Analysing Visitors Interaction with Museum Apps: A on Chinese Museums

Binbin Li

September 2019

Dissertation submitted to the University of Leicester in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Marketing

Contents List

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Acknowledgement

First and foremost, I would like to show my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Cristina Fona, a respectable, responsible and resourceful scholar, who has provided me with valuable guidance in every stage of the writing of this dissertation. Without her enlightening instruction, impressive kindness and patience, I could not have completed my dissertation. Her keen and vigorous academic observation

enlightens me not only in this dissertation but also in my future study.

I shall extend my thanks to all my interviewee for their kindness and help. I would also like to thank all my teachers who have helped me to develop the fundamental and essential academic competence. My sincere appreciation also goes to the faculty and peers from University of Leicester, who participated this study with great cooperation.

Last but not least, I’ d like to thank all my friends, especially my three lovely roommates, for their encouragement and support.

1

Abstract

With the advent of the information age, museum marketing has gradually attracted worldwide attention. In recent years, excellent museum marketing strategies have been widely used, which not only greatly improved the popularity of many museums, but also achieved great economic benefits. As a carrier of museum marketing, mobile app has gradually attracted the attention of scholars.

Based on the in-depth analysis of the background environment, reading classical literature and related theories, and with the help of interview data, this paper screens out the factors influencing user satisfaction from the three perspectives of Museum app types, components and comfort degree, and designs interview questions comprehensively. By checking the reliability of the data and analyzing the relationship between the variables, the conclusion of visitors’ satisfaction evaluation of the museum app is drawn. On this basis, the expectations and actual experience of users in the process of using museum APP are obtained through interviews, and the current situation of museum marketing in China is improved. Finally, the comprehensive marketing plan of the museum app will be constructed.

Key words: Museum App; Museum Marketing; Tourist Interaction

1. Introduction

1.1 Research Background

1.1.1 Museum marketing

When people go to new places, they often choose the local museum as a must-see place. In 1995, the International Council of Museums defined museums as non-profit institutions open to the public, whose purpose is to learn and educate. Through the definition, non-profit can be regarded as a very important feature of museums. Normally, non-profit organizations rarely relate to the concept of profitability (Audhesh&Lisa, 2004). Museums usually focus on donations. Traditional museum staff believe that the only purpose of museums is to display historical relics and transmit culture, rather than focusing on the needs of tourists (Harrison, 2004). For a long time, the prejudice of museum industry towards marketing has aroused controversy among museum professionals and scholars. Because of the particularity of art and the complexity of museum industry itself, managers do not attach great importance to marketing (Cole, 2008). In terms of products, professionals who can make decisions are usually the chief curator or art director (Colbert, 2014). They usually give priority to the artistic and educational significance of the product and do not give priority to marketing advice.

As a major recorder of the development of a country and a nation, every exhibit in the museum is a manifestation of the progress and development of the times. Modern museums not only have the function of collection, but also have become a kind of cultural information exchange institution facing the society and serving the public (Lele, 2013). The information service mode in museums is also the inevitable result of the development of the times. It is in line with the times to realize information sharing in museums through advanced mobile Internet system.

Museum is still regarded as a public educational institution (Ober-Heilig&Bekmeier-Feuerhahn, 2014), and has not actively used marketing theory to enter the public’s vision. Due to limited funds, there is still a huge competition among these museums. Funding sources are a pressing issue for the museum industry, as funding for non-profit organizations like them seems to be shrinking (Audhesh&Lisa, 2004). Early museums were mostly private collections. After opening up to the public, social benefits gradually reflect, theoretical research tends to be more social, emphasizing the non-profit nature. In 2007, the latest definition of museums by the International Association of Museums regards education as the primary function and emphasizes the social value. In this context, the museum industry introduced marketing theory, aiming at expanding social influence and enhancing audience participation through marketing means. Scholars who support this view believe that the non-profit nature of museums emphasizes the social nature of museums, rather than simply stipulating their operation and organizational behavior. They believe that although there are many objects in the museum, these cultural relics are not products provided by the museum (Lehman, 2011). Museum’s most basic products are exhibitions based on cultural relics, providing cultural services for the audience through exhibitions, enriching the cultural life of the masses (Zheng, 2012), so as to improve national quality and national cohesion, forming the greatest social benefits. If the audience does not receive this service provided by the museum, it is equivalent to the unsalable products of enterprises (Jin, 2012), and its social value is difficult to reflect. At the same time, besides marketing products, marketing theory has been involved in many aspects, such as market research, brand promotion, demand analysis and so on. It has contributed to the improvement of Museum efficiency, work system and social image. In fact, the non-profit nature of museums does not mean that museums can not have any economic benefits. At present, the funds of museums in China are fully allocated by the state finance (Liu, 2011). Most of the museum expenses are only enough to pay workers’ wages, venues maintenance and so on. For deeper research and education funding, there is often a shortage of money.

In recent years, due to the severe economic environment, all countries in the world are tightening government investment and adopting administrative reforms. Public museums in many countries have been re-planned to improve their efficiency. Museums have been more and more marketed (Lee, 2005). Museums around the world are transforming their management concepts from cultural industries supported by public funds to cultural and entertainment industries dominated by market rules (Neilson, 2003). The International Council of Museums (ICOM) has warned in 2016 how the economic crisis will affect museums in Europe, especially in many European countries, with significant negative impacts (Croatia, 2016). In this situation, more and more museum managers are seriously considering marketing. Museum profits must be able to meet their own survival, which requires a higher degree of market-oriented museum (Butler 2000).

Art and cultural products are far more globalized than that (D’Astous, 2008), and museum marketing has never been so challenging. In addition to the reduction of government funding, museums are also facing tremendous competitive pressures in the leisure time market (Kotler, 2008). In addition to meeting challenges from other museums and heritage institutions, they also face competition from theme parks, cultural relics and other institutions (Komarac, 2017). In today’s era, people’s leisure ways are extremely rich, and diversified entertainment and learning methods occupy limited leisure time. Museums can attract more visitors and increase their share in the leisure market only if they are more market-oriented and improve their marketing level.

The relationship between museums and marketing has improved significantly in recent years (Sullivan, 2001). Taking the Palace Museum of China as an example, in recent years, after introducing modern museum marketing theory actively, the Palace Museum gradually established a new management system by combining theory with its own special situation, and gradually developed into a comprehensive operation mode. The change of the marketing system of the Palace Museum not only safeguards the public welfare, but also continuously develops innovative cultural products, which conforms to the current situation of market development and has won high social appreciation.

1.1.2 From Museum to Digital Museum

The history of museums goes back to Greek times. Inspired by Greek culture, Alexander, Egypt, in the 3rd century B.C., built a huge collection of cultural relics, now known as museums, devoted to the transmission of knowledge, the development of libraries and the collection of precious cultural relics. Hundreds of years later, the Roman Empire plundered Greece, and these precious collections were transported to Rome’s courts and other places. The works of art are privately owned by nobles. In medieval Europe, art collections were kept in Christian monasteries. In the 16th century, privately owned collections became popular, and the study of cultural relics rose with the Renaissance. Subsequently, museums in the modern sense gradually formed. In the 18th century, British doctor Hans decided to donate nearly 80,000 private collections to the British royal family for public research and cultural dissemination. The British royal family decided to set up a national museum for this purpose to store these works of art. Therefore, the British Museum, the first large museum in the world to be opened to the public, was completed in 1753.

With the progress of digital technology, virtual reality technology has been widely used in various fields (Zhu, 2011), especially in museums. In order to present the most authentic Museum for the public on the network, the researchers integrated virtual reality technology, three-dimensional graphics technology, computer network technology, three-dimensional display system, interactive entertainment technology and special visual effects technology, and finally realized the digital museum technology (Andrea, 2010). Depending on Internet technology and information network, digital museum combines traditional museum industry and provides better visitor effect for the public. The work combines the network activities of computer and the bridge of information exchange needed by the environment of building museums. The dull data can be transformed into vivid models to fully realize the physical functions of museums (Wang,2015).

Digital museum is another expression for real museums. The abundant information of real museum can be transmitted through the digital museum. The public needs can be brought in through the comments. It greatly promotes the communication between museums and the public, makes close contacts with the public, and strengthens the public’s understanding of museums. Digital Museum is the real bridge for the potential audience of the museum to enter the museum. Digital museums have a rich collection of high-quality exhibitions and virtual exhibitions of fascinating or shocking scenes, as well as lively and interesting programs, activities and so on, which stimulate people’s interest and desire to visit and experience real museums, and then become real museum audiences. The construction of digital museums is in the ascendant and will open up a wide range of development prospects at the same time. The future of digital museums will be more open and dynamic.

1.1.3 Mobile Media and Mobile Apps

It is estimated that the number of mobile devices on the Internet will reach 10 billion by 2020 (Chen et al, 2012; Ding and Chai, 2015). Smartphones are affecting all aspects of social life. One of them is that consumers can access information through the Internet with great convenience. Therefore, the effect of smartphone App is two-sided. It can not only help museums better understand consumers’ information, but also take into account the first-hand information about products and services disseminated by customers (Shin et al, 2012; Zhong et al., 2016), which can better convey their own artistic ideas to consumers, and thus to consumers. Be accepted by consumers, and then realize co-creation.

1.2 Research objective and questions

Qualitative research refers to the systematic collection, sorting and description of data, as well as the interpretation of documents or observed data (Simon, Janice & Carol, 2008).

This report will use qualitative methods for research, because the research of qualitative methods is an exciting interdisciplinary landscape, enriching the perspective of knowledge construction, through a variety of technologies that can be used to generate knowledge.

With the development of the times, if museums want to get out of the business dilemma, they need to conform to the trend of the times and establish marketing programs that meet their own requirements. Museum app has become an important carrier of museum marketing, based on the rapid development of mobile Internet technology. With its convenience and timeliness, museum app can bring great convenience to both visitors and museums.

This paper analyses how to formulate reasonable marketing strategies for museums, cooperate with apps and other channels, and maximize the marketing effect from different types of apps commonly used by visitors.

