scholarly journals Exploring relationship quality and its antecedents in the social media context

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Γεώργιος Τσιμόνης
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Special Treatment ◽  
Privacy Concern ◽  
Marketing Managers ◽  
Treatment Benefits ◽  
Brand Involvement ◽  
Relational Costs

Τα Κοινωνικά Δίκτυα αποτελούν σήμερα ένα αναπόσπαστο κομμάτι της στρατηγικής μάρκετινγκ των εταιρειών, ως ένα εργαλείο ανάπτυξης και διαχείρισης σχέσεων με το καταναλωτικό κοινό. Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή, μελετάει τη διαμόρφωση σχέσεων μεταξύ καταναλωτή - εταιρείας μέσα στο περιβάλλον των εταιρικών σελίδων (brand fan pages) στα Κοινωνικά Δίκτυα, και την επίδραση στην εταιρεία και στη μάρκα. Για το σκοπό αυτό, η έρευνα υιοθετεί και χρησιμοποιεί την έννοια της Ποιότητας Σχέσης (Relationship Quality), και εφαρμόζει τη θεωρία του Σχεσιακού Οφέλους και Κόστους (Relational Benefits & Relational Costs). Η εκπλήρωση του στόχου της διατριβής, επιτεύχθηκε μέσα από 3 ερευνητικά στάδια: Στο πρώτο στάδιο, προκειμένου να γίνουν κατανοητά τα κίνητρα και ο τρόπος χρήσης των Κοινωνικών Δικτύων από τις εταιρείες, πραγματοποιήθηκαν 14 προσωπικές συνεντεύξεις με digital marketing managers εταιρειών που δραστηριοποιούνται σε ποικίλους κλάδους της ελληνικής αγοράς, και έχουν δημιουργήσει fan pages σε δημοφιλή Κοινωνικά Δίκτυα. Το δεύτερο βήμα, ήταν η διεξαγωγή μιας σειράς focus groups με καταναλωτές-χρήστες εταιρικών fan pages, τα οποία είχαν ως στόχο μεταξύ άλλων, να γίνουν κατανοητά τα αντιλαμβανόμενα οφέλη και κόστη. Το τρίτο στάδιο αποτέλεσε η διεξαγωγή μιας ποσοτικής έρευνας σε καταναλωτές-χρήστες εταιρικών fan pages, με τη χρήση ερωτηματολογίου. Το ερωτηματολόγιο ανέβηκε σε ηλεκτρονική μορφή στα fan pages τεσσάρων εταιρειών στο Facebook & στο Twitter. Μέσω της διαδικασίας αυτής, συγκεντρώθηκαν 1792 πλήρως απαντημένα ερωτηματολόγια από τους χρήστες 8 διαφορετικών εταιρικών fan pages.Τα αποτελέσματα της έρευνας έδειξαν ότι οι καταναλωτές - χρήστες των εταιρικών fan pages στο Facebook & στο Twitter, αντιλαμβάνονται τα εξής 7 οφέλη: κοινωνικά οφέλη (social benefits), λειτουργικά οφέλη (functional benefits), οφέλη διασκέδασης (enjoyment benefits), οφέλη ειδικής μεταχείρισης (special treatment benefits), οφέλη αυτό-ενίσχυσης (self-enhancement benefits), οφέλη συμβουλών (advice benefits), και οφέλη κύρους (status benefits). Τα οφέλη αυτά, βρέθηκαν να έχουν σημαντική θετική επίδραση στη ποιότητα σχέσης με το fan page. Αντίστοιχα, εντοπίστηκαν τα εξής 3 κόστη: ανησυχία ιδιωτικότητας (privacy concern), υπερφόρτωση πληροφοριών (information overload), και ενόχληση διαφημίσεων (ad irritation), τα οποία επιδρούν αρνητικά στη διαμόρφωση της ποιότητας σχέσης με το fan page. Ένα ακόμη από τα ευρήματα της έρευνας, είναι η επιβεβαίωση της θετικής και σημαντικής επίδρασής της ποιότητας σχέσης με το fan page στην ποιότητα σχέσης με την εταιρεία/μάρκα. Επιπλέον, τα αποτελέσματα υποστηρίζουν τη θετική επίδραση της ποιότητας σχέσης (με το fan page & με την εταιρεία/μάρκα) σε αποτελέσματα συμπεριφοράς όπως, η από στόμα σε στόμα διάδοση (word of mouth), η πρόθεση αγοράς (purchase intention), και η πρόθεση επανα-επίσκεψης του fan page (fan page revisit intention). Τέλος, η έρευνα επιβεβαίωσε τη λειτουργία των μεταβλητών ανάμιξη με την προϊοντική κατηγορία (product category involvement), τάση για σχέση (relationship proneness), ανάμιξη με τη μάρκα (brand involvement), και εξοικείωση με τη μάρκα (brand familiarity), ως μεταβλητές μεσολάβησης (moderators) στη σχέση μεταξύ των μεταβλητών οφέλη-κόστη και της ποιότητας σχέσης με το fan page.Η παρούσα διατριβή, συνεισφέρει στη βιβλιογραφία του μάρκετινγκ παρέχοντας μια ολοκληρωμένη προσέγγιση στο θέμα της ανάπτυξης σχέσεων μεταξύ καταναλωτή-εταιρείας, μέσα από το περιβάλλον των Κοινωνικών Δικτύων. Συγκεκριμένα, η πρωτοτυπία της διατριβής έγκειται στο γεγονός ότι μελετάει για πρώτη φορά, ταυτόχρονα, βασικές έννοιες του σχεσιακού μάρκετινγκ. Πέραν αυτού, η παρούσα μελέτη στοχεύει να αποτελέσει ένα χρήσιμο εργαλείο στα χέρια των marketing managers, για την αποτελεσματικότερη χρήση και διαχείριση των Κοινωνικών Δικτύων από τις εταιρείες.

