Dr Ellie Hickman

Ellie is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Advertising, bringing over 12 years of expertise in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students, coupled with more than 20 years as a strategic marketing professional and consultant. With extensive industry experience, Ellie uses meaningful commercial metrics to drive business growth and profitability.

As Knowledge Exchange Champion at DMU's research institute, Ellie proactively develops Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), strategically aligning academic insights with commercial objectives. Her research centres on customer experience, omnichannel strategy, and service marketing, delivering actionable insights into enhancing customer engagement, satisfaction, and value creation within rapidly evolving digital markets.

Ellie’s research has featured in leading journals, including the Journal of Business Research and Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, influencing both scholarly discussions and industry best practices. Dedicated to bridging academia and industry, Ellie consistently integrates commercial reality with her consultancy and teaching, ensuring marketing education remains relevant and impactful.

The Institute for Responsible Business and Social Justice 

• Luong, H., Manthiou, A., Liu, Hickman, E & Klaus, P. (2024). Mini-me fashion sharenting: Drivers, consequences, and the role of market mavens. Journal of Consumer Behaviour.
• Manthiou, A., Hickman, E., and Klaus, P. (2020). Beyond good and bad: Challenging the suggested role of emotions in customer experience (CX) research. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 57, 102218.
• Kharouf, H., Biscaia, R., Garcia-Perez, A. & Hickman, E. (2020). Understanding Online Event Experience: The Importance of Communication, Engagement and Interaction. Journal of Business Research.
• Hickman, E., Kharouf, H. and Sekhon, H. (2019). An omnichannel approach to retailing: demystifying and identifying the factors influencing an omnichannel experience. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research.
• Pritchard, A., Cook, D., Jones, A., Bason, T., Salisbury, P, and Hickman, E.  (2018). Professional sports teams: Going beyond the core. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship.
• Kharouf, H., Sekhon, H., Fazal-e-Hasan, S. M., Hickman, E., & Mortimer, G. (2018). The role of effective communication and trustworthiness in determining guests’ loyalty. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 1-23.

Customer experience and loyalty, Omnichannel retailing, Trust, Online experience

Integrated Marketing Communications, X-Culture Lead, Strategic E-Marketing, Digital & Social Media Context of Business, Executive Company Projects, Brand Management, Advertising & Communications.

PhD, MA Advertising & Marketing, PGCHE

BA Marketing, BA Advertising & Communications & BA Business & Marketing

X-Culture faculty lead

The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network

APPG for Ageing and Older People (Age UK)

Academy of Marketing Society (AMS) 

Senior Fellow of HEA

CIM faculty lead and member

 Aurora (HEA)

• Hickman, E., Manthiou, A., Klaus, P. and Kharouf, H., (2023). Are positive customer emotions always good and negative always bad? The role of emotions and the consumption outcomes. AMS WMC Conference 2023 – Kent, UK.
• Kharouf, H.,  Nurul Alam, M.,  Lund,  and Hickman, E., (2023).  Impact of Brand Coolness and Virtual Presence Following a Product Failure: An Abstract. AMS Annual Conference 2023, New Orleans, USA.
• Hickman, E., Kharouf, H., Biscaia, R. & Garcia-Perez, A. (2019). Digital customer experience: identifying the drivers and outcomes of successful mega events. International Research Symposium on Service Excellence in Management (QUIS16) – Karlstaad, Sweden.
• Jackson, O & Hickman, E (2017). Does brand familiarity have any impact on repairing trust between a company and customer in the time of crisis? BCUR conference, Bournemouth, April 2017.
• Hickman, E (2015). Holistic hybrid (Omni-channel) approach to retailing and customer experience: A review, conceptual framework and future research directions. International Research Symposium on Service Excellence in Management (QUIS14) – Shanghai, China.
• Hickman, E & Blackstock, K (2015). Knowledge Transfer Partnerships: Benefits of Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise Network (KEEN) projects. BES internal conference, Coventry, July 2015.
• Hickman, E (2014). The conceptualisation of building and enhancing customer experience using an Omnichannel approach, Academy of Marketing, Bournemouth.

Ellie is an active marketing consultant working with SMEs to deliver integrated marketing campaigns for clients.