RESEARCH ROADMAP 2025–2029

Digital Services Marketing
Research Cluster

1. Basis for the Roadmap

  1. Decree of the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Indonesia, Number SK-1292/UN2.F6.D/HKP.02.04/2025 concerning the Establishment of the Digital Service Marketing Research Group, enacted on 17 September 2025.
  2. Rector of Universitas Indonesia Regulation Number 6 of 2025 concerning Research Groups/Laboratories at Universitas Indonesia.
  3. Decree of the Rector of Universitas Indonesia Number 31/SK/R/UI/2026 concerning the Establishment of the Universitas Indonesia Research and Innovation Roadmap 2025–2029.
  4. The Universitas Indonesia Strategic Plan and research development direction, which emphasize impactful research and innovation, high-quality publications, multidisciplinary collaboration, research downstreaming, and impact on society, industry, and government.
  5. The Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 10, SDG 12, SDG 16, and SDG 17.

2. Research Group Mandate

The Digital Service Marketing Research Group focuses on consumer behavior in the adoption and use of artificial intelligence in digital services. Its research examines how consumers respond to, adopt, and evaluate AI-enabled digital services in four primary sectors: healthcare, education, retail, and financial services.

The group integrates service marketing, consumer behavior, and digital technology theories to generate academic contributions and strategic insights for industry, government, and society. It also seeks to establish cross-disciplinary and multi-helix collaboration to develop digital services that are effective, trustworthy, inclusive, secure, and responsible.

The Research Group is chaired by Imam Salehudin, S.E., M.Si., Ph.D., CertDA. Its members are Anna Amalyah Agus, Aswin Dewanto Hadisumarto, Daniel Tumpal Hamonangan Aruan, Dwi Widiastri, Gita Gayatri, Ira Iriyanty, Khairani, Sumiyarto, Triza Mudita, and Ulian Taurin Malik.

3. Research Vision

To become a leading research group in digital service marketing that generates evidence-based knowledge, models, and solutions to support the development of effective, trustworthy, inclusive, secure, and responsible digital services that create meaningful impact for society, industry, government, and the advancement of knowledge.

4. Research Missions

  1. To advance high-quality research on consumer behavior in digital and AI-enabled services.
  2. To produce reputable scholarly publications that gain national and international recognition.
  3. To promote multidisciplinary research and strengthen national and international collaboration.
  4. To translate research findings into managerial recommendations, policy briefs, assessment instruments, learning modules, prototypes, and social innovations.
  5. To promote consumer literacy, inclusion, and protection in the use of digital services.
  6. To develop multi-helix partnerships involving academia, industry, government, communities, and the media.
  7. To establish a continuous pathway from basic research to applied research, innovation, adoption, and measurable impact.

5. Alignment with the UI Research and Innovation Focus Areas

5.1 Primary Focus Area

The Digital Service Marketing Research Group is positioned primarily within the UI research focus area of Innovative and Connected Society.

This alignment is particularly reflected in the following themes:

  • The digital economy.
  • Capacity building for industry, micro, small, and medium enterprises, and village-owned enterprises.
  • Justice and equality in social and economic domains.
  • Corporate accountability for social, economic, and environmental issues.
  • The development of new public service models.
  • Digital inclusion and digital skills.
  • Societal transformation in the digital era.
  • Social media, collaborative platforms, and e-learning.
  • Fintech and digital financial inclusion.

5.2 Supporting Focus Areas

UI Research Focus Area Contribution of the Research Group
Health and Well-Being Adoption of telemedicine, medical chatbots, virtual health assistants, AI for initial triage or diagnosis, patient trust, service quality, and disparities in access to digital health services.
Resilience and Security Consumer privacy, data security, trust in digital systems, algorithmic risk, fraud detection, digital financial service security, and consumer protection.
Earth, Climate, and Environment Digital marketing for sustainable consumption, acceptance of environmentally responsible services, climate-change communication, the circular economy, and consumer behavior change.
Energy and Material Resources This is not a primary focus of the Research Group. Involvement may occur through collaboration when research addresses consumer acceptance, marketing, or the adoption of energy-related and sustainable technologies.

