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Article
Publication date: 11 April 2016

Martina G. Gallarza, Francisco Arteaga-Moreno, Giacomo Del Chiappa and Irene Gil-Saura

Within the abundant and not always unanimous body or research on conceptual and methodological approaches to consumer value in services, there are two areas of relative consensus…

2784

Abstract

Purpose

Within the abundant and not always unanimous body or research on conceptual and methodological approaches to consumer value in services, there are two areas of relative consensus: the multidimensional nature of value (intra-variable approach) and the existence of causal relations with other constructs (inter-variable approach). This work aims to contribute additional knowledge in both areas, with a joint approach in a structural model tested for hospitality services.

Design/methodology/approach

The study proposes four scales of intrinsic values (entertainment, aesthetics, ethics and spirituality as relaxation), based on Holbrook’s (1999) value typology, and a casual model to be used to measure the relationships between these four values and overall perceived value, satisfaction and loyalty. The model is tested with PLS on a sample of 585 hotel guests on the island of Sardinia (Italy).

Findings

The psychometric properties of all four value scales, created ad hoc, are tested and approved. Results on the causal model show contrasted links on the intra-variable approach, entertainment, aesthetics and spirituality (measured as relaxation), are positive antecedents of perceived value, while the path ethics-overall value is not confirmed. The value–satisfaction–loyalty chain is fully confirmed, with strong linkages.

Research limitations/implications

The authors acknowledge the use of a convenience sample, of mainly leisure tourists.

Practical implications

The implications for managers are derived on the need of considering extra drivers (intrinsic and therefore fully experiential) of satisfaction and loyalty.

Originality/value

Research on value has been qualified as not univocal and controversial. This study adds knowledge on the use of four less common value types (intrinsic ones) and sheds light on their nature as antecedents of the well-known value–satisfaction–loyalty chain.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 30 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 August 2017

Martina G. Gallarza, Francisco Arteaga, Giacomo Del Chiappa, Irene Gil-Saura and Morris B. Holbrook

In the fertile line of research on consumer value from the services literature, a gap exists between theoretical and empirical knowledge, in particular regarding Holbrook’s…

5101

Abstract

Purpose

In the fertile line of research on consumer value from the services literature, a gap exists between theoretical and empirical knowledge, in particular regarding Holbrook’s conceptual value framework. The purpose of this paper is to find construct validity for a multidimensional value scale based on Holbrook’s proposal.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a literature review, a qualitative phase, and consultation with an expert, eight value scales (efficiency, service quality, play, aesthetics, status, esteem, ethics, and escapism as an adaptation of spirituality) are tested on a sample of 585 hotel customers and are further analyzed with simple and partial correlations, multiple regressions, and structural modeling.

Findings

Following the literature on the merits of Holbrook’s value typology, results are presented in three concatenated phases: validation of Holbrook’s eight value scales corresponding to his eight value types; interrelationships between these value types showing a predominance of the extrinsic-intrinsic and self-other dimensions; and construction of six indices based on the 2×2×2 matrix (self, other, extrinsic, intrinsic, active, and reactive) and a value index as a higher-order representation. The results support Holbrook’s typology, thereby supporting construct validity for the multidimensional scales.

Research limitations/implications

Implications for further conceptual research on value are presented. Meanwhile, the empirical study is context-specific, i.e. related to a hospitality experience.

Originality/value

Although Holbrook’s typology has gained widespread attention, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous research has tested all eight value types simultaneously in the same empirical work.

Details

Journal of Service Management, vol. 28 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-5818

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 August 2017

María Fuentes-Blasco, Beatriz Moliner-Velázquez and Irene Gil-Saura

The literature recognizes the need to study differences in consumer behavior in highly competitive and dynamic markets. In this paper, the authors look at how the heterogeneous…

1512

Abstract

Purpose

The literature recognizes the need to study differences in consumer behavior in highly competitive and dynamic markets. In this paper, the authors look at how the heterogeneous evaluation of retailing influences customer satisfaction and loyalty. The purpose of this paper is to analyze unobserved heterogeneity on customer value dimensions perceptions in retail establishments, and their potential effects on positive forms of behavioral outcomes considering customer satisfaction as a mediating variable.

