Christian Schulze
Associate Professor of Marketing • Professor
Associate Professor of Marketing
Christian Schulze is Associate Professor at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. Before entering academia, he worked as a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), advising clients across industries on growth and customer strategy. He has continued to build close ties with industry throughout his academic career, combining rigorous research with practical insights for executives and organizations.
His expertise centers on customer strategy, e-commerce, and digital marketing. He investigates how companies can manage customer relationships profitably, measure and optimize marketing performance, and make better strategic decisions based on data. His research has been published in leading journals including Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing, and MIT Sloan Management Review and received multiple awards. His current research explores AI in commerce, including a study on ChatGPT's performance as an e-commerce channel that ranked among SSRN’s top 250 most-downloaded papers in 2025.
In executive education, Christian works with organizations across Germany, Europe, and the Middle East, offering both customized company programs as well as one-on-one coaching for senior leaders in customer-facing roles. He is also a keynote speaker at industry conferences and corporate events. He teaches Customer Strategy, Digital Marketing, and Evidence-Based Management in Frankfurt School's Master, MBA and Executive MBA programs.
His expertise is frequently sought by national and international media. He appears regularly on ARD, ZDF, and hr television; contributes to radio programs including Deutschlandfunk and WDR; and has been featured in publications such as Bloomberg, The Economist, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung—totaling more than 150 media appearances. He hosts the Customer Strategy Dialogue at Frankfurt School, where he brings industry leaders—including Finanzguru co-founder Benjamin Michel and former Hugo Boss CEO Claus-Dietrich Lahrs—into conversation with students and alumni. He also co-founded YES Marketing, a research network connecting leading quantitative marketing scholars across European universities.
Christian holds a Ph.D. in Business from Goethe University Frankfurt and completed graduate studies at Technical University Braunschweig and Babson College. He was a visiting researcher at the University of Texas at Austin and Boston University. He is a Fulbright Fellow and a Fellow of the German National Merit Foundation.
His expertise centers on customer strategy, e-commerce, and digital marketing. He investigates how companies can manage customer relationships profitably, measure and optimize marketing performance, and make better strategic decisions based on data. His research has been published in leading journals including Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing, and MIT Sloan Management Review and received multiple awards. His current research explores AI in commerce, including a study on ChatGPT's performance as an e-commerce channel that ranked among SSRN’s top 250 most-downloaded papers in 2025.
In executive education, Christian works with organizations across Germany, Europe, and the Middle East, offering both customized company programs as well as one-on-one coaching for senior leaders in customer-facing roles. He is also a keynote speaker at industry conferences and corporate events. He teaches Customer Strategy, Digital Marketing, and Evidence-Based Management in Frankfurt School's Master, MBA and Executive MBA programs.
His expertise is frequently sought by national and international media. He appears regularly on ARD, ZDF, and hr television; contributes to radio programs including Deutschlandfunk and WDR; and has been featured in publications such as Bloomberg, The Economist, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung—totaling more than 150 media appearances. He hosts the Customer Strategy Dialogue at Frankfurt School, where he brings industry leaders—including Finanzguru co-founder Benjamin Michel and former Hugo Boss CEO Claus-Dietrich Lahrs—into conversation with students and alumni. He also co-founded YES Marketing, a research network connecting leading quantitative marketing scholars across European universities.
Christian holds a Ph.D. in Business from Goethe University Frankfurt and completed graduate studies at Technical University Braunschweig and Babson College. He was a visiting researcher at the University of Texas at Austin and Boston University. He is a Fulbright Fellow and a Fellow of the German National Merit Foundation.
- Management department
- Professor
- Faculty
Curriculum Vitae
Find out more about academic and professional background here. The curriculum vitae provides a detailed overview of research activities, publications, teaching experience, and contributions to the academic community.
PUBLICATIONS
El Kihal, S., Erdem, T., Schulze, C., Zhang, W., 2025. Customer Return Rate Evolution, International Journal of Research in Marketing. (forthcoming)
El Kihal, S., Nurullayev, N., Schulze, C., Skiera, B., 2021. A Comparison of Return Rate Calculation Methods: Evidence from 16 Retailers, Journal of Retailing Vol. 97(4), pp. 676-696.
Blaseg, D., Schulze, C., Skiera, B., 2020. Consumer Protection on Kickstarter, Marketing Science Vol. 39(1), pp. 211-233.
Wolters, H., Schulze, C., Gedenk, K., 2020. Referral Reward Size and New Customer Profitability, Marketing Science Vol. 39(6), pp. 1033-1201.