Revisiting the role of relationship benefits in online retail

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 745-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavleen Soni
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
North India ◽  
Special Treatment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Treatment Benefits ◽  
Online Retailers ◽  
Relationship Benefits

Purpose Given the importance of relationship benefits in creating customer satisfaction, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of relationship benefits (special treatment benefits and confidence benefits) on relationship quality and word of mouth (WOM) for online retailers. The conditional mediating role of relationship quality between customer satisfaction and WOM is also examined. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 700 MBA students from two universities in Punjab (North India) has been used to collect data. Structural equation modelling and PROCESS Macro (Hayes (2017) have been used for data analysis (mod mod mediation). Findings When customers perceive high confidence benefits, special treatment benefits moderate the mediational role of relationship quality between customer satisfaction and WOM. Specific conditions under which use of confidence benefits and special treatment benefits are successful for online retailers have also been identified. Practical implications Tailored use of special treatment benefits with confidence benefits in appropriate combinations will help the online retailers in segmenting the customers and differentiating amongst them according to the customers’ receptivity towards these benefits. Marketers can devise communication strategies, create customer segments and position their services using the results obtained in the study. Originality/value The present study is the first of its kind which clarifies as to why the previous literature considered special treatment benefits as less relevant to customers. It also establishes the situations in which these benefits successfully moderate the effect of customer satisfaction in developing relationship quality and eliciting positive WOM in the Indian internet retailing context.

scholarly journals An integrative typology of relational benefits and costs in social media brand pages

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios Tsimonis ◽  
Sergios Dimitriadis ◽  
Suha Omar
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Special Treatment ◽  
Privacy Concern ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Brand Relationships ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Relational Benefits ◽  
Relational Costs ◽  
Benefits And Costs