1.1 Outline of the Dissertation

In the first chapter of this paper, the background and significance of the research are introduced, the concept of museum marketing is introduced, the emergence of digital museum and the development of mobile media, especially app, are introduced, and the research objects and problems of this paper are put forward.

The second chapter reviews the literature on Museum marketing, the current situation of museum marketing in China, mobile marketing and tourists’response to Museum marketing, and points out the current research gaps on Museum marketing.

The third chapter introduces the research methods used in this paper, including research process, tools, sample selection, data analysis and research limitations.

Chapter four describes in detail the types and contents of Museum apps commonly used in the survey, as well as the existing problems.

In the fifth chapter, a set of museum marketing schemes which can solve the current problems are put forward in detail from five aspects.

The last chapter conclude the paper and give out some suggestions.

2. Literature Review

2.1 Introduction of Literature Review

This chapter reviews the literature on museum marketing and mobile applications. The first chapter first discusses the academic analysis of Museum marketing, and then analyses the current situation of museum marketing in China. Mobile marketing, especially app marketing, is also the focus of this chapter. At the end of this chapter, the participation and interaction of consumers in mobile applications are analyzed.

2.2 main body of Literature Review

2.2.1 Research On Museum Marketing

Referring to the definition of network marketing and the characteristics of museums themselves, museum network marketing can be defined as the general name of activities such as public image promotion, popularity enlargement, popularization of traditional culture and education to inspire audiences by using the Internet in order to discover, satisfy or create the spiritual and cultural needs of the public. Its functions include museum construction and exhibition, Museum and public relations maintenance, museum brand promotion, museum derivatives promotion, museum related activities promotion and so on.

Museum network marketing related issues have been a lot of research. The non-profit and public service nature of museums make it difficult to completely distinguish museum marketing, cultural services and education. Based on the above considerations, it has reference value to discuss articles related to marketing, service and education on Internet.

In this regard, early articles on the relationship between museums and the Internet focused mainly on the construction and role of the website. In 1999, Morse had already put forward the viewpoint that museums and archives should be combined with the Internet. He analyses the current situation of network usage of archives, libraries and museums in New Zealand in his article. Through the analysis of the impact of network on the development of collection policy, it is considered that the use of network at that time was still immature and limited to website construction. And then, Lagrosen’s paper analyses the website of Swedish Museum in 2003, and classifies the functions of the website and put forward three strategies of network marketing: evasion strategy, content strategy and technology strategy through a variety of survey methods, including interviews and questionnaires, etc. In the same time, there are also studies argued that museum websites have not fully utilized the advantages of web 2.0, and the use of network tools in museums in different countries is significantly different (Lopez, 2010). Museums are increasingly using websites to communicate with their audiences (Lehman&Roach, 2011).

Subsequently, there are also special articles on the museum network marketing theory, analysis of museum marketing purposes. Falk analyses the basic nature of museum marketing in his article, defines the museum business model as the purpose of reducing costs and creating economic benefits, and considers that the marketing purpose of such non-profit organizations is to create a better public welfare. This idea dispels some scholars’ belief that marketing activities are purely for profit, and is of great significance to the promotion of online marketing in museums(Falk, 2016).

The Internet has changed the original relationship between museums and audiences and the audiences are more active in the whole process of education. It also extends the educational process of museums, from visiting exhibitions to browsing online information of museums whenever and wherever for gaining culture information(Marty, 2007). Thus, many studies have focused on how to improve the relationship between museums and audiences through internet. Some studies point out that museums should design services and information provided by websites from the perspective of both before and after visitors’ visits. At the same time, the users of digital museums and museum audiences are not entirely different. Museum managers should be aware that the needs of the audience are always changing. Museums and official websites should work together to achieve better marketing results. Pavlou’s research shows that viewers’ feelings when visiting official websites ultimately affect their actual visits to museums.

After 2007, museum network marketing strategy research has also begun to emerge. Ruth’s works involve network marketing and put forward how museums should use the network to expand their influence and interact with audiences on the network, believe that the network can realize the urgent need of museums for marketing, by analyzing the significance of network marketing in museums. In the same year, the doctoral dissertation Museum and Marketing in the Electronic Age of the University of Mastania, Australia, proposed that it is very important for museums to use network media, integrate marketing means, strengthen the establishment of museum brand, and put forward integrated marketing strategies.

With the increasing proportion of social networks in people’s lives and the increasing number of users, social media marketing has gradually been taken seriously. The combination of museum education characteristics and social media information mass communication makes the marketing effect more prominent. Digital technology helps museums acquire more social resources, create more value and provide and evaluate audience value in a new way(Bakhshi&David, 2009). Also, the network is an extension for museums to educate people in the course of using new technology in museums. Through the development of websites, the use of social media and the development of mobile phone app, the current situation of network innovation in museums is still positive all over the world. Social media websites have been used in the early 21st century while the future development direction lies mainly in brand promotion and publicity(Kidd, 2011) . Museum online word-of-mouth is also valuable and measures should be took to stimulate the formation of Internet word-of-mouth(Andrea,2010). Twitter helps museums to communicate with visitors and museums currently use Twitter to publish information and communicate more closely with their audiences (Lesley, 2014).

2.2.2 Research on Internet Marketing of Chinese Museums

The research literature on online marketing of museums in China mainly originates from the development of museum informationization. It is necessary to use the network to convert data into information. At present, the literature mainly focus on the following aspects: online store, blog, mobile app, marketing strategy, development trend and technical design.

Museum online stores are cultural derivatives sold online by museums through the Internet. Lei analyses the advantages of fast trading, cultural derivation and fine management of museum online stores. Huang Yang’s article holds that the development of e-commerce in China has a good prospect, and under the impetus of the times, the combination of museums and online marketing is indispensable. Tracing back to the experience of Chinese Museum opening online stores in Taobao, the article considers that it has two advantages: low cost and brand dependence, and puts forward six strategies for the development of online stores.

The most widely used online marketing method of museums in China is micro-blog (Weibo). In the meantime, there are many papers on the marketing of museum official micro-blog. Guomin’s article argued that museum has four major roles in creating official micro-blog, and put forward nine measures for its maintenance, including all-weather maintenance, timely release, active updating, follow celebrities to improve the number of their fans, easy language, timely answers to questions, natural interact with audiences, skillful use of links and graphics, insert hot topics, appropriate use of “like” and “re-post”, to reduce negative effects.

Jianping’s article published in 2013 shows that although most museums in China have official micro-blogs, there are still problems of low attention and few topics. Therefore, the article suggests that the museum network marketing should pay attention to the following strategies: core value transmission, scientific arrangement, increasing the quality of response, finding hot topics, coping with internet public opinion and crisis management.

In 2013, Concern is Power, Watching the Development Path of Museum Official Microblog introduces museum official micro-blog has the characteristics of dynamic, people-friendly, interactive, dissemination and openness. The research, development and use of smartphone app is also a hot topic in the current literature. The article published in 2012 by Chen introduced the design intention, main contents and service functions of the mobile navigation software of the National Museum. Luo Tiejia introduced the current situation of mobile app development in China in his article, and put forward his own views from content design, production means and effect orientation. In 2013, Sun Xiaoye’s master thesis introduced the basic situation of smartphones, explained the use of smartphone software in museums, and described the use of mobile phone guides in the National Museum of China by analyzing questionnaires and data. This article also analyses the development prospects of smartphone navigation software in China, and puts forward some problems in the development. Design and Implementation of Mobile Museum APP Based on iPhone Platform by Yang Gang, from Beijing Forestry University, puts forward strategies for mobile museum development from a technical perspective. Shi Danqing’s article holds that the development of mobile phone application software solves three contradictions in museum services: rich exhibits and limited space, digital viewing mode and fixed exhibition mode, and discontinuous service before and after exhibition. This paper also discusses the problems that should be paid attention to in the development of mobile application software from the aspect of technology and experience design.

Scholar Jin Huang discusses the background and significance of mobile museum construction in 2013, puts forward the concept of museum marketing and the matters needing attention in its operation from the case of developing app in museums. The article On the Innovation of Museum Exhibition Means in Oriental Museum takes the Mobile Museum project of Zhejiang Museum as an example, puts forward that the technological progress has made the museum exhibition change, considers Mobile Museum as an attempt to innovate exhibition means and analyses the characteristics and application process of mobile phone guided app.

There are also many articles on museum marketing strategies. Xing Zhiyuan argues that museums begin to explore network marketing under the conditions of increasingly complete digital technology, increasingly standardized e-commerce platform and increasingly good network monitoring mechanism. Compared with traditional marketing, network marketing has the advantages of low cost and wide audience. This paper puts forward five suggestions on the development of online marketing in museums, including policy support, understanding the essence of online marketing, establishing brand awareness, expanding propaganda and developing cultural industry. Zheng Hao analyses the external environment of museums and considers that thw Internet has become the focus of present museum marketing. At the same time, through the analysis of online marketing cases of global museums, the article holds that Chinese museums will usher in the museum era based on the late advantages of technology imitation and application. In addition, this article puts forward some suggestions for museum network marketing, such as subdividing audience market, researching customer needs, positioning products, and emphasizing consumer-centered.

Wang Yuefang analyzed the background of the emergence and development of online marketing, and believed that online marketing of cultural commodities could make use of official website and third-party platform.

There are also relevant articles on the trend of network new media in museum services and education. Liu Li interpreted the Horizon Report of New Media Alliance: Museum Edition 2011, put forward that the current new media technology mainly focuses on mobile applications and tablet computer software development. Elizabeth Merritt, founder of the Museum Future Center of the American Museum Association, puts forward seven trends in Trend Watch 2012: Grasping the Future Pulse of Museums. Among them, she emphasizes that under the background of the American economic depression, museum mobile and decentralized experience has become the third mode of attracting Museum audiences. The huge fan base of social networks has also pushed museums into mobile and individualized stages. In addition, mobile phones have become a new way of donation. Donations can be easily realized through short messages, mobile clients and donation websites. The shift from elite fund-raising to mass fund-raising highlights the public character of museums, and also changes the situation in which wealthy Americans control cultural and artistic trends.

