The influence of financial features and country characteristics on B2B ICOs’ website traffic

Abstract

Technology, blockchain, and initial coin offerings (ICOs) have changed the established ways of financing companies and doing business. The changes that affect organizational communications, specifically marketing communications, remain unclear, especially in the context of business-to-business (B2B) organizations. The current trend is for B2B companies to view social media as an optimal way to enhance lasting and valuable relationships with other companies. There is little research on social media marketing strategies by B2B organizations. To fill this gap, this study uses a sample of 57 B2B ICOs completed by December 2019 and qualitative comparative analysis to examine how the combined effect of four conditions related to B2B ICOs (percentage of tokens distributed, amount of funding raised, minimum investment required, and ICO price) and two conditions related to the promoter’s country (institutional efficiency and tax haven status) lead to a low Alexa Rank. While the percentage of tokens distributed and the amount of funds raised play a key role in achieving a low Alexa Rank, the minimum investment required seems to play a secondary role. Moreover, the importance of the characteristics of the B2B ICO promoter’s country depends on both the presence and the value of the conditions related to financial characteristics.