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The evolution of private labels (PL) is a recent trend in the retail industry: many retailers now manage a PL portfolio that includes multiple value propositions, as well as various brand name strategies. Little research has been done, however, on how this combination of PL strategies conditions the results of the retailer that manages them. This study aims to examine the formation of PL brand equity and its effect on store loyalty for retailers with differently tiered PL programs (a “better” program with standard PL vs a full PL quality spectrum with economy, standard and premium PLs) and different PL naming strategies (store-banner name or stand-alone brand name).

A survey (N = 644) was used to test the model in the context of the consumer goods retail industry. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group structural equation modelling techniques were used to assess the proposed model.

The results show differences in the formation of PL loyalty based on whether the retailer has a tiered PL program. In portfolios with economy, standard and premium PLs, PL associations have a stronger effect than PL awareness in the formation of PL loyalty. Portfolios with a standard PL show balanced effects of PL associations and PL awareness on PL loyalty formation. As to the positive effect of PL brand equity on store loyalty, this study also shows a stronger effect of PL brand equity on store loyalty in chains that choose to use their store banner name in their PLs.

Retailers that manage multi-tier PL portfolios (as opposed to those that commercialise a standard PL) can increase loyalty to the PL portfolio significantly by constructing highly differentiated images of their economy, standard and premium PLs to ensure that consumers truly perceive the different value propositions of their PL tiers. As to PL naming strategy, the authors recommend that retailers that use the same retail chain name for one or several of their PLs invest in their corporate reputation to strengthen the brand equity achieved by their PLs and thus increase loyalty to the retail chain. Retailers must perform specific communication and advertising campaigns for PLs with the stand-alone brand name.

Today, any reference to PLs as a whole is overly simplistic, but no research has assessed empirically differences in the influences of a multi-tiered vs a standard PL program on the PL loyalty formation for PL portfolios. Nor has any empirical research incorporated the influence of PL naming strategy on store loyalty. This study fills these gaps, integrating into the same model two significant moderating variables of retailers’ strategy: their PL tier strategy and their PL naming strategy.

Drawing on the self-determination theory, the assemblage theory and customer experience literature, this paper aims to develop a framework to understand motivational customer experiences with chatbots.

This paper uses a multimethod approach to examine the interaction between individuals and airlines’ chatbots. Three components of self-determined interaction with the chatbot (competence, autonomy and relatedness) and five components of the customer–chatbot experience (sensory, intellectual, affective, behavioral and social) are analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively.

The findings confirm the direct influence of self-determined interaction on customer experience and the direct effects of these two constructs on participants’ attitudes toward and satisfaction with the chatbot. The model also supports the mediating roles of customer experience and attitude toward the chatbot.

This paper offers managers a broad understanding of individuals’ interactions with chatbots through three elements: motivation to use chatbots, experiential responses and individuals’ valuation of whether the interactions have amplified (or limited) the outcomes obtained from the experience.

This paper contributes to the hospitality and tourism literature with a hybrid approach that reflects on current theoretical developments regarding human- and interaction-centric interpretations of customer experience with chatbots.

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to understand the extent to which price consciousness and quality consciousness influence attitudinal loyalty to store brands (SBs) in different segments of consumers: heavy, medium and light buyers of SBs. SBs are currently consolidated among price-conscious consumers, but less established among the quality-conscious consumers.

After reviewing the literature and constructing a theoretical model, the authors performed a study on Spanish food products, a sector in which SBs have achieved a significant market share. They collected data through a personal survey and analyzed it using structural equations modeling, and they performed a multigroup analysis of heavy buyers, medium buyers and light buyers of SBs.

The results obtained alert retailers to the tremendous importance of price vs quality in the formation of SB value and loyalty to SBs among heavy buyers of these brands, show the balance between price and quality as components of SB value and generators of loyalty among medium buyers and recognize the need to strengthen the image of SB quality to reinforce SBs’ value and smart shopping associations to increase light buyers’ loyalty to SBs.

The study contributes new evidence and knowledge on SB loyalty among consumers who show different usage of these brands (heavy, medium and light buyers). It then assesses the short- and long-term value of each segment of customers for the retailer and recommends retail strategies adapted to each segment.

In a world where customer empowerment is continuously increasing and changing the service landscape, retailers must provide memorable shopping experiences to retain and attract new customers. When customers decide to go shopping in physical stores, they expect to enjoy their visit, experiencing cognitive, affective, social, and physical responses evoked by in-store stimuli. The purpose of this paper is to propose and validate a scale to measure in-store customer experience (ISCX).

