Promotion Strategies and Performance of Taxi-Hailing Services in Calabar Metropolis

This study examined promotion strategies and performance of taxi-hailing services in Calabar Metropolis. It specifically aimed to determine the effects of sales promotion, direct marketing, advertising, and influencer marketing on the performance of taxi-hailing services. The study adopted cross-sectional survey research design. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain primary data from 232 passengers of Bolt taxi services in Calabar. Descriptive statistics were applied for data analysis and interpretation, while the hypotheses developed for the study were tested using multiple linear regression in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 23). The findings of the study revealed that the promotional strategies applied by taxi-hailing services (sales promotion, direct marketing, advertising and influencer marketing) have been effective in substantially improving their marketing performance in Calabar. Hence, it was recommended that operators of taxi-hailing services in Nigeria can enhance their marketing performance through sales promotion by implementing targeted promotional discounts during off-peak hours, introducing loyalty rewards for frequent users, and partnering with local businesses to offer bundled service packages, thereby attracting new customers and increasing customer retention. The study also recommended that operators of taxi-hailing services should integrate direct marketing strategies such as leveraging targeted social media campaigns to engage local communities, implementing personalized email promotions based on user preferences, utilizing strategic telemarketing to re-engage inactive users, offering exclusive in-app discounts and promotions, and creating compelling content marketing that highlights service benefits, thereby increasing customer acquisition, retention, and long-term engagement significantly. Other recommendations were made to provide a practical framework for operators of taxi-hailing services to improve marketing performance through effective promotional strategies.