Schulze, C., Schöler, L., Skiera, B., 2015. Customizing Social Media Marketing, Sloan Management Review Vol. 56(2), pp. 8-10.
Hinz, O., Schulze, C., Takac, C., 2014. New Product Adoption in Social Networks: why Direction Matters, Journal of Business Research Vol. 67(1), pp. 2836-2844.
Schulze, C., Schöler, L., Skiera, B., 2014. Not All Fun and Games: Viral Marketing for Utilitarian Products, Journal of Marketing Vol. 78(1), pp. 1-19.
Schulze, C., Skiera, B., Wiesel, T., 2012. Linking Customer and Financial Metrics to Shareholder Value: the Leverage Effect in Customer-Based Valuation, Journal of Marketing Vol. 76(2), pp. 17-32.
El Kihal, S., Nurullayev, N., Schulze, C., Skiera, B., 2021. A Comparison of Return Rate Calculation Methods: Evidence from 16 Retailers, Journal of Retailing Vol. 97(4), pp. 676-696.
Blaseg, D., Schulze, C., Skiera, B., 2020. Consumer Protection on Kickstarter, Marketing Science Vol. 39(1), pp. 211-233.
Wolters, H., Schulze, C., Gedenk, K., 2020. Referral Reward Size and New Customer Profitability, Marketing Science Vol. 39(6), pp. 1033-1201.
Schulze, C., Schöler, L., Skiera, B., 2015. Customizing Social Media Marketing, Sloan Management Review Vol. 56(2), pp. 8-10.
Hinz, O., Schulze, C., Takac, C., 2014. New Product Adoption in Social Networks: why Direction Matters, Journal of Business Research Vol. 67(1), pp. 2836-2844.
Schulze, C., Schöler, L., Skiera, B., 2014. Not All Fun and Games: Viral Marketing for Utilitarian Products, Journal of Marketing Vol. 78(1), pp. 1-19.
Schulze, C., Skiera, B., Wiesel, T., 2012. Linking Customer and Financial Metrics to Shareholder Value: the Leverage Effect in Customer-Based Valuation, Journal of Marketing Vol. 76(2), pp. 17-32.
Schulze, C., 2009, Optimierung von Provisionen in Affiliate Programmen zur Maximierung des Verkäufergewinns, in: DDV - Deutscher Dialogmarketing Verband e.V. (ed): Dialogmarketing Perspektiven 2008/2009, Wiesbaden: DDV, pp. 67-76.
Skiera, B., Schulze, C., 2014, Customer-based valuation: similarities and differences to traditional discounted cash flow models, in: Roland T. Rust, Huang Ming-Hui (eds): Handbook of Service Marketing Research, Cheltenham: Elgar, pp. 123-134.
Hinz, O., Gottschlich, J., Schulze, C., 2011. Wie aus Ratgebern Käufer werden, Harvard Business Manager (12) pp. 10-11.
El Kihal, S., Erdem, T., Schulze, C., Zhang, W., 2022. Customer Return Rate Evolution over Time.
El Kihal, S., Erdem, T., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Customer Return Rate Evolution over Time
Schulze, C., Srinivasan, S.
Managing Product Returns for Multinational Online Retailers
El Kihal, S., Erdem, T., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Customer Return Rate Evolution over Time
Gedenk, K., Schulze, C., Wolters, H.
Design of Referral Reward Programs
Dyshko, I., Schulze, C.
Do You Really Want Them Back?: How Promotions Affect the Value of Ex vs. New and Current Customers
McAlister, L., Schulze, C.
Linking Acquisition Channel Characteristics to Customer Value and Behavior
McAlister, L., Schulze, C.
Linking acquisition channel characteristics to the value and behavior of new customers
Dyshko, I., Schulze, C.
One promotion to rule them all: the impact of price promotions on different customer groups
El Kihal, S., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Active Return Management for Online Retailers
Gedenk, K., Schulze, C., Wolters, H.
Design of Customer Referral Programs
McAlister, L., Schulze, C.
The Effect of Price Incentives on Customer Value
El Kihal, S., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Product Return Management for Online Retailers
Bermes, M., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Non-Customer Business and Firm Success
Schulze, C., Schöler, L., Skiera, B.
Viral Marketing: The Influence of Sharing Mechanism Characteristics on the Success of Facebook Apps
Bermes, M., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Non-Customer Business and Firm Success
Schulze, C.
Affiliate Marketing: Setting Optimal Commissions
Bermes, M., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Non-Customer Business and Firm Success
Schulze, C., Schöler, L., Skiera, B.
Walking a Fine Line: Analyzing the Effects of (In)Appropriate Viral Marketing Designs
Schulze, C., Skiera, B., Wiesel, T.