Network marketing is a marketing method based on technological innovation. In addition to the discussion of the implementation technology of museum mobile client mentioned above, some articles discuss the promotion of WIFI and two-dimensional code technology to museum marketing and service. Zhu Zhong’s article introduced the practical application of WIFI technology in the Memorial Hall of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, including the value of guided services, interactive experience, exhibition reference and increasing authenticity of audience registration. The article considers that the customer terminal with this technology can help the audience understand the content of the visit, increase the interaction between the museum and the audience, shield negative comment, and arrange the evacuation of the audience in critical situations. Jiang Jian and Mao Yan introduced the characteristics of two-dimensional technology of Suzhou Museum in their article, which is mainly used with smart phones and portable computers. Through this technology, the functions of intelligent tour guide and ticket booking can be easily realized, and the management of specific groups can be standardized and the sale of cultural products can be carried out. These technologies have special value in administration and storage.

2.2.3 Literature Review on Mobile Marketing

App, short for Application, refers to third-party applications for smartphones. iTunes store, Android Market and other Microsoft application stores are all the famous App stores.

App now generally refers to smartphone applications, is a very common mobile marketing channel, but also a very important source of museum marketing and information dissemination, for museums to shape brand image and precise promotion of sales(Li, 2012). The emergence of APP makes enterprises clearly feel that the response rate of users to marketing information transmitted through mobile APP has been greatly improved,User participation in mobile app marketing is very high. App can be used as a unique internet marketing channel for enterprises, which can help enterprises find target customers accurately, thus bringing real economic benefits to enterprises (Yuefang, 2012).

App marketing carries out marketing activities through mobile phones, communities and other platforms of target customer groups. All marketing interactions using mobile applications can be called app marketing(Antonio, 2013). App marketing is the most important part of mobile marketing(Bakhshi, 2010), an important channel for the formation of consumer relationship between brands and users, and also a necessary hub connecting online and offline. Developing a successful App should not only meet the positioning and demands of its own brand, but also take into account the audience’s use stickiness(Marty, 2008).

With the popularity of mobile devices such as smartphones and ipads, people use app clients more and more frequently. At present, major e-commerce companies have their own app client (ruoxin, 2012), which indicates that app has begun to show its commercial advantages. Nowadays, many app stores have access to the official applications of enterprises, so that they can use a variety of products online (Yang, 2013). In addition, with the rise of mobile internet, app has become the main sales channel for many Internet companies and e-commerce platforms. Research data show that app has created new possibilities for online marketing and attracted a lot of users’attention (yixiao, 2019). Compared with the traditional computer-side Internet, more e-commerce platforms turn to app as the main marketing channel (Jin, 2013). Facts show that major e-commerce platforms are increasingly inclined to use mobile apps, because apps are more convenient and fast, which can bring more browsing and attention to business platforms (Wenyu, 2019), and help enterprises attract more consumers. More importantly, some apps with good user experience have greatly improved the loyalty and activity of users, which plays a vital role in the future development of enterprises.

2.2.4 Literature Review on Consumers’ Interaction

From the perspective of users and the number of works studied from the perspective of APP, there is little difference: from the perspective of app, there are 131 articles in total. Among them, the scholars pay more attention to the product development theme, a total of 63 articles, subdividing the research into interface design, user experience design, interaction design and other related technologies of the overall development, design and other aspects. In addition, there are 55 themes on the marketing of app products in museums, including market competition situation, ranking, recommendation and operation mode of APP. There are 13 themes on the development of APP products in museums.

Scholars from the museum app development process, current situation, future and development strategies, and other aspects of research, but also concerned about the museum APP and other formats, personality needs of integration and innovation. There are a little more studies from the perspective of museum app’s audience, that is, users. There are 143 studies on users’ willingness, behavior and perception. Among them, for users, the number of perception studies is the largest, with 58 articles and the related research on user satisfaction accounts for a large proportion, and there is also a correlation between user experience and effect.

There are 53 studies on users’ behavior, including the overall study of user behavior, some scholars through specific models and theoretical studies of its influencing factors, and some scholars through the use of behavior to study the willingness to continue use, that is, user satisfactory: for users’ use willingness, a total of 38 studies. Scholars pay more attention to behavioral incentives and influencing factors of decision-making on willingness to use.

Museum APP user satisfaction survey and related research, mostly concentrated in recent years. Comprehensive information, communication, delivery, price-performance ratio of APP, commodity price-performance ratio, safety, stability of APP, brand identification, service efficiency and other factors will have a significant impact on the satisfaction of visitors to the museum app (Yifan, 2015). Based on the background of Intelligence Museum, this paper studies the sustainability of users’ willingness to use museum app, and finds that service quality, trust and perceived usefulness will affect users’ satisfaction, thereby affecting users’ sustainability willingness to use (Lan, 2016). Analysis based on user experience of museum app found that the perspective of app design, the aesthetics of interface design, overall coordination, simple and easy to use operation process, the personalized characteristics of architecture design, content integration and classification, and whether the interaction design conforms to user usage habits will affect user experience(Quan, 2017).

2.3 Summary

The researches of museum network marketing has the following problems: First, the analysis of the current situation in the article mainly focuses on marketing means, such as micro-blog, Taobao, mobile phone app, etc. There are few papers that comprehensively analyze the current situation of museums in China from the perspective of museums. The online marketing of museums is a content that keeps pace with the times. It is easy to be eliminated by the society if the research only focus on a certain channel. Therefore, from a theoretical point of view, it is more necessary to explore the establishment of museum network marketing model, rather than the use of a single marketing tool. So, the development level of many museums in China is different at present, and the differences in funds, number of employees and scale of collections can not be generalized, which need to be discussed in different categories. Third, museum network marketing is a subject that integrates management, marketing and museum studies. Some articles focus on the theoretical analysis of management, which is hard to copy mechanically for the use of museums. Some articles are written by the author with the museum’s work experience, which are instructive but difficult to use the knowledge of management. Fourth, most articles are mainly descriptive analysis, lacking charts, data, persuasion and research results, and their credibility is limited. Last but not least, there is no literature on feedback and evaluation of marketing effectiveness. The lack of evaluation links in marketing activities makes it difficult to achieve cycle and sustainable development.

Through the analysis of the research situation, more empirical analysis methods are used in the study of online marketing of international museums, through in-depth interviews, case studies, data processing and other marketing analysis methods. In terms of research content, those studies mainly focus on website construction, museum marketing theory construction, social media use, network and audience relations and so on. From a more macro perspective, there are a few articles focus on global perspective and discuss the marketing plan of museums by combining app marketing and other marketing methods. This paper will fill the research blank of visitor’s satisfactory through museum apps and give out a complete museum marketing plan.

3. Methodology

3.1 Introduction

This chapter introduces the process and stage of research strategy in collecting information needed to achieve research objectives. The first part discusses the research perspectives and methods used in this study. In the process, I will introduce the research methods used in this study, including the data collected, the analysis conducted, and the evidence of validity and reliability. Finally, this chapter will briefly outline the limitations of this study.

In this study, my aim is to provide an exploratory analysis of the insufficient areas of consumer research, which is based on identity building through consumption and relationship to the place. I’m trying to provide an overview of the general impression of museum apps by visitors. More importantly, the government considers museum apps as part of museum marketing(Lin, 2019). This paper regards museum and marketing as the two core concepts of research, which is formed on the basis of comparative study of the differences and coordination effects between museum app and other means.

3.2 Collection Methods and Tools

According to the depth of each person’s answer, the interview time ranges from 30 minutes to more than an hour. During the interview, I also took short notes to help remind me of areas I need to elaborate on or discuss further. Data were collected through a series of one-to-one in-depth interviews. The reason for choosing in-depth interview is that it has a good connection with basic theory and methods. At the same time, it is also an unorganized and direct way to obtain information, so that interviewers can skillfully discover potential motivations, beliefs, attitudes and feelings about a topic. Detection is one of the ways in which data can be transformed from basic expressions to in-depth expressions. The use of “Can you elaborate on this point” and “Why do you say so” can help respondents to explore the topic more deeply.

Although in-depth interview has a positive side, it also has its shortcomings. Lack of structure may make the results vulnerable to interviewers, and the quality and integrity of the results largely depend on the interviewer’s skills (Malhotra, 2004). It is difficult to analyze and interpret the data. If there are no skilled professionals to analyze and interpret, it is easy to misunderstand. In interviews, I constantly try to change the way I ask questions and explore what expected questions can be used to investigate respondents in in-depth qualitative interviews. On the other hand, in the interview process, I constantly encourage the interviewees to tell their stories in a third person way, which is conducive to a more complete and objective narrative, and easier to distinguish the emotions of the interviewees.

3.3 Interview Samples and Participants

Both qualitative and quantitative studies need to be sampled because they are unable to include all of a group in the study. Most sampling is purposeful and defined before data starts. When selecting samples for interviews, talking to those who are most likely to provide information can maximize the effectiveness of interviews. To support this view, I selected 15 respondents (8 women and 7 men) to do the interview for this study. The sample was carefully selected, and all the participants were individuals I knew through my family, or my peers in college. I chose participants because of time and access issues; I was able to arrange interviews quickly without any special arrangements. These special respondents were also those who seemed willing to talk to me and would provide more information when prompted.

3.4 Research Time and Process

Before the real interview began, my colleagues at the University and I conducted two informal interviews. This enabled me to get feedback and learn how to stabilize my emotions and express my questions objectively and truthfully during the interview process without dramatically changing the mindset of the interviewees or fragmenting my answers.

They also commented on the way I approached the interviewees, body language, language clarity and speed. The experiment was very successful, and I found the part that needed improvement in the experiment, which was the need to link the questions according to the answers of the respondents. Before the interview, all participants were told that the data would be kept strictly confidential, accessible only to me, and that all the information would be used only for the analysis of this study. Each participant was given the option of using a pseudonym.

In terms of the data to be discussed in the next chapter, all respondents used their real names. Although interview questions are generally fixed, some questions will be adjusted according to the respondents’ answers. Warm-up questions are used to help participants feel relaxed, such as can you tell me your name, age and place of birth, and briefly introduce your educational background, including your interests and hobbies.