This study’s theoretical review of customer experience (CX) demonstrates that a formative model provides the best structure for measuring the construct ISCX. Furthermore, the study follows the guidelines for rigorous construction of a formative scale, which include three main stages: generation of items, scale purification, and assessment of scale validity and reliability.

The results provide evidence that a formative third-order scale with a reflective second-order dimension (social experience) and three reflective first-order dimensions (cognitive, affective, and physical experience) has satisfactory psychometric properties. The findings also provide useful information on the effect of the ISCX scale on key performance variables such as satisfaction and loyalty to the store.

The ISCX scale proposed constitutes a useful multi-concept diagnostic tool for use by retailers to create fully experiential shopping environments with differential value for the customer. By providing a complete, robust, precise measure of CX in a retail environment, the scale gives researchers a structured way to examine the causes and consequences of CX in retail.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of customer’s value to the retailer (CVR) from a marketing perspective. CVR is a broad concept that has two components: loyalty intentions to the retailer and intentions to try new products or brands that the retailer offers. This study proposes a theoretical model and considers the effect of three sources of CVR in consumer goods retailing: customer’s perceived functional service value, customer’s perceived private label brand (PLB) equity and customer’s perceived relationship value. The effects of the proposed antecedents are applied to two groups of customers: variety-seeking and non-variety-seeking consumers.

The questionnaire surveys were administered to customers of five retail firms with a nationwide presence in Spain (Carrefour, Auchan, Eroski, Mercadona, and El Corte Inglés). A total of 742 valid questionnaires was obtained.

The results show that the key differences between variety seekers (VS) and non-variety seekers (NVS) are imposed by PLB equity, which has a stronger relationship to both components of CVR for VS than for NVS. Relationship value has a stronger relationship to intention to try new products or brands for NVS than for VS. Finally, functional service value has a stronger relationship to intention to try new products or brands for VS than for NVS.

The results obtained for both groups have significant implications for segmentation and management of differentiated marketing strategies based on consumers’ characteristics (variety-seeking tendency).

This study establishes a new concept and measurement of CVR as determined by the customer him/herself. The paper provides a comprehensive analysis of how the relative importance of service, PLBs and relationships affect CVR. Finally, despite the fact that contemporary consumers tend to seek variety, the variety-seeking profile has not been used to date as a moderating variable in studies of CVR.

Although value co-creation has been widely analyzed in digital contexts and various types of services (tourism, healthcare, etc.), it has received less study in the area of retail distribution. This study proposes that trust in the retailer and perceived support can encourage co-creation behavior on various levels: a basic level related to communication of service errors and a moderate-high level related to participation in service innovation. This study also proposes modeling for two different segments according to the participation in a loyalty program and according to the relationship duration.

A survey (N = 644) was used to test the model in the context of the consumer goods retail industry. Confirmatory factor analysis and multigroup structural equation modeling techniques were used to assess the proposed model.

The results show differences in the formation of co-creation behaviors depending on the customers analyzed. To encourage communication of service errors, customers affiliated to the program and customers with the longest customer-firm relationships must trust the distributor. Perceived support is crucial in encouraging feedback on service errors among non-affiliated and new customers. For promoting service innovation, the most significant antecedent is perceived support, followed by trust, independently of whether or not the customer belongs to the loyalty program. Customers with the longest relationship participate in co-innovation motivated equally by trust and perceived support. Customers with shorter relationship duration only participate in co-innovation if they perceived support.

This study contributes to deepening knowledge of co-creation behavior in the field of retail distribution. To date, research in this context has not considered the existence of various levels of co-creation: the basic level related to feedback on service errors and the moderate/high level related to participation in service co-innovation. Nor have studies tested the influence of trust and perceived support on these co-creation behaviors. Further, this study is the first study to integrate two significant variables that moderate retailers' strategy in the same model: membership in a loyalty program and duration of customer-firm relationship.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect on the customer brand engagement (CBE) of followers of an eco-friendly restaurant of their perceptions of the originality of the firm-generated content posted online by the restaurant and the effect of CBE on brand advocacy and behavioural intentions to visit the restaurant, paying special attention to the moderating role of past visits to the restaurant.

