The missing link in the promotion of customer engagement: the roles of brand fan page attractiveness and agility

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is threefold, which is as follows: investigate the mediating effect of brand fan page attractiveness on the relationship between user gratifications and customer engagement with brand fan pages, determine whether fan page agility moderates this effect and examine the influence of fan page engagement on customers' share of wallet and resistance to negative brand information.

Design/methodology/approach

By using an online questionnaire, 614 valid responses were obtained from the followers of multiple Facebook brand fan pages. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the data.

Findings

The results indicate that fan page attractiveness mediates the relationship between user gratifications and fan page engagement. However, this relationship is moderated by fan page agility. Fan page engagement increases customers' share of wallet and resistance to negative brand information. This finding suggests that creating fan page content and interactions that are attractive to customers is not sufficient for promoting engagement; brand fan pages must also be agile to customers' changing needs and competitors' moves.

Originality/value

By proposing and testing a novel moderated mediation effect, this study enriches the uses and gratifications theory (UGT) and provides new insights into the underlying mechanisms and boundary factors driving fan page engagement. In addition, this study contributes to the customer engagement literature by introducing share of wallet and resistance to negative brand information as outcome variables.

Citation

Chuah, S.H.-W., Aw, E.C.-X. and Tseng, M.-L. (2021), "The missing link in the promotion of customer engagement: the roles of brand fan page attractiveness and agility", Internet Research, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 587-612. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-01-2020-0025