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Brand loyalty in enterprise microblogs: Influence of community commitment, IT habit, and participation

Hong Zhang (USTC-CityU Joint Advanced Research Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, China)
Kem Z.K. Zhang (School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China)
Matthew K.O. Lee (Department of Information Systems, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China)
Feng Feng (School of Public Affairs, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China)

Information Technology & People

ISSN: 0959-3845

Article publication date: 1 June 2015

2108

Abstract

Purpose

With the prevailing microblogging phenomenon, many marketers have created their microblog accounts to promote products, advertise brands, and attract consumers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of consumers’ community commitment, information technology (IT) habit, and participation on their brand loyalty in the context of enterprise microblogs.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 364 valid data were collected from fans or followers of enterprise microblogs through a survey on Weibo.com. The data were analyzed with smart partial least squares.

Findings

Community commitment and IT habit directly lead to brand loyalty and indirectly affect brand loyalty through the mediating influence of participation. Information quality, perceived expertise, and social interaction are antecedents of community commitment. Satisfaction, importance, and social interaction positively affect IT habit.

Research limitations/implications

To enhance the generalizability of the study, future studies may examine findings in other platforms (e.g. Twitter) with a large sample size.

Practical implications

Practitioners can increase consumers’ brand loyalty through enterprise microblogs. Considerable attention should be directed to facilitating members’ community commitment and IT habit. In addition, the study points out significant antecedents of community commitment and IT habit for researchers, managers, and companies.

Originality/value

To uncover the marketing potential of microblogging technology, the authors highlight the need for investigating how enterprise microblogs generate promising marketing outcomes. The present study examines key determinants of brand loyalty. The model empirically shows the significant effects of community commitment, IT habit, and participation.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The work described in this study was supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71201149).

Citation

Zhang, H., Zhang, K.Z.K., Lee, M.K.O. and Feng, F. (2015), "Brand loyalty in enterprise microblogs: Influence of community commitment, IT habit, and participation", Information Technology & People, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 304-326. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-03-2014-0047

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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