This article focuses on consumer–brand relationships in the social media environment and suggests a typology of the benefits and costs consumers perceive when interacting with social media brand pages. Employing an online questionnaire, quantitative data were collected from 881 followers of popular brand pages on both Facebook and Twitter. Study results indicate that followers of brand pages on Facebook and Twitter perceive “social,” “functional,” “enjoyment,” “special treatment,” “self-enhancement,” “advice,” and “status” benefits. “Privacy concern,” “information overload,” and “ad irritation” are consumers’ perceived costs. As the same seven factors of relational benefits and three factors of relational costs have been confirmed across all Facebook and Twitter brand pages, it is argued that the structure and dimensions of relational benefits and costs are medium and brand invariant, and are perceived in the same way by Facebook and Twitter followers. Considering the rapid development of social media and their penetration in business marketing actions, this research contributes to the digital marketing literature by providing a better understanding of relational benefits, relational costs, and consumer–brand relationships in a social media context. Finally, the article offers recommendations to brand managers, when designing appropriate social media content, that can enhance and strengthen a brand’s relationship with its customers.

Seeking attention: an eye tracking study of in-store merchandise displays

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 561-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Huddleston ◽  
Bridget K. Behe ◽  
Stella Minahan ◽  
R. Thomas Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
First Time ◽  
Tracking Technology

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the role that visual measures of attention to product and information and price display signage have on purchase intention. The authors assessed the effect of visual attention to the product, information or price sign on purchase intention, as measured by likelihood to buy. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used eye-tracking technology to collect data from Australian and US garden centre customers, who viewed eight plant displays in which the signs had been altered to show either price or supplemental information (16 images total). The authors compared the role of visual attention to price and information sign, and the role of visual attention to the product when either sign was present on likelihood to buy. Findings – Overall, providing product information on a sign without price elicited higher likelihood to buy than providing a sign with price. The authors found a positive relationship between visual attention to price on the display sign and likelihood to buy, but an inverse relationship between visual attention to information and likelihood to buy. Research limitations/implications – An understanding of the attention-capturing power of merchandise display elements, especially signs, has practical significance. The findings will assist retailers in creating more effective and efficient display signage content, for example, featuring the product information more prominently than the price. The study was conducted on a minimally packaged product, live plants, which may reduce the ability to generalize findings to other product types. Practical implications – The findings will assist retailers in creating more effective and efficient display signage content. The study used only one product category (plants) which may reduce the ability to generalize findings to other product types. Originality/value – The study is one of the first to use eye-tracking in a macro-level, holistic investigation of the attention-capturing value of display signage information and its relationship to likelihood to buy. Researchers, for the first time, now have the ability to empirically test the degree to which attention and decision-making are linked.

Quality dimensions in online communities influence purchase intentions

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
pp. 1984-1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung-Yu Wang ◽  
Hsiao-Ching Lee ◽  
Li-Wei Wu ◽  
Chih-Chung Liu
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Uncertainty Reduction ◽  
Purchase Intentions ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
Quality Dimensions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how quality dimensions in independently owned online brand communities influence purchase intentions via uncertainty reduction and the role of involvement. Design/methodology/approach This work validates the model and hypotheses through non-probabilistic sampling. The online questionnaire was made on the website of MySurvey and an invitation letter was posted to the forums. The respondents received the questionnaire items translated into Chinese. The final survey sample consisted of 235 respondents. Findings Empirical results confirm that as for independently owned online brand communities, their information quality and relationship quality are effective tools for influencing purchase intentions via uncertainty reduction. In addition, the authors demonstrate that involvement has a positively moderating influence on the relationship between uncertainty reduction and purchase intentions. Originality/value The current study moves beyond uncertainty reduction to demonstrate that information quality and relationship quality of forums influenced purchase intention via uncertainty reduction and the moderating variable such as involvement.