These questions were designed specifically for me as a researcher to assess what areas they are familiar with or unfamiliar with. For example, if I ask respondents about the use of Museum apps, but they are not interested in museums or have never visited museums, it will be a waste of time.

3.5 Data Analysis

A survey was conducted on the visitor’s gender, age, educational background and occupation. 46% of the respondents were male and 54% were female.

Because young people are more interested in the topic and have a higher degree of cooperation and participation, the age group involved in the survey is mainly 20-30 years old, with 13 people, accounting for 87%. Secondly, people aged 30-40 accounted for 13% of the total sample. The audience occupations are mainly students and freelancers, accounting for 53% and 33% of the total sample, respectively.

In the survey, there are four choices: junior high school and below, senior high school, junior college and undergraduate, master and above. Among them, the undergraduate and master’s degrees are much higher than others, accounting for 40% and 47% of the total sample. High school education has 13% of the visitor.

The above data show that the age of the museum network marketing is 20-30 years old; students and freelancers are the main group, and white-collar workers also occupy a part; education level is concentrated in undergraduate and master’s degree; there is no significant difference between men and women. Such people are more receptive to new things. Due to occupational and age constraints, audience income is not high, so preferential commodity prices are more attractive. In the survey, women’s willingness to online marketing is significantly higher than men’s. The products of online stores and the contents conveyed by micro-blogs and micro-letters are more likely to be favored by female audiences. In marketing planning, attention should be paid to combining elegant culture with the needs of the public to develop a relaxed, lively and culturally strong network cultural service content with characteristics.

3.6 Limitations of Research

The research carried out is subject to some limitations. Due to the limitation of interview methods, I can not interview more individuals. Therefore, the occupation and age range of museum visitors are not comprehensive enough. Likewise, due to traffic restrictions, I can not interview tourists from remote areas where economic development is relatively backward. After very insightful in-depth interviews, many often overlooked issues have been raised, and at the same time, there are many practical suggestions.

Another limitation is due to the subjective emotional limitations of the respondents. Respondents may be biased by cultural background, personal opinions on specific phenomena, personal emotions in interviews and experience before interviews, which may affect the rationality of the study. This chapter outlines the process and stages of research strategies for collecting data needed to achieve research objectives, and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each method used.

Through a qualitative data analysis, the results of the study will be presented in Chapter 4 and discussed in Chapter 5.

4. Museum App Content Details and Existing Problems

4.1 Introduction

With the development of mobile Internet technology and the advent of digital era, people’s demand for information carriers has changed dramatically. Museum collections need to be converted into digital electronic media, such as images, words, sounds and images, to meet people’s cultural needs. At the same time, the popularity of smart phones and the promotion of the application of app make the development of app become an integral part of the construction of digital museums.

This chapter will illustrate the different type of museum apps and discuss the existing problems of present museum app marketing by taking the Palace Museum and Suzhou Museum as example.

4.2 Types of Museum App

Some international museums have already taken action in digitalization and mobility, such as the Louvre HD of the Louvre Museum in France, The Met of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and The British Museum in Britain. These apps are beautifully made and have a good user experience(Ruth, 2007). A number of museums in China are catching up, such as Daily Palace Museum and Palace Museum Exhibition of the Palace Museum. Other museums have also developed some representative apps, such as Beijing Luxun Museum, Suzhou Museum, Six Dynasties Museum and Shaanxi History Museum(Guowen, 2012).

With the development of information technology, mobile phones are becoming more and more intelligent, and their functions are becoming more and more comprehensive, becoming a necessity in people’s daily life. China Internet Information Center reported in 2013 that mobile phones have become the first new source of Internet users(Xiaoye, 2013). In 2012, the number of downloads of mobile apps exceeded 35.2 billion, showing an explosive growth. Some analysis points out that marketing through mobile App has gradually become a new trend of mobile Internet marketing(Liyuan, 2013). Mobile app refers to a handheld mobile platform that uses digital information technology to realize collection display, interactive communication, mobile phone guide and other functions. With the help of mobile Internet technology, digital information can be quickly and widely disseminated to the public through mobile platform.

Through the research, there are three types of museum apps that are most frequently used.

First, the introduction of collections. This kind of apps mainly display pictures, usually with detailed background introduction and location description. Some of them have their own voice function and are exquisitely made. They can make users travel around museums without leaving home. However, there is a general lack of interaction. They just support users to share their favorite pictures of cultural relics through e-mail or social software. It is more suitable for users who have a certain historical and humanistic foundation and focus on understanding cultural relics. Typically, there are the e-Museum of Japan and the Touch China of the Palace Museum.

The second category is thematic mobile app, which is based on a museum collection or special exhibition as the theme, to develop entertainment and education functions as one of the mobile phone software. By occupying the idle time of users, the museum’s huge historical knowledge is fragmented and introduced to the audience in different themes, which conforms to the current fast-paced information receiving mode and carries out social education to the audience all the time(Gang, 2013). At the same time, such software development meets the needs of mass culture and is of great significance to the quality of public cultural services(Danqing, 2013). At present, the thematic mobile phone APP mainly includes the Portrait of the Beauty Yin Qi launched by the Palace Museum, the White Graphite Rhyme thematic mobile phone application program of Hunan Museum, and the special exhibition Bamboo Carving Heart mobile phone software launched by Shanghai Museum.

Take the Portrait of the Beauty Yin Qi launched by the Palace Museum as the representative. Portrait of the Beauty Yin Qi is the first application produced by the Palace Museum. By means of 3D, twelve beautiful screens are used to show the magnificent and elegant court life in the prosperous period of the Qing Dynasty. The objects in the painting are compared with the objects in the Palace Museum, 360-degree interactive viewing of the palace cultural relics collection, and magnifying glass functions to appreciate the high-definition maps. Deep background knowledge provides users with education while using software to appreciate beauty maps; social networking and e-mail sharing also enable the Palace Museum, beauty maps software and collections to receive free publicity.

The second is the guide type. This kind of app pays more attention to the user’s field experience in the museum, turning the mobile device in the user’s hand into a portable interpreter. Some even offer floor maps and navigation and positioning functions inside the museum. Users can visit the museum independently by using cameras on their mobile phones or other mobile devices, such as Louvre Audio Guide of the Louvre Palace and Wenbo of the National Museum of China. Some of them activate relevant content through the logo of the mobile camera in the exhibition area to get short explanatory videos, and also provide the sharing function in browsing. For example, “Beyond Planet Earth Augmented Reality” of the American Museum of Natural History, and “Mobile Guide” of the Zhongshan Ship Museum, etc. In 2011, the Suzhou Museum launched the first free mobile phone self-help guide software in China, which opened the prelude to the development of mobile phone APP guide software in museums in China. Subsequently, more than 20 museums, including the National Museum, the Palace Museum, the Zhongshan Shipboard Museum, the Sichuan Museum, the Gansu Museum and the Qinshihuang Mausoleum, have developed such software.

The third category is the interactive game app. This kind of app presents the relevant content in a entertaining way through a series of easy games such as puzzles, card games and so on. For example, Taipei Palace Museum’s National Treasure Design Competition introduced interactive painting, test questions and other content; the Faking It of the Metropolitan Museum of New York requires users to find the fake one in two photographs. These photographs are precious materials in the collection, so that users can see the “true face” of history. The game has selected more than 40 groups of photographs to cooperate with the puzzle game, telling users why these historical photos have been changed. There is also a special MoMA Art Lab designed for children. Children can complete a contemporary art painting of their own by drawing different lines and color blocks based on the drawing board. In addition, it can deconstruct the works of famous artists and understand the creative process of the original works according to different tips.

4.3 Parts of Museum App

4.3.1 Voice Guide System

The appearance of voice guide system has changed the traditional mode of propaganda in museums, improved the efficiency of propaganda and increased the capacity of museum(Yuefang, 2012). With the development of information technology, people’s way of life and thinking are constantly changing, and the voice guide system is constantly updated and replaced. Tracking the history of the voice guide system and predicting its development trend will help to better play the application of the voice guide system in museum propaganda and meet people’s growing spiritual and cultural needs.

So far, the voice guide system is still the most widely used form of guide in museums and art galleries(Jin, 2013). At present, it still provides services to tourists on a large scale. In recent years, with the emergence and wide application of information-based intelligent software, people have begun to combine smart phones with guided tours, and voice guided tours have entered a new era(Li, 2012). Now viewers no longer need to rent special guided devices, as long as they take out their mobile phones, download the corresponding APP software or scan the two-dimensional code placed before the exhibits, they can get intelligent voice guided services. With the development of information technology, voice guide has developed from simple voice input and output to a complex intelligent system of audio-visual integration and free choice at the present stage. To some extent, it meets the needs of visitors.

At present, the automatic guided system, one of the common voice guided systems in museums, theoretically requires only electronic guides and headphones to be worn by the audience, so that they can go wherever they want to hear and watch the exhibition at will. However, in actual use, due to some technical reasons, there will be overlapping or missing signals, which will lead to inconsistencies between the content of the explanation and the exhibits or not to explain before the exhibits. In addition, the input and guidance work of the guided content is relatively complex and needs a certain period, so when a permanent exhibition changes its exhibits or holds a temporary exhibition, the audience will not be able to hear the relevant content, which leads to unhappy visits and complaints.

Another kind of voice guide system: manual voice guide system uses signal source and display one-to-one correspondence. The audience only needs to input corresponding numbers on the guide to hear the introduction of the corresponding exhibits, which should be widely welcomed. But in fact, audiences, especially older and younger people, don’t like this kind of voice guide because the input operation is too complicated for them. Audiences need to find the number of the corresponding exhibits on a numbering list provided by the museum or on the exhibition cabinet, then input the guide and press the play button to listen. If the voice explanation have not finished while they need to listen to the introduction of another exhibit, they need to pause the exit and re-input. This is too complicated for the elderly or children. They can’t operate it alone, and other family members will give up using it because of trouble after several operations(Li, 2013).

