaching Formats Prepare Marketing Students for Retail Practice (ID: 131), submitted to Track Public Sector and Non-Profit Marketing. Paper presnted at EMAC annual conference 2023, Odense, Denmark.
Kleinlercher, K., Linzmajer, M., Rudolph, T., & Eggenschwiler, M. (2023). Connecting Retail Education to Retail Practice: How Innovative Teaching Formats Influence Students' and Employees' Transformative Learning. Paper presented at virtual 2023 AMA Winter Academic Conference, even platform Whova.
Filippova-Karlusch, E., & Kleinlercher, K. (2022). Value creation by Blockchain-enabled food traceability systems: the consumer’s perspective. Paper presented at 29th EurOMA Conference, Berlin, Germany.
Neumueller, K; Kleinlercher, K.; Evanschitzky, H.; Rudolph, T.; Frontline Employee Inspiration: How Inspired Frontline Employees Impact Customers during Service Encounters, paper presented at EMAC Annual conference 2022, Budapest, Hungary.
Kleinlercher, K., Boettger, T., & Rudolph, T. (2021). Positioning High- and Low-Status Brands in Social Media: The Potential of Communication Style. Monaco Symposium on Luxury 2021, conference postponed due to Corona.
Kleinlercher, K., Linzmajer, M., & Rudolph, T. (2020). Retail Education from the Student to the Store and Beyond: How New Teaching Formats and Methods Influence Students’ Transformative Learning Process. Paper presented at the Swiss Academy of Marketing Science Conference 2020, Lucerne, Switzerland.
Kleinlercher, K., Boettger, T.. & Rudolph, T. (2020). Positioning High- and Low-Status Brands in Social Media: The Potential of Communication Style. Paper presented at the Association for Consumer Research 51th Annual Conference, held online due to Corona.
Kleinlercher, K., Böttger, T., & Rudolph, T. (2019). Positioning High- and Low-Status Brands in Social Media: The Potential of Communication Style. Paper presented at The American Marketing Association: 2019 Summer Academic Conference, Chicago, USA.
Kleinlercher, K., Linzmajer, M., & Rudolph, T. (2019). Retail Education from the Student to the Store and Beyond: How New Teaching Formats and Methods Influence Students’ Transformative Learning Process. Paper presented at the Journal of Marketing Research Special Issue Conference Education and Marketing, Austin, USA
Kleinlercher, K., Emrich, O., Herhausen, D., Verhoef, P.C., & Rudolph, T. (2017). he Role of Retailer Websites in the Customer Journey: How Website Cues Foster Channel Switching to the Physical Store. Paper presented at the Baker Retailing Center Conference, Philadelphia, USA.
Herhausen, D., Kleinlercher, K, Verhoef, P.C., Emrich, O., & Rudolph, T. (2017). Customer Journeys and their Effects on Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty. Paper presented at the European Marketing Association 46th Annual Conference, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Kleinlercher, K., Bötter, T., & Rudolph, T. (2017). Social Media Communication Styles and the DNA of Luxury Brands. Paper presnted at the European Marketing Association 46th Annual Conference, Groningen, the Netherlands.

Other intellectual contributions

Harthaller, K. (2025): Zentrale Faktoren der Arbeitgebermarke: Der Dreiklang des Employer Branding, top-arbeitgeber, November 2025, 8-15.
Rudolph, T., Kleinlercher, K., & Kralle, N. (2021): Cross- und Omni-Channel Management 2021 in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz. St.Gallen: Universität St.Gallen.
Rudolph, T., Kleinlercher, K., Neumüller, K., & Klink, B. (2019). Der Schweizer Online-Handel. Internetnutzung Schweiz 2019. St.Gallen: Universität St.Gallen.
Rudolph, T., Kleinlercher, K., & Nitsch, F. (2017). Schweizer Apotheken- und Drogeriemarktstudie 2017. St.Gallen: Universität St.Gallen.
Rudolph, T., Linzmajer, M., Kleinlercher, K., & Lersch, T. (2017). Cross- und Omni-Channel Management 2017 in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz. St.Gallen: Universität St.Gallen.
Rudolph, T., Oliver E., Kleinlercher, K., & Pfrang, T. (2015). Der Schweizer Online-Handel. Internetnutzung Schweiz 2015. St.Gallen: Universität St.Gallen.
Rudolph, T., Metzler, T., Emrich, O., & Kleinlercher, K. (2014). Cross-Channel Management 2014 in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz. St.Gallen: Universität St.Gallen.