Customer-Based Firm Valuation
Customer Return Rate Evolution over Time
| Univ. Hamburg, 13th Marketing Dynamics Conference, 2016, Hamburg. | |
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 38th INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2016, Shanghai. | |
| European Marketing Academy, 45th Annual Conference, 2016, Oslo. |
Schulze, C., Srinivasan, S.
Managing Product Returns for Multinational Online Retailers
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 38th INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2016, Shanghai. |
El Kihal, S., Erdem, T., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Customer Return Rate Evolution over Time
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 37th INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2015, Baltimore. |
Gedenk, K., Schulze, C., Wolters, H.
Design of Referral Reward Programs
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 37th INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2015, Baltimore. | |
| Georgia State Univ., 5th Theory & Practice in Marketing (TPM) Conference, 2015, Atlanta. |
Dyshko, I., Schulze, C.
Do You Really Want Them Back?: How Promotions Affect the Value of Ex vs. New and Current Customers
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 37th INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2015, Baltimore. |
McAlister, L., Schulze, C.
Linking Acquisition Channel Characteristics to Customer Value and Behavior
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 37th INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2015, Baltimore. |
McAlister, L., Schulze, C.
Linking acquisition channel characteristics to the value and behavior of new customers
| Georgia State Univ., 5th Theory & Practice in Marketing (TPM) Conference, 2015, Atlanta. |
Dyshko, I., Schulze, C.
One promotion to rule them all: the impact of price promotions on different customer groups
| European Marketing Academy, 44th Annual Conference, 2015, Leuven. |
El Kihal, S., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Active Return Management for Online Retailers
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 36th INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2014, Atlanta. | |
| European Marketing Academy, 43rd Annual Conference, 2014, Valencia. |
Gedenk, K., Schulze, C., Wolters, H.
Design of Customer Referral Programs
| Kühne Logistics Univ., 16. Jahrestagung "Quantitatives Marketing", 2014, Hamburg. |
McAlister, L., Schulze, C.
The Effect of Price Incentives on Customer Value
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 36th INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2014, Atlanta. |
El Kihal, S., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Product Return Management for Online Retailers
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 35th INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2013, Istanbul. | |
| European Marketing Academy, 42nd Annual Conference, 2013, Istanbul. | |
| London Business School, 3rd Theory & Practice in Marketing Conference, 2013, London. | |
| Dt. Gesellschaft für Online Forschung e.V., Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg, 15th General Online Research Conference, SymanO, 2013, Mannheim. |
Bermes, M., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Non-Customer Business and Firm Success
| Harvard Business School, 2nd Theory & Practice in Marketing Conference, 2012, Boston. |
Schulze, C., Schöler, L., Skiera, B.
Viral Marketing: The Influence of Sharing Mechanism Characteristics on the Success of Facebook Apps
| Univ. Hamburg, 14. Jahrestagung "Quantitatives Marketing", 2012, Hamburg. | |
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 34th INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2012, Boston. |
Bermes, M., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Non-Customer Business and Firm Success
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 33rd INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2011, Houston. | |
| European Marketing Academy, 40th EMAC Conference, 2011, Ljubljana. | |
| Boston Univ. School of Management, Marketing Strategy Meets Wall Street II Conference, 2011, Boston. |
Schulze, C.
Affiliate Marketing: Setting Optimal Commissions
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 32nd INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2010, Köln. | |
| European Marketing Academy, 39th EMAC Conference, 2010, Copenhagen. |
Bermes, M., Schulze, C., Skiera, B.
Non-Customer Business and Firm Success
| Australian & New Zealand Marketing Academy, ANZMAC 2010, 2010, Christchurch. |
Schulze, C., Schöler, L., Skiera, B.
Walking a Fine Line: Analyzing the Effects of (In)Appropriate Viral Marketing Designs
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 32nd INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2010, Köln. | |
| European Marketing Academy, 39th Annual Conference, 2010, Copenhagen. |
Schulze, C., Skiera, B., Wiesel, T.
Customer-Based Firm Valuation
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 31st INFORMS Marketing Science Conference, 2009, Ann Arbor. | |
| European Marketing Academy, Doctoral Colloquium at the 38th Conference, 2009, Nantes. | |
| WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, Campus for Finance Research Conference, 2009, Vallendar. |
OFFICE HOURS
During the lecture period
Thursday 16:30 until 17:30 on appointment
Room
D4.68
OFFICE HOURS
During the lecture period
Thursday 16:30 until 17:30 on appointment
Room
D4.68