In practice, compared with the sign guides and manual guides in museums, voice guides have their own unique advantages: firstly, they can replace manual guides to fill the shortcomings in quantity and quality of manual guides; secondly, they are compact and portable, and do not need to follow the stationary exhibition lines of the instructors, so they are suitable for the individual audience. Third, it can provide multi-language, multi-versions of voice guide content to meet the needs of different nationalities and different levels of audiences; fourth, it is economical and cheap, much cheaper than manual guide, and can be listened to repeatedly in a certain period of time; fifth, the content of voice guide is standardized, not only explaining the content of words. Sentences are discretionary, easy to understand, and foreign language translation is standardized and the level of recording staff also meets the professional requirements(Gang, 2013).

Voice guided system has its own unique advantages, but it also has its own disadvantages which are difficult to overcome. First, the distribution of signal sources will overlap or be missing, which results in the inconsistency between the content of the explanation and the object of the exhibition. Second, some voice guides need to operate electronic guides or smart phones, which is too complex for the elderly or young people, limiting the actual use of such groups of people. Third, audiences are unable to ask questions or get timely answers to questions and puzzles. It is difficult to replace the comfort brought by people and face-to-face communication(Yongchun, 2012). Fourthly, the input and guidance of voice content is relatively complex and needs a certain period. When changing exhibits or opening exhibitions, there will be no corresponding introduction. Fifth, some voice guides need the support of electronic guides. The purchase cost of the whole set of equipment is relatively large, the loss is relatively fast, the daily maintenance work is cumbersome, and the cost of use is relatively high.

Thus, the voice guide system has met the bottleneck of the development of basic technology, restriction of users, and difficulty in surpassing the cordiality of manual guide.

Today’s society is an era of information expansion and rapid development of science and technology. More and more well-educated audiences come into museums. They have strong acceptance ability, large demand for information, high expectations for exhibitions at will, and strict requirements for in-depth analysis of exhibits(Yuefang, 2012). As an important supplementary means in Museum exhibition and propaganda work, voice guide system provides convenience for high-demand and individualized viewing and exhibition of the audience. It also has more possibilities because of the rapid development of science and technology. Museum people need to make full use of it with their own wisdom.

4.3.2 Creative Product Sales

At present, because of the rapid development of cultural tourism industry, new requirements are put forward for the development of museums(Danqing, 2013). Museums must pay more attention on the creation and development of creative products, which has become the top priority of museum management.

For museums, if they want to achieve considerable development and progress and more economic and social benefits, they must attach great importance to the development of creative products, actively carry out cultural activities, combine cultural tourism with the development of creative products, expand the sales of creative products in museums and give museums a strong driving force for development(Jin, 2013).

Museum creative products have strong particularity and uniqueness. As for museum creative products, its humanistic connotation is very rich, and it is the re-creation of human civilization(Yongchun, 2012). Therefore, in the process of developing creative products, we should pay attention to embodying the characteristics of aesthetics and practicability, increase the added value of museum creative products, so as to obtain more economic benefits. In fact, the development of museum creative products mainly relies on the existing collection resources, especially cultural resources. Therefore, the development of museum creative products has a certain uniqueness, which also determines that museum creative products must have the basic elements of collection resources.

Under the background of cultural tourism, there are many problems in the development of museum creative products. Lacking of funds is also one of those problems. Museums often rely on government subsidies to carry out other activities in their daily operation(Yang, 2011), lacking sufficient funds. At the same time, there is also a lack of experienced and competent personnel, which makes it difficult to carry out the research and develop the creative products smoothly, resulting in a single product type and even product homogeneity.

Then, the insufficient marketing operation of creative product sales is also an important issue. In the sales of creative products, sales person must actively carry out market-oriented sales plan. In the interior of some museum, the last exhibition hall is the area of creative products, which helps to fully display the cultural heritage of creative products. At present, some museums still use the traditional way of souvenir sales in the sale of creative products. Many museums even do not clearly classify and sort out the creative products and ordinary souvenirs, which can not reflect the pertinence of product display(Zijie, 2012). Moreover, the propaganda work of many museums has not been put in place, and the promotion of creative products needs to be improved. At the same time, in terms of sales channels, it is only confined to the museum itself, and has not actively opened up new sales channels, such as for tourist gathering places, no corresponding sales points, such as railway stations, tourist attractions and so on. The reason for the decline in the sales of museum creative products is that the museum belongs to public institutions, and has not yet built a group of excellent sales team, and has not fully understood the market operation.

In addition, the creative products of museums generally lack cultural symbols, and the products need to be more creative. The difference between museum creative products and ordinary souvenirs lies in the implantation and embodiment of cultural connotation. Different styles of creative products show different cultural characteristics. According to relevant market research, museums attach great importance to innovative products, but the results are not satisfying. Lack of cultural characteristics and system concepts, only the production of individual products, not actively expand the connotation and use of cultural symbols, causing serious waste of elements. In addition, some museums do not have in-depth analysis of their collection value, only copy it, it is difficult to reflect the unique characteristics of creative products.

To sum up, in the context of the continuous integration of culture and tourism, it is of great significance for museums to develop more and more exquisite creative products. It is an important means to improve the influence and popularity of museums, as well as an important channel to disseminate excellent history and culture. It has incomparable functions and advantages. Therefore, museums should give full play to the role of marketing, closely follow the development of cultural tourism industry, strengthen exchanges and cooperation with tourism departments, actively integrate collection resources, and pay attention to innovation, incorporate creativity into creative products, build unique brand of creative literature, and promote the steady promotion of museum creative products sales through cultural tourism.

4.4 Existing Problems of Museum Apps

The use of museum app combines existing collection resources with new media, closes the distance between museum and audience (Zhiyuan, 2013), and attracts more people to actively enter and understand the museum. However, there are still some problems in the development and use of museum applications.

First, museum apps vary in quality and the phenomenon of following is obvious. At present, the development of APP in museums is experiencing explosive growth, but behind it is the abnormal development of a large number of museums blindly following the trend. The designers mainly focus on completing tasks, pursuing the existence of apps, not based on their own collection reality, but contracting the production of apps to Internet companies, regardless of form and efficiency. The development of these apps is limited to the imagination of programmers, not combined with market dynamics, making the museum app into a photo exhibition. Others imitate apps, excessively pursuing various forms of apps, but neglecting the digital construction of museum exhibits.

Second, the promotion is weak and the popularization level is not high. The purpose of the museum app development is to spread the cultural information carried by the museum broader. This dissemination should be based on the premise that the app can be used in a wide range. However, the museum apps, including large museums, is generally in an awkward state of “no one knows, no one downloads, no one uses”. It is difficult to find Museum Apps on the list of various App download rank. If the inadequate promotion of museum apps can not be improved and its popularity can not be improved, its development objectives will not be achieved(Xiaoye, 2013) and its development prospects will be difficult to be optimistic.

Thirdly, the information coverage of exhibits is insufficient. The construction of app should be a concentrated display of the achievements of museum digital construction, but some imitation museums put the cart before the horse and regard the digital construction as the development of APP application, which leads to the fact that such museums can not provide visitors with more detailed, professional and attractive information. Some are confined to simple text description and picture display, which are basically the same as the content of the text exhibition board. They fail to give full play to the features of app, such as large information capacity, diverse display forms and convenient reading and viewing, so as to provide enough valuable information for visitors.

Fourth, the content is homogeneous and the user experience is not good. At present, the museum APP has the same function and characteristics.Basically, it just copies the museum’s collection and combines map navigation. It does not really base on Internet thinking and user habits in the information age. It makes personalized program design and function expansion according to its own characteristics(Gang, 2013). At the same time, infrastructure construction is relatively backward and technical support is not in place.

4.5 Thematic Map

Types

introduction of collections

guide

interactive game

museum groups

Museum App

Parts

Derivative Product Sales

Problems

Voice Guide System

5. An Analysis of Existing Surveys from the Perspective of Marketing

How to build museum brand, combine app with museum and maximize the benefits become the focus of this study. Through the analysis of interviews, the following five steps are more detailed to develop a comprehensive museum app marketing plan.

5.1 Deeply Excavate Brand and Develop Target Market

The first step for museums to carry out online marketing is to deeply excavate brands, identify target audiences, select market segments and finally locate the market. According to the integrated marketing theory, it is necessary to solve the problem of information transmission in order to dig up the target consumer groups which are most in line with the brand, solve the problem of information communication facing the group, dig out the target group and the brand fit point, and adopt the most effective appeal strategy according to the psychology of the audience. Brand excavation mainly relies on museum’s own collection and cultural resources to excavate museum brand meaning and brand value(Danqing, 2013).

The traditional concept of Museology holds that museums, as public cultural service institutions, should not locate the market and divide the target audience, but the audience should be the people of the whole country. In fact, there is no contradiction between the popularity of services and market positioning. First of all, museums are influenced by factors such as scale, region and theme, which have their own characteristics and attract different audiences. All-people marketing leads to the lack of focus in marketing activities, which makes it difficult for potential audiences to enter the marketing link, wastes museum resources and affects the marketing effect. Secondly, different audiences have different needs for cyber culture. For example, young people prefer cyber culture to entertainment (Jin, 2012). Scholars pay more attention to the value of museums in online marketing. The different internet habits of different people will affect the establishment of Museum online community and online shopping platform. Museums should attach importance to the formulation of target marketing plans, concentrate resources, specialize in one or more major markets, and achieve professional management. At the same time, other markets should also be considered, especially when the museum marketing is mature and the museum brand occupies a certain position in the network market (Lagroen, 2003). Museums need to expand their target groups and develop other market segments on the basis of giving full play to their own characteristics, so as to achieve the effect of expanding the scope of influence.

Still taking the Suzhou Museum as an example, the unique cultural resources of the Suzhou Museum positioned its brand as the representative of the Soviet culture. Its Pavilion style, cultural products, cultural relics collection, exhibition hall design, network propaganda interface and promotion style should be centered on this. According to the survey of the audience of Suzhou Museum, it can be found that the audience mainly concentrates between 23 and 30 years old, the identity is mainly students and white-collar workers, and the educational background is mainly junior college and undergraduate. This kind of audience belongs to the new consumer group growing up with the reform and opening up. Besides being deeply influenced by the network, the new audience group pays more attention to consumption experience in visiting and consuming, pursues personality, fashion and convenience, and seeks spiritual pleasure and sense of satisfaction. In terms of brand concept, such audiences have strong brand awareness, access to information channels tend to interpersonal communication. Integrated, personalized brands are more likely to meet the needs of such audiences. In addition, the Suzhou Museum can also set secondary target groups, such as school students, art enthusiasts and so on, so as to avoid the narrow influence of the public on the scope of education. In response to the needs of mainstream audiences, the Suzhou Museum takes entertainment and learning as its main motivation. Marketing activities should fully reflect the characteristics of Suzhou culture and form unique cultural charm. The style and content of network media include the style of online store, the language style when issuing official microblog and the function setting of mobile app should be unified with the brand positioning.