Supervised bachelor theses

Hackl Sophie (2025): Perception of Virtual Influencers: Analyzing Warmth and Competence through the Stereotype Content Mode
Brühl Lukas (2025): The Impact of Shared Brand Experiences and Member Identity on Consumer Behavior: A Qualitative Study in a Community Sport Setting
Eifert Anne (2025): Competing or Non-Competing. The Influence of the Choice of Sponseee on Customers' Purchase Intention in the Alpine Skiing Industry
Scalet Sophia (2024): The Role of Emotions in Bookfluencing: How Positive and Negative Emotional Content Affects Consumers' Trust and Purchase Intention
Westreicher Simon (2024): Social Commerce Usage: The Influence of Social Media Platform Type, UTAUT Variables, Trust and Cognitive Dissonance
Sharma Pawla (2024): Using Technology to Minimize the Risk of Counterfeited Goods and to Increase Customer Experience in Secondhand Luxury Fashion.
Brenner Paul Constantin (2024): Threshold-Based Free Shipping: The Effect of Information Cues Justifying the Shipping Policy on Consumers' Fairness Perceptions and Intention to Shop
Maiello Melanie (2024): Framing Effects of Minimum Basket Value for Free Shipping in E-Commerce: an Experimental Approach
Erhart Marielen Greta (2024): Psychographic Factors and Their Influence on Customers' Intention to use Social Commerce for Fashion Items
Dusaj Leonardo (2024): A Quantitative Analysis of the Influence of Loneliness, Anxiety, Neuroticism and Susceptibility to Peer Influence on Impulsive Buying Behaviour
Kostner Julia (2024): The Impact of Peer Communication on Consumer Trust and Purchase Intention in Social Commerce
Ruetz Jana (2024): Die Bedeutung nachhaltiger Versandmaßnahmen im österreichischen Onlinehandel unter Berücksichtigung des Konsumentenverhaltens
Krõlova Arina (2024): Frontline Employee Inspiration in Retail: A Phenomenological Study of Its Nature, Sources, and Boundary Conditions
Niedermair Andreas (2024): Analyse der Kaufmotive im Online-Lebensmittelhandel Österreichs anhand verhaltensorientierter, geographischer, psychographischer und demographischer Kriterien
Szilagyi Viktoria (2023): The Effect of Gamification on Attendees' Participation and Engagement at Large-Scale Online Business Events
Höliner Valentina (2023): The Impact of Brand Hate and Online Negative Word of Mouth on Consumers' Buying Behaviour
Byrnes Tomi (2023): Triggering Customer Attention and Engagement in Video Sharing Apps: A Qualitative Investigation of Generation Z
Zanon Simon (2023): The Impact of Event Sponsorship on Brand Loyalty and Brand Image Among Austrian Consumers
Siegel Miriam (2023): Weißes Gold wird grün - Die Zukunft des Skitourismus in Tirol
Schreiner Michael (2023): In-Store Smart Retailing: A Study on Factors Influencing the Consumers' Willingness to use Cashier-Free Grocery Stores in Austria
Schrade Laureen (2023): The Effect of Seasonal Free Shipping Promotions on the Smart Shopper Feeling and the Customer Purchase Intention in Online Shops
Jehle Andreas (2023): The Sustainable Development Goals as Incentives for Enhancing Competitiveness in SMEs
Meran Amelie (2023): Zahlungsbereitschaften für produkt- und servicebezogene Leistungen in Auto-Abonnements
Trost Susanne (2022): Customer Experience Management als Erfolgsfaktor für den Stromvetrieb am Beispiel der Generation Y
Fahmi Mario (2022): Die Effizienz der verschiedenen Vertriebskanäle im regionalen Bankensektor
Dervisevic Lejla (2022): Eine Imageanalyse eines Tiroler Einkaufszentrums als Basis der Kundengewinnung
Luchner Lara (2022): Success Factors of Social Commerce in Western Countries - Learnings From China
Brugger Katharina (2022): The Effects of Electronic Word of Mouth on People's Willingness to Pay in Austria
Kopański Kacper (2022): Restaurants and Online Food Delivery Platforms in Poland - A Perspective for Improving Customer Acquisition and Retention