Design/methodology/approach

On a sample of 820 retail customers, the authors apply a finite mixture structural equation modeling that analyzes unobserved heterogeneity simultaneously. In this model, the authors study the influence of heterogeneous perceptions of excellence, efficiency, entertainment and aesthetics on customer satisfaction and of satisfaction on word-of-mouth (WOM) referral and WOM activity.

Findings

The results show two latent segments where the intensity of causal relations varies, which means that the effect of value dimensions and satisfaction are over or underestimated when heterogeneity is ignored.

Originality/value

The main value of the paper has been to analyze the potential heterogeneity of value dimensions (intravariable approach), and their links with satisfaction and some dimensions of loyalty (intervariable approach). Customer heterogeneity must be studied to understand the satisfaction process and WOM responses in order to design more efficient and effective relationship marketing strategies.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 55 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 December 2019

Antonio Marín-García, Irene Gil-Saura and M. Eugenia Ruíz-Molina

In the current dynamic and competitive environment in which retail companies operate, store equity is a differentiating factor. In view of the scarce research found regarding the…

1899

Abstract

Purpose

In the current dynamic and competitive environment in which retail companies operate, store equity is a differentiating factor. In view of the scarce research found regarding the links between the variables traditionally related to brand equity (store awareness, store image, store perceived quality and store loyalty) and innovation, sustainability and the global retail equity, this study aims to examine these links in depth.

Design/methodology/approach

For a sample of 510 customers of grocery retail establishments and with the help of a structured questionnaire, the relationships between the variables defined in this research were examined using a structural equations model.

Findings

The authors find evidence in favor of the positive influence of innovation and sustainability on the variables related to brand equity. Likewise, store loyalty to the establishment, influenced by store image and perceived quality, emerges as a key variable in the construction of global brand equity.

Research limitations/implications

This study shows that innovation and sustainability have a significant impact on the variables traditionally linked with brand equity.

Practical implications

This research shows that new business models should be created through more innovative and sustainable businesses. In this sense, the managers of retail stores should direct their efforts toward actions aimed at implementing innovation, as well as provide evidence of the sustainability of the store’s activities, with the purpose of improving the perception that consumers have of the store.

Originality/value

The results of this research support the role of store loyalty as key element of brand equity. Also, to the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that addresses the relationship that innovation and sustainability have with the variables linked to store equity.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 29 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 February 2020

Martina G. Gallarza and Irene Gil Saura

Consumer value (CV) is endemic to marketing, and therefore, it is a crucial notion to understand the evolution of tourism research. This paper aims to review the main achievements…

Abstract

Purpose

Consumer value (CV) is endemic to marketing, and therefore, it is a crucial notion to understand the evolution of tourism research. This paper aims to review the main achievements made on CV in tourism and hospitality literature and also the shortcomings and propose avenues for future research on tourism through the lens of CV.

Design/methodology/approach

Through relevant citations from 1975 to 2020, a figure describes diachronically the role of CV in different paradigm flaws, both pre and post digitization: experiential consumption in the 1980s, service quality-satisfaction discussion in early 1990s, customer relationship in late 1990s and Service Dominant Logic in 2000s and beyond.

Findings

Tourism services have been preferred fields for inquiry on CV, helping to describe the idiosyncrasy of nearly all tourism consumption settings. Although there is not a clear picture on the number and nature of value dimensions (intra-variable perspective), nor in the direct and indirect effects on the quality-value-satisfaction-loyalty chain (inter-variable), new CV frameworks favor ecosystems of value (different stakeholders, different times and places and mixed motivations) in more comprehensive models.

Originality/value

This paper depicts how CV has contributed to tourism development as a behavioral science through the past 75 years. Moreover, it preconizes that CV is still a valid construct to address all new challenges of human beings as tourists, either online or offline, by enlightening phenomena such as e-value co-creation, over-tourism, peer-to-peer consumption and the power of tourism transformative value.