Within this positioning, the Research Group does not operate as a pure AI technology unit. Its distinctive contribution lies in understanding the people, consumers, organizations, and markets that determine whether a digital service is accepted and creates impact.

6. Research Pillars

Pillar 1. Adoption and Customer Experience

This pillar examines the factors that shape the acceptance, use, satisfaction, engagement, loyalty, and continued use of digital services.

  • Technology adoption and resistance.
  • Digital service quality.
  • Customer journeys and omnichannel experiences.
  • Satisfaction, engagement, loyalty, and continuance intention.
  • Switching behavior and service failure.
  • Digital inclusion and accessibility.
  • Behavioral differences by age, digital capability, and socioeconomic conditions.

Pillar 2. Trust, Risk, and Responsible AI

This pillar examines the formation of trust and perceptions of risk in the use of AI, algorithms, and automated services.

  • Trust in AI and algorithmic trust.
  • Perceived risk and consumer vulnerability.
  • Privacy and data security.
  • Transparency and explainability.
  • Algorithmic bias and fairness.
  • AI literacy and consumer empowerment.
  • Human oversight and accountability.
  • Dark patterns and digital decision manipulation.

Pillar 3. Personalization and Intelligent Service

This pillar examines how AI can create relevant and responsive service experiences.

  • Chatbots and conversational services.
  • Virtual assistants.
  • Recommender systems.
  • Adaptive learning platforms.
  • Robo-advisors.
  • AI-enabled healthcare services.
  • Perceived personalization.
  • Responsiveness, competence, enjoyment, and anthropomorphism.
  • The balance among personalization, privacy, and consumer control.

Pillar 4. Digital Consumption and Platform Behavior

This pillar examines consumer behavior in platform ecosystems and the consequences of digital business and monetization models.

  • Mobile games and in-app purchases.
  • Subscription services.
  • Digital advertising and AI-generated advertising.
  • Social media and influencer marketing.
  • Marketplaces and platform commerce.
  • Aggressive monetization.
  • Advertising avoidance and purchase avoidance.
  • Platform dependence.
  • Consumer well-being in digital consumption.

Pillar 5. Digital Services for Social and Economic Impact

This pillar directs research outcomes toward the needs of society, industry, government, and groups that may experience digital inequality.

  • Digitalization and marketing capacity building for MSMEs.
  • AI and digital service literacy.
  • Digital financial inclusion.
  • Social marketing and behavior change.
  • Digital storytelling for social impact.
  • Digital services in education and healthcare.
  • Digital public services.
  • Sustainable consumption and the circular economy.
  • Inclusive digital business models.

7. Flagship Research Programs

7.1 Consumer Trust in AI-Enabled Services

This program develops models explaining the formation of trust, perceived risk, acceptance, and continued use of AI-enabled services. Its primary contexts are healthcare, education, retail, financial services, and public services.

7.2 Intelligent and Human-Centred Customer Experience

This program examines how chatbots, virtual assistants, recommender systems, and personalization create value without diminishing consumer control, comfort, and well-being.

7.3 Digital Platform Consumption and Consumer Protection

This program examines consumer behavior, monetization, advertising, dark patterns, advertising and purchase avoidance, platform dependence, and the protection of vulnerable consumers.

7.4 Inclusive and Responsible Digital Services

This program develops and evaluates digital services that support inclusion, literacy, MSME capacity building, education, healthcare, public services, and sustainable consumption.

8. Research and Innovation Development Pathway

Problem identification  →  Basic research  →  Empirical validation  →  Applied research
→  Solution development  →  Partner-based pilot  →  Dissemination and adoption  →  Impact evaluation

The Research Group follows the Universitas Indonesia research-development pathway by combining:

  • Technology-push, through the use of knowledge, models, instruments, and findings generated by researchers.
  • Demand-pull, through the identification of needs among industry, government, communities, and digital-service users.

Outputs are not limited to academic publications. They may also include datasets, measurement instruments, academic papers, policy briefs, learning modules, teaching cases, guidelines, service audits, prototypes, and social innovations.

9. Roadmap Stages, 2025–2029

9.1 2025 — Establishment and Strategic Direction

The year 2025 constituted the establishment stage and the definition of the Research Group’s identity.