Supervised master theses

Pfeil Isabell (2026): Rent it or Buy it Second-Hand? Understanding Consumer Preferences in Circular Fashion
Hueber Andreas (2026): B2B Customer Segmentation Using RFM-Analysis and K-Means Clustering
Hörl Tanja (2025): Exploring Consumer Perceptions of Brand-Athlete Mismatches
Sailer Maurice (2025): The Effect of Environmental Sustainability Initiatives on Consumers' Willingness to Pay at Food Retailers: A Quantitative Analysis
Rabanser Maddalena (2025): The Impact of Visual Signals in Recruitment Advertisement
Quintero Julia (2025): Understanding the Impact of Promotions on Consumer Purchasing Behaviour Towards Near-Expiry Groceries.
Balaj Aliseia (2025): An Empirical Study of Consumer Buying Intention and Willingness to pay Towards Green Cosmetic Products in Austria
Daum Tanja (2024): Revealing the Effects of Impulsive Buying and the Respective Influence of Regulatory Focus
Schöber Maximilian (2024): Omni-Channel Integrations in Retailing - How Integrations Differ and What Affects a Customer's Intention to use Them
Zanotti Marlene (2024): Optimising Customer Experience in Hospitality - The Impact of Touchpoint Satisfaction on Affective, Relational, and Sensory Experience
Brüssermann Lisa (2024): The Influence of Ephemeral Content on Content Recall, Brand Perception, and Engagement Levels on Social Media
Stinglhammer Lena (2024): Drivers of Frontline Employee Inspiration in Retail
Brugger Katharina (2024): The Impact of Product Recommendations on Consumers' Purchase Intention in Contingent Free Shipping Environments
Miletic Katarina (2024): Improving Pit Stop Experiences: A Gap Analysis of Customers' Expectations and Companies' Perceptions in Car Repair Shops
Sperling Julia (2024): Opportunities, Challenges and Potential Use Cases of the Metaverse in the Beauty Industry
Mühleder Hannah (2024): The Effect of Payment Notifications on Consumers' Pain of Paying in a Cashless Payment Setting
Korff Shannon (2023): Variables Influencing Consumer Purchasing Processes in Mobile E-Commerce vs. Mobile Social Commerce
Brugger René (2023): Perceived Price Fairness in a Dynamic Pricing Setting - A Systematic Investigation of Influencing Factors for Price Fairness Perception in Retail Markets
Felder Nicole (2023): The Effect of AI-Enabled Personalization via Smartphones on Customer Experience in Grocery Stores
Hacket Margaretha (2023): Service Robots on the Rise: Responses of Frontline Service Employees to Collaborating With Service Robots in the Hospitality Industry
Veruňková Kateřina (2023): Customer Perception of Controversial, Sexual, and Stereotypical Humour Displayed in Social Media Advertising
Löffler Johannes (2023): Success Criteria and Success Factors in IT-Consulting Projects
Richter Felix Christian (2023): Destinationsmarketing Tirol: Die KI-unterstützte blau-gelborange Farbabstimmung von Fotos für Social-Media-Werbeanzeigen
Auer Caroline (2023): Marketing Automation entlang der touristischen Customer Journey. Automatisierung von Marketingprozessen am Beispiel des Südtiroler Hotel- und Gastronomiesektors
Wiesler Bettina (2023): Characteristics of Sustainable Labels in the Fashion Industry and the Effect Towards Consumers' Trust, Willingness to Pay and Guilt
Gualdiero Benedetta (2023): Luxury Fashion Brands and Social Media: Boycott or Support? A Survey Among Customers of Luxury Fashion
Männer Marlene (2022): Frontline Employee Engagement During an Organizational Crisis
De Wachter Jasmien (2022): The Impact of Context-Aware Technologies on B2B Sales