Details

Tourism Review, vol. 75 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1660-5373

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 November 2021

Irene Sánchez-González, Irene Gil-Saura and Maria-Eugenia Ruiz-Molina

The present research aims to analyse the retailer's commitment to sustainable development (RCSD) perceived by the consumers and how it contributes to store equity creation through…

Abstract

Purpose

The present research aims to analyse the retailer's commitment to sustainable development (RCSD) perceived by the consumers and how it contributes to store equity creation through image, perceived quality and loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

A primary research was conducted through a structured questionnaire to analyse the relationships between the variables included in the proposed model. The fieldwork was conducted in 2019, obtaining responses from 617 retail consumers from four cities in Ecuador – Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca and Machala – obtained. A structural equation model is estimated with the partial least squares technique.

Findings

There is evidence in favour of the contribution of sustainability to store equity. The positive influence of RCSD on perceived quality and the impact of the latter, together with store image, contribute to loyalty, which emerges as a critical construct in building store equity.

Research limitations/implications

Some limitations of the present study – geographic scope limited to Ecuador, analyses restricted to food retailers and pre-COVID-19 data collection – may open new research opportunities replicating the study in other regions for other retail activities and in the post pandemic context.

Practical implications

The retailer's actions demonstrate a commitment to economic, social and environmental sustainability. As a result of this, the establishment's perceived quality improves, which is of interest to academics and retail management professionals.

Originality/value

The present research provides evidence on the chain of effects that explains the positive contribution of RCSD to store equity creation in grocery retailing.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 50 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 May 2019

Beatriz Moliner-Velázquez, María Fuentes-Blasco and Irene Gil-Saura

This study aims to examine how technologies contribute to consumer loyalty in the tourist industry. To achieve this objective, information and communication technology (ICT…

1395

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine how technologies contribute to consumer loyalty in the tourist industry. To achieve this objective, information and communication technology (ICT) development and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) are analysed to explore their direct and indirect effects on satisfaction and loyalty dimensions. The moderating role of customer characteristics (personal and experience-related variables) is also considered to study the complex relationship between satisfaction and loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative study based on a questionnaire structured was developed. The survey was conducted with 386 guests from Spanish hotels. SEM methodology is applied to estimate the structural equation model and multi-group analysis.

Findings

Results confirm significant relationships in the sequence “ICT advancement-satisfaction with ICT-satisfaction with hotel-loyalty”, the mediating effect of eWOM and the moderating effects of the customer characteristics.

Practical implications

ICT can be a key element to improve loyalty and differentiate from competitors. Managers should recognise that customers will have different loyalty behaviours according to their personal characteristics and type of experience.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the recent and still scanty research line on ICT advancement from the consumer perspective. The novelty lies in the relationships between ICT, satisfaction and loyalty in hotels with particular attention to WOM (both personal and electronic) and the inclusion of different moderating variables.

研究目的

本论文旨在评估科技在旅游产业顾客忠诚中的作用。为此, 本论文分析了ICT研发和eWOM对顾客满意和顾客忠诚的直接和间接影响。本论文还分析了顾客特点(个人方面和体验方面的多个变量)在顾客满意和顾客忠诚之间的复杂关系的调节作用。

研究方法

研究样本采集通过结构问卷的方式, 共搜集386位西班牙酒店顾客的问卷, 采用SEM方法做定量分析, 评估了结构方程模型和多组分析。

研究结果

研究结果肯定了“ICT发展-顾客对ICT满意-顾客对酒店满意-顾客忠诚”这一系列逻辑关系。此外, 研究结果还肯定了eWOM的间接作用, 以及顾客特点的调节作用。

研究实践意义

研究表明ICT可以作为提高顾客忠诚和区分竞争者的关键因素。经营者应该认识到不同的顾客特点和体验类别对顾客忠诚有着不同的作用。

研究原创性/价值

本论文对从消费者角度出发研究ICT发展的稀少文献有着显著贡献。其特别之处在于本论文整体研究了对ICT、顾客满意、酒店忠诚、WOM(线上与线下)、以及多个调节变量等一系列关系。