Assessing the role of product category involvement and relationship proneness in the satisfaction–loyalty link in retailing

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Choukri Menidjel ◽  
Abderrezzak Benhabib ◽  
Anil Bilgihan ◽  
Melih Madanoglu
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Marketing ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Retail Industry ◽  
Mediating Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Product category involvement and relationship proneness are crucial in explaining relationship outcomes. Nevertheless, the authors know little about their roles in the formation of loyalty, especially in the retail industry. Individual consumer traits and preferences are likely to play a critical role in the success of relationship marketing. Yet, relationship marketing studies have fallen short of considering such individual differences. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effects of product category involvement and relationship proneness on the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty in retail clothing stores. Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained using a survey of 220 consumers. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed theoretical model. Findings The results show that satisfaction significantly affects product category involvement and relationship proneness, which, in turn, significantly affect purchase intention and word-of-mouth (WOM). The results also show that product category involvement and relationship proneness partially mediate the impact of satisfaction on purchase intention and WOM. Research limitations/implications Product category involvement and relationship proneness play a critical role in explaining the satisfaction–loyalty link. Future research could consider the role of potential moderating variables. Practical implications Retail managers should not only focus on improving customer satisfaction to achieve customer loyalty, but should also consider the importance of product category involvement and relationship proneness, and their role in the formation of customer loyalty both in traditional and online environments. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the mediating effects of product category involvement and relationship proneness on the relationship between satisfaction, purchase intention and WOM in the retail industry.

When is transparent packaging beneficial?

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 781-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ouidade Sabri ◽  
Hai Van Doan ◽  
Faten Malek ◽  
Hager Bachouche
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Perceived Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
High Level ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Moderating Role

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the positive effect of packaging transparency on purchase intention is moderated by product quality risk (PQR) associated with the product category.Design/methodology/approachTwo separate experiments were conducted. Study 1 was designed to test the mediating role of perceived quality to account for the positive effect of transparency on purchase intention. Two types of packaging (opaque vs transparent) for a product associated with a high level of PQR were examined. Study 2 extended the findings by introducing the moderating role of PQR. A 2 (type of packaging: opaque vs transparent)*2 (PQR: low vs high) between subjects design was used.FindingsThe moderating role of the product PQR level is established: transparent packaging improves the product perceived quality and brand purchase intention when the product is associated with a high PQR, whereas there is no such preference for transparent packaging when the product is associated with a low PQR.Practical implicationsThe results offer insights to better understand the potential gains from adopting transparent packaging. If a brand manager's main goals are to develop sales, costly investments in research and development of transparent packaging appear to be fruitful only for products associated with high PQR.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to packaging, cue utilisation and perceived risk literatures by evidencing the moderating role of PQR to explain the positive effect of transparency on purchase intention.

Capturing customer’s store loyalty through relationship benefits: Moderating effect of retail innovation

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nisar Ahmed Channa ◽  
Maqsood Hussain Bhutto ◽  
Musaira Bhutto ◽  
Niaz Ahmed Bhutto ◽  
Beenish Tariq
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Special Treatment ◽  
Consumer Loyalty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Treatment Benefits ◽  
Relationship Benefits ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Retail Establishments

Purpose Research suggests that innovation plays a key role in creating a competitive edge and business survival in highly competitive industries like retail. Despite the importance of innovation in retail establishments, very limited efforts have been made so far to study how innovation influences consumer behavior in retail establishments. This paper aims to identify the impact of relationship benefits (i.e. confidence, social and special treatment benefits) on consumer’s loyalty with the retail store and examine the moderating effect of retailer innovation in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach To conduct this study, a sample comprised of 400 consumers of four retail sectors (i.e. household, electronics, textile and food) was chosen. The data were analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. Findings The findings of this research suggest a significant positive influence of confidence and special treatment benefits on consumer loyalty and that retail innovation moderates the link between relationship benefits and consumer loyalty. Originality/value This research contributes to the existing literature in the domain of retail customer loyalty by empirically testing the under-studied phenomenon of retail innovation with the help of contingency theory.