Main agenda

  • Establishment of the Research Group and appointment of its chair and members.
  • Definition of the Research Group’s scope and research focus.
  • Initial mapping of members’ expertise.
  • Inventory of members’ publications, research, community engagement, and networks.
  • Identification of themes that could be developed into joint research programs.

Main outputs

  • Organizational structure of the Research Group.
  • Research Group description and focus.
  • Initial map of member expertise.
  • Initial research agenda portfolio.
  • Initial framework for the 2025–2029 roadmap.

9.2 2026 — Consolidation, Mapping, and Foundation Building

The year 2026 focuses on institutional consolidation and the formation of a shared research portfolio.

Main agenda

  • Finalization of the roadmap and research governance arrangements.
  • Organization of members by research pillar and flagship program.
  • Development of databases covering publications, projects, partners, and funding opportunities.
  • Systematic literature reviews or bibliometric reviews of priority themes.
  • Development of conceptual frameworks and research instruments.
  • Internal seminars and research-matching activities.
  • Preparation of collaborative research proposals and grant applications.
  • Involvement of students in members’ research projects.

Main outputs

  • An internally endorsed Research Group roadmap.
  • Expertise map and research-matching mechanism.
  • At least one joint research agenda for each active flagship program.
  • Internal or external research grant proposals.
  • Working papers or review articles.
  • Research seminars or workshops.
  • Annual activity and output report submitted to the Head of Department.

9.3 2027 — Empirical Validation and Collaboration Strengthening

The year 2027 focuses on empirical research and the development of national and international collaboration.

Main agenda

  • Data collection in healthcare, education, retail, and financial services.
  • Validation of research instruments and models.
  • Development of experiments, surveys, netnographies, case studies, or mixed-methods research.
  • Comparisons across sectors and user groups.
  • Research collaboration across departments, faculties, universities, or countries.
  • Strengthening collaboration with industry, government, communities, and the media.
  • Preparation of manuscripts for reputable international journals.

Main outputs

  • Validated datasets and research instruments.
  • Publications or manuscripts targeting Scopus-indexed Q1 and Q2 journals or other high-reputation journals.
  • Joint publications among members.
  • National or international research collaborations.
  • Presentations at scholarly conferences.
  • Initial policy briefs for policy-relevant themes.

9.4 2028 — Applied Research, Co-Creation, and Innovation

The year 2028 focuses on translating research findings into solutions that can be tested and used.

Main agenda

  • Field experiments or pilot projects with partners.
  • Development of digital service experience audits and evaluation systems.
  • Preparation of responsible AI and consumer-protection guidelines.
  • Development of AI and digital-service literacy modules.
  • Development of prototypes, dashboards, assessment tools, or service-design toolkits.
  • Preparation of academic papers and policy recommendations.
  • Community engagement programs based on research findings.
  • Documentation of implementation models and lessons learned.

Main outputs

  • Digital-service prototypes or assessment tools.
  • Policy briefs or academic papers.
  • Learning modules and teaching cases.
  • Intellectual property where relevant.
  • Pilot projects with industry, government, or communities.
  • Social innovations reaching at least the IMPACT Grow level and progressing toward IMPACT Co-Create.
  • Publications based on applied research findings.

9.5 2029 — Downstreaming, Replication, and Impact Evaluation

The year 2029 focuses on adoption, scaling, and the measurement of research impact.

Main agenda

  • Evaluation of the 2025–2029 roadmap achievements.
  • Measurement of the use and impact of research outputs.
  • Replication of interventions or models in other organizations, sectors, or communities.
  • Development of a flagship report on digital service marketing.
  • Development of a sustainable research consortium or network.
  • Dissemination to academia, industry, government, society, and the media.
  • Preparation of the next research roadmap.
  • Development of downstreaming or commercialization pathways for eligible outputs.

Main outputs

  • A flagship report or index on digital services.
  • Evidence of research adoption by society, industry, government, or institutions.
  • Documentation of replication and best practices.
  • A synthesis publication or monograph.
  • A Research Group forum or conference.
  • Evaluation of social and economic impact, including SROI where relevant.
  • The next-period research roadmap.

10. Integration of Research, Publication, and Impact

Each research program is expected to generate a combination of outputs across three layers.