关键词

:信息和通讯技术(ICT)、口碑效应(WOM)、在线口碑效应(eWOM)、顾客满意、顾客忠诚、酒店业

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-9880

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 April 2017

Maria-Eugenia Ruiz-Molina, Irene Gil-Saura and David Servera-Francés

This work aims to attempt an in-depth study of the link between relationship benefits and store loyalty, examining the moderating role of the retailer’s degree of innovation in…

1880

Abstract

Purpose

This work aims to attempt an in-depth study of the link between relationship benefits and store loyalty, examining the moderating role of the retailer’s degree of innovation in these relations.

Design/methodology/approach

An equations model has been contrasted based on 820 valid individual structured questionnaires administered to consumers of 13 trade names in four retail distribution sectors (food, textile, electronics and household goods).

Findings

The results provide evidence of the positive influence of relationship benefits on store loyalty and in particular the benefits stemming from trust. The links between social and special treatment benefits in relation to loyalty are, however, significantly stronger in the less innovative establishments.

Research limitations/implications

This paper provides evidence of the moderating role of innovation on the relationship between social benefits and special treatment benefits and loyalty.

Practical implications

Technology may be used as a differentiation tool. The retailer should concentrate its investments on information and communications technology solutions that contribute to enhance the customer experience at the point of sale without neglecting the social dimension to increase the benefits of trust and ultimately, customer loyalty.

Originality/value

The paper provides an in-depth examination of the retail innovation variable which is scarcely analysed in the literature, offering support for the idea that innovation at the point of sale plays a moderating role in the links between relational benefits and customer loyalty.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 31 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 June 2023

Irene Gil-Saura, Maria-Eugenia Ruiz-Molina, Antonio Marín-García and Géraldine Michel

Innovation and sustainability are two key factors for retailers seeking a competitive advantage. However, the way in which the joint effect of both of these variables impacts…

Abstract

Purpose

Innovation and sustainability are two key factors for retailers seeking a competitive advantage. However, the way in which the joint effect of both of these variables impacts consumer satisfaction is still unknown. To address this gap, based on the concept of sustainability-oriented service innovation (SOSI), the authors introduce a new construct named sustainability-oriented commerce innovation (SOCI) in the context of the retail sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The relationships between the variables defined in this research were examined using a structural equations model for 510 customers of grocery retail establishments.

Findings

The authors find support for a direct positive impact of SOCI on customer satisfaction and an indirect impact through store equity. These chained effects are modified according to the client participation in the development of sustainable and innovative initiatives.

Originality/value

This research analyses the joint effect of innovation and sustainability in the retail context by introducing a new concept – SOCI – and a scale for its measurement whose psychometric properties are validated.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 51 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 December 2022

Antonio Marín-García, Irene Gil-Saura, Maria-Eugenia Ruiz-Molina and Maria Fuentes-Blasco

The study of sustainability in retail has experienced an exponential interest in recent years as a result of greater awareness on the part of consumers of the negative effects of…

Abstract

Purpose

The study of sustainability in retail has experienced an exponential interest in recent years as a result of greater awareness on the part of consumers of the negative effects of the current way of producing and consuming on society and the environment. This work examines the heterogeneous evaluation based on behavioural variables in retail trade and how consumer perceptions towards sustainable practices implemented in stores can influence the overall store equity.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose a theoretical model based on the literature, tested through a mixed regression model in a sample of 510 customers of food retail establishments.

Findings

The dimensions of sustainability are postulated as driving forces of brand equity towards the retail establishment. Specifically, social sustainability shows a greater impact on consumer perception, being the main factor in the development of the store's brand equity. Furthermore, the analysis of unobserved heterogeneity identifies three latent classes in which the effects of perceptions on sustainable retail activities vary across consumer segments.

Originality/value

The study analyses in a single model the effect of sustainability dimensions on store equity from the consumer's perspective, analysing the differences between these relationships as a consequence of the unobserved heterogeneity of consumers.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 51 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

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