The impacts of comparative ads used by retailers to compare their store brands with national brands

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Jérôme Lacoeuilhe ◽  
Didier Louis ◽  
Cindy Lombart ◽  
Blandine Labbé-Pinlon
Keyword(s):  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Store Brand ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Comparative Advertising ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Price Consciousness ◽  
Comparative Ads ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe research aim is to investigate the impacts of comparative ads used by retailers to compare the prices of their store brand (SB) products with those of equivalent national brand (NB) products. More specifically, this research examines if consumers perceive retailers as legitimate when they use comparative ads to compare the prices of their SB products to those of equivalent NB products, and how effective are these comparative ads in terms of actual purchases. This research also explores for which SB type (economy, standard or premium) and consumers are comparative ads most effective.Design/methodology/approachThis research investigates consumers' reactions to comparative ads used by retailers to compare the prices of their SB products with those of similar NB products through an experiment within a store laboratory. A between-subject design has been used. The participants of the first/second/third group (n1 = 93/n2 = 92/n3 = 91) were exposed to ads comparing the prices of retailer's economy/standard/premium SB food products with their equivalent NB food products, in the same product category. The participants of each group carried out a shopping trip in the store laboratory.FindingsConsumers consider retailers legitimate when they use comparative ads. This favourable evaluation improves their attitude towards these ads. However, the impact of retailers' legitimacy of (1) means, (2) objectives and (3) historical legitimacy on consumers' attitude towards comparative ads depends on the SB type (economy, standard and premium). By contrast, comparative ads are effective in terms of consumers' attitude towards these ads and towards SBs, along with purchase intention and actual purchases of these brands, whatever the SB type. Lastly, this research highlights that comparative ads for SBs are mainly directed at consumers with high levels of price consciousness and resistance to NBs.Research limitations/implicationsThis research only tested the impact of direct comparative advertising and an extrinsic attribute (price). The research experiment was conducted on a convenience sample, which limits its external validity.Practical implicationsThis research encourages retailers to use comparative advertising for their SBs (economy, standard and premium) for several reasons. First, this study suggests that comparative advertising is an effective tool for retailers to shape or improve consumers' attitude towards SBs, via their attitude towards comparative ads. Second, this research proposes that comparative advertising contrasting the prices of SB products with those of NB products could increase retailers' in-store sales of their SBs. Lastly, this research underlines that comparative advertising is particularly effective for consumers with high levels of price consciousness and resistance to NBs.Originality/valueThis research supplements previous research in the field of SBs and comparative advertising. Previous research on comparative advertising has examined NBs exclusively (Dianoux et al., 2013; Beard, 2018). Comparisons between SBs and NBs are lacking. This research thus validates the use of this specific form of communication for SBs, given the paucity of studies of the effects of the use of mass media communication on SBs (Nenycz-Thiel and Romaniuk, 2014; Gendel-Guterman and Levy, 2017).

scholarly journals Design awareness and purchase intention: an item response theory approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana M. Arboleda ◽  
Julio C. Alonso
Keyword(s):  
Item Response Theory ◽  
Item Response ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
New Products ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Theoretical Discussion ◽  
Response Theory ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of design awareness on consumers’ purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach The experiment consisted of showing a new beer package design to 185 participants who evaluated it using a self‐administered questionnaire. Findings Using an Item Response Theory approach, results show that there are two dimensions of consumer design awareness: basic design and differential design. These findings are, to some extent, consistent with the theoretical discussion within design literature. Moreover, a multiple regression model estimates the effect of both dimensions on consumers’ purchase intention, and the paper concludes that both dimensions have a similar effect (p<0.05). The sign of the effects are consistent with the theoretical discussion. Practical implications The design of new products must consider attributes associated to the basic and practical use of a product as well as those attributes that mark a comparative difference in the product category. Originality/value This paper conceptually and empirically combines two different areas of knowledge (design and consumer behavior) under the design awareness construct. This concept evaluates consumers’ perceptions about new products, facilitating more accurate decisions in cases of innovation.

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