5.2 Constructing a Comprehensive Marketing Communication Combination

After choosing the target market, museums need to make marketing plans according to their own characteristics. In order to convey effective information to the target audience, it is important to find the common ground between the brand and the audience, create and transmit pleasant brand communication scenarios and transmit appropriate brand information to the target audience, so as to achieve the purpose of effectively informing the marketing communication information.

Generally, marketing channel selection needs to consider the following aspects: media characteristics analysis, arrival rate analysis and contact rate analysis. There are differences among different Internet media. Online stores mainly sell creative products; official websites mainly publicize authoritative information, reflecting museum professionalism; mobile app pays attention to guide and entertainment effects; social media attracts public attention through popular and entertainment content, and increases museum exposure. The types of users using different social media also vary greatly. The arrival rate refers to the coincidence between the information released by the museum and the needs of the audience. Museums should strengthen the management of the audience in the process of marketing. Different information should be transmitted to different audiences so as to achieve individualized differential marketing and improve the arrival rate of information. Contact rate refers to the frequency of viewers browsing the same information. Museums can improve their contact rate through multi-channel.

At present, according to the theory of integrated marketing, the museum network marketing channel includes three parts: communication channel, aggregation channel and integration platform. In marketing activities, it is mainly divided into two dimensions: wide announcement and deep involvement. When the general public gets to know the museum information, the potential audience searches for the relevant content in depth after receiving the museum information, and produces the actual visiting behavior. Therefore, the communication channel is the first step of marketing strategy planning. Museums can use the network community, e-mail, online advertising, timely communication and so on. At present, aggregation channel mainly refers to search engine, which is the main way for viewers to search for relevant information. Network aggregation platform mainly refers to the official website of museums, which is an important platform to persuade visitors to visit. The official website provides comprehensive information for the audience, realizes interaction with the audience, establishes value exchange chain, and provides research information inquiry channels. In the era of network fragmentation, different media user groups are limited. Organic combination of media can improve the value of communication and form super influence.

As a national first-level museum, Suzhou Museum has established a multi-faceted and full-functional network marketing channel, which has four functions and six channels since its website was established in 2002. First, comprehensive websites have become the basis of online marketing activities. Second, they sell cultural products through online platform. Third, the information were published on micro-blog and interact with the audience. Through the function of location, the local people who love art, culture and museums will be attracted to visit the museum and participate in lectures and other activities. To enhance the visibility of the collection through micro-blog, they use the repost function to spread museum information, and enhance interaction with the audience.

5.3 Stimulating the Interest of the Audience

After attracting the attention of the audience, the general public has only a little knowledge of the information disseminated by museums, while the real potential audience’s interest is stimulated. Whether the potential audience can be interested is the key to the success or failure of online marketing activities. If we want to arouse the audience’s interest, we must improve the quality of push content and respect the user’s habits and dissemination rules.

First of all, publishing content should be closely related to the audience, including visiting information, exhibition information, exhibition of cultural heritage and local interesting history. The information presented to the audience should conform to the characteristics of interest, originality, interaction, emotion and timeliness. The Palace Museum app, based on the trend of rapid reading and fragmentation of network information dissemination, uses pictures and texts with themes to attract audience, maintaining the number of at least two issues a week. Take the article Purple Sand Pot in Qing Dynasty: A World in a Pot pushed articles as an example, it uses the theme of Purple Sand Pot in Palace Museum, the title of the article is elegant and beautiful, the theme is clear, and the main content is bright pictures of the pot. Only a few words are used to introduce the origin of the development of Purple Sand Pot and the shape characteristics of Purple Sand Pot in Qing Dynasty, and the content is very readable. Another special edition of A Grand Wedding shows the wedding ceramics of Tongzhi and Guangxu periods in Qing Dynasty. Audience can understand history and tradition unconsciously through the article. After the article, the link of wedding creation products developed by the Palace Museum play a very effective role in the promotion of commodities.

Secondly, museums need to arrange publication times scientifically. Too often or not updating for a long time is not conducive to the maintenance of fans. Publish 5-10 messages every day, and don’t send several microblogs in one hour can gain the best effect(Yongchun, 2012). The frequency of release information should be two or three days. At the same time, the value of marketing is the greatest in the two peak periods of lunch and after work(Jin, 2013). Weekends, before and after dinner and after 23 p.m. had the best interaction(Jin, 2013).

Third, the production and publicity of network events should be paid much attention. In February 2014, the Palace Museum released a micro-blog to introduce the adoption of stray cats in the Palace Museum to solve the rat problem. This article reveals the strong humanistic care of the Palace Museum and arouses extensive discussion among cat-loving people in society. Many viewers said they would visit the museum again in order to see these stray cats in the Palace Museum. More than 200,000 people participated in the discussion on “Who is the better security guard for the Palace Museum, cats or dogs?” The success of the Cat in the Palace Museum event illustrates the tremendous influence of network events. Being good at excavating social hot spots from museum work and life, arousing audience’s enthusiastic participation and discussion, and arousing audience’s interest are the keys of network marketing.

Fifth, video marketing should be appropriate used. At present, many large museums have set up video playback rooms to show the historical origins of museums, cultural relics and so on. Placing these video information on the Internet is the basic way of video marketing. In view of the current trend that new consumers like micro-films, the planned shooting of micro-films introducing local culture and tourism resources makes the audience unconsciously understand the local culture. The movie Three Drunk Immortals is to promote Xianyou County’s cultural resources and historical scenic spots through this way(Zhongfang, 2012). At the same time, the advertisement implantation of TV dramas and movies has been accepted by the public. Museums can also choose relevant films and TV works to expand social influence by using the film and television effects(Jin, 2012).

5.4 Generating Behavior and Sharing Experience

Through the network platform, audiences participate in the interaction of marketing and communication, understand more comprehensive museum services, culture and other information, and compare with other museums. Audiences can initiate learning behavior through micro-blog, mobile app, official website and other channels, or directly visit museums to become entity audiences. At this stage, museum work is to show the online education function and improve the quality of museum basic services.

To improve the basic service quality of museums, it is necessary to strengthen the hardware facilities of museums, including clean and tidy exhibition halls, full display of local characteristics, bright and comfortable visiting environment, prominent Museum buildings, and opening up green passages for special people. Some details can also express the museum’s intentions, such as the arrangement of rest seats, the setting of bathrooms, restaurants offering simple meals, audiovisual rooms, security facilities at doors and parking lots, easy-to-understand explanatory versions, and the design of different visiting service measures for ordinary and special groups, which can all increase audience’s satisfaction with the museum. Museums can organize exhibitions, project interaction, cultural exhibitions, lectures and training, and gather rich content, distinct viewpoints, popular expressions together, combining video, pictures, data and other means to disseminate excellent traditional culture to the broad masses.

After experiencing museum services, viewers will share and reproduce their feelings in the form of pictures, languages or videos, so as to realize the sharing and diffusion of brand experience and form a secondary transmission. At this stage, museums should provide adequate network sharing channels for viewers. A message wall can be set up in the museum, leaving the visitor’s experience and suggestions for improvement. It also promotes the social media in the museum, and stimulates the integration of the real audience and the online audience. At the same time, the audience is encouraged to write their feelings through the network media, which can trigger the audience’s emotional exchanges. Through the initiation of some activities, let information dissemination with emotional ties. For example, museums in old photographs arouse the nostalgia of the audience. Appropriate use of experience can enhance the effectiveness of public phrase.

5.5 Evaluation of Feedback Marketing Effect

Network marketing communication, from the formulation of communication programs to feedback evaluation, is a cyclic process. Through the evaluation and feedback of the audience, the museum can further revise the marketing links to achieve the best publicity effect, thus promoting the maximum revenue of museum network marketing and long-term stable development.

The evaluation process includes the establishment of evaluation teams, the selection of appropriate indicators, the search for relevant information and the combination of reports to improve opinions and suggestions. Museums can recruit economic management and marketing volunteers in association with specialists and scholars from colleges and universities, and they can be led by museum staff to form evaluation groups. The main purpose of museum marketing is to improve the museum’s popularity and social influence, so the evaluation indexes of marketing effect, promotion effect and social influence are more appropriate. The evaluation team collects information and materials according to marketing objectives and indicators, and edits evaluation reports. Combining the opinions and suggestions pointed out in the evaluation report, the channel with good marketing effect should be invested more, and the channel with bad marketing effect should be abandoned or improved according to the situation. Establishment of evaluation and feedback mechanism ensures that the online marketing activities of museums keep high efficiency and high returns, and ensure smooth transmission of Museum Network information. Finally, according to the feedback from the audience, we can improve the online marketing strategy of museums and realize the circulation of marketing effect.

6. Conclusions and Recommendations Reflections

The era of museum network marketing has arrived, which is the result of the development of modern network marketing, and also the choice made by museums to better realize their mission. The Internet has greatly changed people’s life and work style. It is both an opportunity and a challenge for the development of museums. At present, many museums have carried out a number of work to cope with the changes of the times, there are many cases worthy of study, the research topic of this paper is also from this.

Through literature research and empirical analysis, this paper has made some achievements:

Firstly, this paper discusses the macro-environment of the development of online marketing in China’s Museum app. At present, there is no literature to analyze the external situation of online marketing communication in museums.

Secondly, we have a certain understanding of the current situation of Museum Online marketing. The existing literature mainly focuses on the summary of the current situation of the application of individual channels. Through browsing and collecting a large amount of network information, this paper summarizes and summarizes the current situation of Museum Network marketing. According to the official website, online stores, social networks, mobile apps are divided into four categories, and this is subdivided one by one. Some new forms of marketing, such as network incidents and network videos, are also discussed.