Layer Orientation Illustrative Outputs
Academic excellence Theory development and empirical evidence Q1/Q2 journal articles, national journal articles, conference papers, books, datasets, and instruments
Translation and innovation Translation of knowledge into solutions Policy briefs, teaching cases, modules, toolkits, audits, prototypes, and intellectual property
Adoption and impact Use by intended beneficiaries Organizational implementation, policy change, industry adoption, community capacity building, and replication

This approach ensures that not every study is required to produce an immediately commercializable product. Fundamental research remains essential, while studies with applied potential are progressively directed toward validation, piloting, adoption, and impact.

11. Multi-Helix Collaboration Strategy

Actor Contribution
Academia Theory development, methodology, data, publications, and evaluation.
Industry Needs identification, access to field settings and data, funding, and implementation.
Government Policy direction, access to programs, regulation, and use of recommendations.
Communities Identification of user needs, co-creation, validation, and benefit evaluation.
Media Knowledge dissemination, public education, and expansion of impact.

International collaboration will be developed through comparative studies, co-authorship, data exchange conducted in accordance with ethical requirements, research consortia, and joint grant applications.

12. Research Group Performance Indicators

12.1 Ecosystem Strengthening

  • Availability of a roadmap, expertise map, and research database.
  • Formation of research teams within the flagship programs.
  • Number of members involved in collaborative activities and outputs.
  • Number of students involved in research activities.
  • Number of seminars, workshops, or capacity-building activities.

12.2 Academic Quality

  • Number of articles published in internationally indexed journals.
  • Number of articles published in Scopus Q1 and Q2 journals or other high-reputation journals.
  • Number of joint publications among members and external partners.
  • Number of citations and forms of scholarly recognition.
  • Number of datasets, instruments, or research resources produced.

12.3 Collaboration and Funding

  • Number of collaborations across departments, faculties, or universities.
  • Number of national and international partners.
  • Number of submitted and awarded grant proposals.
  • Proportion of funding obtained from external sources.
  • Number of activities employing a multi-helix approach.

12.4 Innovation and Downstreaming

  • Number of policy briefs, academic papers, modules, teaching cases, or toolkits.
  • Number of tested prototypes or assessment tools.
  • Number of outputs receiving intellectual property protection where relevant.
  • Number of research outputs adopted by industry, society, government, or institutions.
  • Number of activities reaching pilot, replication, or independent implementation stages.

12.5 Impact

  • Evidence that partners have used research outputs.
  • Changes in knowledge, attitudes, behavior, or service quality.
  • Increased capacity among organizations, MSMEs, or communities.
  • Contributions to policy or decision-making.
  • Program sustainability and replication.
  • Social and economic impact, including SROI where appropriate.

Annual quantitative targets will be established through the Research Group’s annual work plan, taking into account baseline member performance, available funding, and the targets of FEB UI.

13. Governance and Evaluation

The Chair of the Research Group coordinates the annual agenda, team formation, activity monitoring, output documentation, and performance evaluation. Each flagship program may have a coordinator or person in charge based on the expertise of the members.

Evaluation will be conducted at least annually by comparing plans and actual achievements across ecosystem development, publication, collaboration, funding, innovation, adoption, and impact indicators.

In accordance with Decree of the Dean of FEB UI Number SK-1292/UN2.F6.D/HKP.02.04/2025, the Research Group shall submit an annual report on activities and outputs to the Head of the Department of Management. The Head of Department shall subsequently report these achievements to the Vice Dean and the Faculty Manager responsible for research.

14. Intended Position by the End of 2029

By the end of 2029, the Digital Service Marketing Research Group is expected to have:

  1. A clear scholarly identity and research portfolio.
  2. Reputable publications and international recognition.
  3. A functioning platform for collaborative research involving faculty members and students.
  4. Active national and international research networks.
  5. Models, instruments, and solutions used by partner organizations.
  6. Contributions to digital-service policy and practice.
  7. Sustainable and replicable flagship programs.
  8. Recognition as a point of reference for consumer behavior, digital service marketing, and responsible AI research.

Through this direction, the Research Group contributes to UI’s transformation from a producer of knowledge into an agent of economic development through research and innovation that generate scholarly, social, and economic value.

Roadmap

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Roadmap