Thirdly, using the empirical analysis method, this paper summarizes the problems existing in the online marketing of museums in China. Through in-depth interviews with visitors, we can find that there are obvious shortcomings in both theoretical and practical aspects: emphasizing the research of a certain network marketing channel of museums, ignoring the exploration and practice of comprehensive marketing strategies; emphasizing the promotion of a certain marketing channel and ignoring the integration of marketing channels. The key to these problems lies in the fact that the development of museum marketing theory lags behind practice, which leads to blind practice and lack of guidance.

Fourthly, for the first time, the integrated marketing communication theory will be applied to the direction of museums. The theory is audience-oriented, emphasizing the establishment of Museum online word-of-mouth through network search and sharing, which conforms to the public’s network behavior habits and has great marketing effect. Combining with the characteristics of museums, this paper establishes a marketing model and constructs the theoretical basis of online marketing communication strategy of museums. According to the theory, seven marketing steps are designed, which are deeply exploring brand positioning market, constructing comprehensive marketing mix, arousing audience’s attention, arousing audience’s interest, arousing audience’s search, generating learning and sharing behavior, and evaluating feedback. These are feasible marketing strategies.

Museum network marketing is still at the forefront of theoretical and practical research, research methods and research content are still in the exploratory stage. The research methods are mainly based on reading a large number of documents and interviewing Museum audiences, so as to explore the problems and improvement direction in the work. However, this field belongs to the interdisciplinary field and has certain complexity. The work of this paper is not enough to reflect and solve this problem in an all-round way. Therefore, how to select suitable methods and theories for museums from the complicated management, marketing analysis methods and research theories is still a problem to be discussed in the future. Limited sample survey, slightly inadequate analysis of audience needs, lack of adequate data support, is still the focus of attention in the future direction.

Finally, we should see that the network of museums is in full swing, and has achieved important results. With the academic community facing up to the great impact of the network on Museum services, the research on this issue will gradually deepen. Researchers continue to join the research team on this issue, so that museums can smoothly transit to the stage of network cultural services in the network era, and provide theoretical guidance for museums to better play social education and public services in the context of the new era.

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Appendices

APPENDIX 1 Interview Protocol

My name is Li Binbin and I will be conducting an interview with you. The goal of the project is to understand the interaction between visitors and museums, and how the museum’s mobile app can succeed in improving museums’ attractiveness. As a researcher, I value your opinions and insights. I want to know what works and what does not. Ultimately, the study will help to enhance the relationship between visitors and museums by designing better mobile apps, increasing the museum’s appeal to visitors, and enhancing visitors’ experience in museums. You don’t need to use your real name and all of the information during the interview will only be used in my dissertation.

Prior to the interview you were sent an introductory letter and two consent forms (one to sign and return and one to keep). The interviews will take approximately 60 minutes and will follow a designed interview protocol. Did you bring your consent letter? If not, I have some here for you. (copies distributed). Do you have any questions?

If there are no further questions, let’s get started with the first question.

[Note: the researcher will use phrases such as “Tell me more”, “Could you give me an example?”, “Could you explain that?” as prompts to solicit more detailed information when needed.].

1.To get started, let’s introduce ourselves. In your introduction, please tell me your name? When was the last time you visited a museum? And with whom? What did you enjoy the most about your visit? How often do you visit museums usually?

2.Can you please tell me about the most impressive experience of one museum you have visited? How did you hear about that museum?

3. Please describe why you were impressed with that museum.

4. As far as you know, is there an official mobile app of that museum? And if so did you use try it? How did you find it? When did you use it?

How did it help you plan your trip to the museum? How did it improve or reduce the quality of your experience in the museum?

5. Did you search for the museum using any mobile app before visiting that museum? What type of app? Why did you use this app in specific?

6.What information have you searched for?

7.How useful was the app? How much did it help to prepare to the trip to the museum?

8.Did you use any mobile app during the visit?

9.If so, which apps were used?For what purpose/why?

If not why not? (e.g. is it because you were not aware? Is it because of lack of time?….)

In what type of apps would you be interested in connection to your visit to the museum? (interactive game, map, services, restaurants….)

10.Did you encounter any problems during the visit? If so, do you think those issues could be resolved through the mobile app?

11.After the visit, would you use any mobile app?

12.Will you communicate with the museum through the mobile app? Includes appointments, feedback, and access to further information.

13.Do you generally communicate with the museum using mobile apps? E.g. to enquire about services/accessibility? To tag the museum? Why?

14.. Would you like to use the official app of the museum to implement all the features mentioned above?

15.And what type of characteristics do you think the official museum app should have? What type of information would you like to find?

16.Is there anything else you would like to add on the topic?

APPENDIX 2 Consent Form for Interviews

CONSENT FORM FOR [NAME OF PROJECT- How does a museum use mobile application to attract customers?]

Please tick the appropriate boxes	Yes	No
Taking Part
I have read and understood the project information sheet dated 10/06/2019.
I have been given the opportunity to ask questions about the project.
I agree to take part in the project. Taking part in the project will include being interviewed and recorded (audio or video)a
I understand that my taking part is voluntary; I can withdraw from the study at any time and I do not have to give any reasons for why I no longer want to take part.
Use of the information I provide for this project only
I understand my personal details such as phone number and address will not be revealed to people outside the project.
I understand that my words may be quoted in publications, reports, web pages, and other research outputs.
Please choose one of the following two options:
I would like my real name used in the above
I would not like my real name to be used in the above.
Use of the information I provide beyond this project
I agree for the data I provide to be archived at a password protected personal computer
I understand that other genuine researchers will have access to this data only if they agree to preserve the confidentiality of the information as requested in this form.
I understand that other genuine researchers may use my words in publications, reports, web pages, and other research outputs, only if they agree to preserve the confidentiality of the information as requested in this form.
So we can use the information you provide legally
I agree to assign the copyright I hold in any materials related to this project to [name of researcher].

Name of participant……………………………………. Signature …………………………………….Date ………………………

Researcher ……………………………………. Signature ……………………………………. Date …………………………………

Project contact details for further information: Names, phone, email addresses, etc.

Notes:

a Other forms of participation can be listed.

b More detail can be provided here so that decisions can be made separately about audio, video,

transcripts, etc.

Adapted from UK Data Archive (2011) ‘Managing and Sharing Data: Best Practice for Researchers (available at http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/media/2894/managingsharing.pdf).

APPENDIX 3 Letter of Invitation to Participate

Dear participant,

The investigate is helping with a research study entitled “How does a museum use mobile application to attract customers?”. We are keen to explore the extent to which customers tend to use a mobile app to learn about museums. We also want to know what kind of mobile app is more attractive to consumers.

I will ensure voluntary participation – you can opt out at any time. No identifying information concerning the participants’ personal detail and course would be revealed.

We feel that this is an important study and we have therefore provided the research team with your contact details so that they can send you some information about the research. If you have any questions about the project, please contact the team; their contact details will be in the information pack.

Yours sincerely,

Binbin Li

APPENDIX 4 Ethics Approval Letter

Ethics Reference: 21191-bl157-ss/bu:management&organisation

TO:

Name of Researcher Applicant: Binbin Li

Department: Management

Research Project Title: Analysing visitors interaction with museums via mobile applications: A case study in natural history museum and Google Arts & Culture.

Module Name or Course: Dissertation, MN7020

Supervisor’s or Module Leader’s Name: Christina Fona

Dear Binbin Li,

RE: Ethics review of Research Study application

The University Ethics Sub-Committee for School of Business has reviewed and discussed the above application.

1. Ethical opinion

The Sub-Committee grants ethical approval to the above research project on the basis described in the application form and supporting documentation, subject to the conditions specified below.

2. Summary of ethics review discussion

The Committee noted the following issues:

Enough has been done to approve this application.CF

3. General conditions of the ethical approval

The ethics approval is subject to the following general conditions being met prior to the start of the project:

As the Principal Investigator, you are expected to deliver the research project in accordance with the University’s policies and procedures, which includes the University’s Research Code of Conduct and the University’s Research Ethics Policy.

If relevant, management permission or approval (gate keeper role) must be obtained from host organisation prior to the start of the study at the site concerned.

4. Reporting requirements after ethical approval

You are expected to notify the Sub-Committee about:

· Significant amendments to the project

· Serious breaches of the protocol

· Annual progress reports

· Notifying the end of the study

5. Use of application information

Details from your ethics application will be stored on the University Ethics Online System. With your permission, the Sub-Committee may wish to use parts of the application in an anonymised format for training or sharing best practice. Please let me know if you do not want the application details to be used in this manner.

Best wishes for the success of this research project.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Chris Grocott

Chair

APPENDIX 5 Interview Schedule

The chart below is taken from my calendar and show the interview schedule.

	9:00-10:00	10:00-11:00	14:00-15:00	15:00-16:00
18-7-2019	Yifan Li		Sherry
19-7-2019		Lilu	Zuoyu Jiao	Tina
20-7-2019	Blue Bean		Ray	Student 1
21-7-2019		Doudou	Xiaoqian	Candy
22-7-2019		Li
23-7-2019		Cathy	Yiming Ma	Bunny

APPENDIX 5 Interview Transcripts

Part of the interview was recorded below. Due to personal privacy, part of the interview was not listed.

Q: To get started, let’s introduce ourselves. In your introduction, please tell me your name? When was the last time you visited a museum? And with whom? What did you enjoy the most about your visit? How often do you visit museums usually?

(Xian, Shanxi Province, China)Li Yi Fan; Mid-late April; With my girlfriend; Shaanxi Culture

(Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China) Jiaozuo Yu; Summer vacation 2018; Myself; Once a year; The most interesting one is the African Pavilion.

(UK) Xiaoqian Zhang; Postgraduate student, School of Museum, Leicester University; My last visit was in May with friends; What I am most interested in this time is that this museum is one of the world famous museums; I usually visit it once every two weeks.

(Beijing, China) Tina; Bank clerk; Last time I watched Van Gogh Exhibition with my colleagues at National Museum; Once or twice a year.

(Beijing, China) Blue Bean; Freshly graduated students; Last time I visited the Museum with my classmates, many people in Shanghai saw the Animal Museum together; The richness of exhibits and Museum History; Once in a few years, I can’t remember it.

(Liuzhou, Guangxi Province, China) Cathy; In July 2019; With boyfriend; Uninterested; Once every two months

(Indonesia) Lulu; Student; Perhaps the last time I remember going to the British museum with Li Binbin in April was the Crystal and Mineral Section; I’m lazy. I don’t remember to go until I see when my friends make an appointment.

(UK)Hi, I’m Sherry. I’m a graduate student at Leicester University; My last visit to the museum was about a month ago; I went to the British Museum with my friends; Go over the history of China; In addition, I learned that the British Museum is the world’s oldest and most magnificent comprehensive museum. It is very convenient to go to school in the UK and visit it; I usually visit museums once a month or two, because every time I travel, I choose one or two local museums as part of my trip.

Q: Can you please tell me about the most impressive experience of one museum you have visited? How did you hear about that museum?

L: The porcelains in Suzhou Museum are very beautiful.

J: The Tao culture of primitive people is shocking.

X: Louvre, France, where I saw many world-class cultural relics.

T: The Spring Palace Walnuts he saw in the Metropolitan Museum are so famous

B: Giant animal specimens. Friends went with them.

C: When visiting the Palace Museum, an old professor volunteered to explain ceramic works of art. I was impressed by a lesson on the spot. Since childhood, I have heard from various channels that the cultural creation of the Palace Museum has been very good in recent years. Documentary films and handicraft ornaments have made the Palace Museum more and more windy, so I have visited the Palace Museum in Beijing for many times.

L: The 4D Star Show in the Museum is very beautiful.

S: Yes, the most impressive thing I can think of at present is the Vatican Museum. First of all, because we didn’t buy tickets online in advance, we lined up a long line at the entrance, and the ticket price was relatively high. I heard that the museum opened very short time and closed at 13:30 noon, so we opened it in the early morning. Start queuing at the door. The Vatican is the smallest country in the world, but the museum is very big. We walked in it for a long time. The whole museum is like a huge circle, which can go into different exhibition areas. Because I want to travel to Rome, I made a travel strategy ahead of time, checked the apps such as Honeycomb, Little Red Book, etc. I learned about this scenic spot and saw many beautiful photos, so I am very interested to go to this museum.

Q: Please describe why you were impressed with that museum.

L: It’s fun to go with my girlfriend. There’s a beautiful bowl.

J: Because it’s famous, the British Museum, all the students who stay in Britain will visit it.

X: The Louvre is not only one of the world’s most famous museums, but also a world-class collection. Its architecture is also an amazing work of art.

T: It’s very big. I haven’t finished reading it three times. Every time I go, I get sick.

B: Exhibits are plentiful and there is an activity area with interactive activities in line with Museum themes.

C: Teleplays and literature have been so deeply influenced that I finally met in person and was deeply impressed.

L: That was the first time I saw a star image in a museum.

S: The whole museum is magnificent in appearance, architecture, exhibits, sculptures and so on. The Vatican Museum was originally the Pope’s palace, and later transformed into what we see. This Museum has a lot of art treasures left by the Renaissance. I also learned a lot from visiting this museum. Like Michelangelo’s Genesis and the Last Judgment, the museum’s gallery is golden and brilliant. The murals are all exquisite, and the sunshine passes through the window. When the door shines in, it feels that all the paintings are shining. There are many sculptures with many years of history. The spiral staircase at the exit is also very characteristic. The photos are very beautiful.4. As far as you know, is there an official mobile app of that museum? And if so did you use try it? How did you find it? When did you use it?

Q: How did it help you plan your trip to the museum? How did it improve or reduce the quality of your experience in the museum?

J: As far as I know, no, it should be helpful, because the tour guide machine rented by the museum is not working well, intelligent and unable to adjust the progress.

X: There’s an app called the Louvre. I haven’t tried it, but I’ve seen it in the Apple Store. He can help you explore the Louvre and map out the tour route for you.

B: It’s not clear, but you can use iMuseum to see the latest exhibition. It’s easier to view the information planning route, and you can also do your homework in advance about what you’re interested in.

C: Yes, a story about a cultural relic is introduced every day. Tried. Apple’s app store downloaded it as recommended by my cousin. It was used five years ago. In fact, it’s not very helpful, because it’s not very useful. It’s too short to introduce cultural relics every day. It’s very helpful to appreciate cultural relics in depth.

L: I don’t know.

S: The Vatican Museum has a mobile app, which should be official. I tried it, although I didn’t think about downloading it until I visited it later. I didn’t think about it before buying tickets. I searched and downloaded it directly in the Apple Mall by myself. It was just a chance. I saw the museum first. Chinese e-guides then saw the app. I used app to browse it on the way to Rome. This trip didn’t help me plan a trip to the museum, but through this app I learned that some museums now have their own official apps, so I can make travel strategies later. First download the app of the museum to see if you are interested, and then decide on the itinerary. But I think the Vatican Museum app can help me improve the quality of my experience in museums. Although I haven’t found the way to the museum through it or booked tickets directly on it, there are very detailed explanations on this app. I can see illustrations and explanations on my favorite exhibits, murals or sculptures. I didn’t know at that time that I could look it up, and then I wanted to look at it again. I also used it to find what I wanted to see. I think it’s still a very convenient app.5. Did you search for the museum using any mobile app before visiting that museum? What type of app? Why did you use this app in specific?

Q: What information have you searched for?

L: Geographical location, Pavilion distribution and so on

J: Museum details.

X: Museum Opening Time and Famous Collections

T: Where is the door?

B: Geographical location and Museum type

C: I found some strategies on the Internet and watched some documentaries.

L: Pictures, what kind of library are there?

S: I’ve searched ticket prices, how to book tickets in advance, Museum addresses, photos and profiles of museums, and I’ve done more or less homework.

Q: How useful was the app? How much did it help to prepare to the trip to the museum?

L: To be helpful to

J: It’s no use.

X: It’s useful for me to accurately find the collections I want to see and the

T: background knowledge of some museums.

B: Useful. Find the door. It wasn’t very useful either. The exhibition was boring. He didn’t tell me.

C: You can also learn about museums.

L: Not useful at all.

S: Seeing the real browsing pictures of other people, let me know what features the museum has in terms of its high or low facial value, and about its playing time.

I think many of these apps are designed to facilitate people’s travel on the Internet. Whether or not the official app of the museum can provide some help to me. First, online booking is one of the most attractive functions for me. Secondly, if I see sharing, it can help me judge my interest in the museum. Benefiting a lot from apps

Q: Did you use any mobile app during the visit?

L: Too lazy to use.

J: NO

X: NO

T: I’m too lazy to use.

B: Some better apps are not very well understood.

C: I don’t know what’s useful, and nobody recommended it to me.

L: nothing

S: Some of the unused ones may be I don’t know.

Q: If so, which apps were used?For what purpose/why?

If not why not? (e.g. is it because you were not aware? Is it because of lack of time?….)

In what type of apps would you be interested in connection to your visit to the museum? (interactive game, map, services, restaurants….)

L: Map.

J: Services, restaurants, maps.

X: Interactive game.

T: Interactive games, souvenirs.

B: Interactive games and exhibition quality

C: It’s better to explain, which can help me appreciate works of art better.

L: Interaction, such as Shijiazhuang Marine Museum or where can fish

S: I have a lot of applications for museums. First of all, maps are very important. Service is also very important. Voice guides, including some of the above needs, can be satisfied. Problems can be solved is the best. I don’t think restaurant service is particularly important to me, because I can also search for nearby delicacies, but if I am tired in the museum, I can go to the restaurant to rest directly. I think interactive games are more interesting than apps on the spot, and experience is stronger.

Q: Did you encounter any problems during the visit? If so, do you think those issues could be resolved through the mobile app?

L: No at present

J: Maybe

X: Mainly lost, some A applications will have map navigation

T: The Metropolitan Museum should have a real-time map. It’s too easy to get lost.

B: Mobile programs can be more easily explained by voice.

C: I don’t think it’s interesting to see a fur. I hope apps can be interesting to help me appreciate cultural relics.

L: Some of them are more powerful. I don’t have any background in this field. I will choose artificial guides to accompany the explanations at the beginning, and I will choose to listen to the explanations with earphones when there are no artificial guides.

S: During my tour, I met with people who couldn’t find their way or where they wanted to see. I think this problem can be solved by mobile applications, because there are maps on apps, and you can search for the exhibits you want to see his location directly.

11.After the visit, would you use any mobile app?

L: Not at all.

J: Travel Portal Website, Blog Writing

X: Usually the official app will have feedback, and I will give my opinion on it.

T: Nope.

B: No sharing.

C: No.

L: Yes, Wechat Friends Circle.

S: After the tour, I usually don’t use mobile apps because I’m lazy, or not good at sharing my feelings, and I prefer to see other people’s sharing, but I have friends who will share their experience in the application, because they can help other people, such as in the official app or in the official app. Some apps for travel strategies, as well as apps for booking tickets that you have used, can be shared.

Q: Will you communicate with the museum through the mobile app? Includes appointments, feedback, and access to further information.

Do you generally communicate with the museum using mobile apps? E.g. to enquire about services/accessibility? To tag the museum? Why?

L: Can’t

J: No

X: Never before

T: No

B: Not used

C: No

L: Not yet.

S: I seldom use mobile applications to communicate with museums. On the one hand, I just came into contact with them. I didn’t often go to museums in China before, and I didn’t know that there were official apps in the original museums. But if I need additional services or have any doubts, I should communicate with museums, because I think I can. App can help me to visit museums. App can help me to visit museums more smoothly.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add on the topic?

L: No.

J: Nothing.

X: It’s already comprehensive.

T: No.

B: Is there a good app recommendation?

C: Nothing.

L: Where is the next Museum I want to visit most? Why?

S: 1. Ask the respondents how much they like apps and score whether they think apps are useful or unnecessary. 2. We can explore the future development of the official app of museums. Is it good for the emergence of 3D three-dimensional online museums? Will they replace traveling to real museums?

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