The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling with a sample of 491 female Instagram users who follow the online account of a particular eco-friendly dining establishment. Two group comparisons were conducted to test the moderating effects in relationships between CBE and consumer–brand interactions (behavioural intentions to visit the restaurant and brand advocacy).

Followers’ perceptions of the originality of the material posted by the eco-friendly restaurant had a positive influence on CBE which, in turn, affected brand advocacy and behavioural intentions to visit the restaurant. Past visits moderated the relationship between CBE and consumer–brand interactions.

This study offers restaurants an understanding of how to develop marketing strategies targeted at females on visual-based social networks; it is shown that original posts encourage favourable responses, such as CBE, brand advocacy and behavioural intentions. Managers should organise events and invite their female followers to visit the restaurant.

This study adds to the knowledge about customer engagement by explaining how firm-generated content posted on Instagram drives CBE and provides specific suggestions as to how restauranteurs might engage online with their clients. This study goes beyond direct effects and analyses the moderating role of past visits to the restaurant on the relationships between CBE and consumer–brand interactions (visiting intentions and brand advocacy).

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of consumers’ perceptions of the enjoyment and originality of firm-generated content (FGC) posted on Instagram on affective customer engagement (CE). In addition, an examination is undertaken of affective CE as a driver of customer behaviour.

The paper takes a quantitative approach using a sample of 334 women followers of an eco-friendly restaurant Instagram account. After validation of the measurement scales, the hypotheses were tested through structural equation modelling. Drawing on the stimuli-organism-response framework the authors posit that consumers’ perceptions of the enjoyment and originality of Instagram posts generate affective CE, which, in turn, influences customer behaviour.

The results showed that the perceived enjoyment and perceived originality of Instagram posts generated by an eco-friendly restaurant have a positive influence on affective CE, which, in turn, affects consumers’ recommendation behaviours, intention to follow the restaurant’s advice on Instagram and intention to revisit the restaurant.

This research provides novel insights into how the perceived enjoyment and originality of FGC posted on Instagram increases women’s affective engagement and expands knowledge of how affective CE might increase positive electronic word-of-mouth, intention to follow the restaurant’s advice and repurchase intentions.

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar el impacto de las percepciones de los consumidores sobre el disfrute y la originalidad del contenido generado por la empresa (CGE) publicado en Instagram en el engagement afectivo del cliente. Además, se examina el engagement afectivo del cliente como impulsor de su comportamiento.

El artículo adopta un enfoque cuantitativo utilizando una muestra de 334 mujeres seguidoras de la cuenta de Instagram de un restaurante ecológico. Tras la validación de las escalas de medición, las hipótesis se testaron mediante un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales. Basándonos en el marco S-O-R, se postula que las percepciones de los consumidores sobre el disfrute y la originalidad de las publicaciones de Instagram generan un engagement afectivo del cliente que, a su vez, influye en su comportamiento.

Los resultados mostraron que la percepción de disfrute y la percepción de originalidad de las publicaciones de Instagram generadas por un restaurante ecológico tienen una influencia positiva en el engagement afectivo del cliente, que, a su vez, afecta a los comportamientos de recomendación de los consumidores, la intención de seguir los consejos del restaurante en Instagram y la intención de volver a visitar el restaurante.

Esta investigación proporciona una visión novedosa sobre cómo la percepción del disfrute y la originalidad de los CGE publicados en Instagram aumenta el engagement afectivo de las mujeres, y amplía el conocimiento sobre cómo el engagement afectivo de los clientes podría aumentar la comunicación boca-oído electrónica (eCBO) positiva, la intención de seguir los consejos del restaurante y las intenciones de recompra.

本文旨在分析消费者对Instagram上发布的企业生成内容（FGC）的愉悦度和原创性的感知对情感性顾客契合的影响。此外, 本文还对作为顾客行为驱动因素之一的情感性顾客契合进行了研究。

本文采用定量方法, 以一家生态友好餐厅的Instagram账户的334名女性粉丝为研究样本。在验证了测量量表有效性后, 通过结构方程模型对假设进行了检验。基于S-O-R框架, 我们认为消费者对Instagram帖子的愉悦度和原创性的感知会产生情感性的顾客契合, 进而影响顾客行为。

研究结果显示, 消费者对生态友好餐厅在Instagram上所发帖子的愉悦度和原创性的感知对情感性顾客参与有正向影响, 而情感性顾客契合进而影响消费者在Instagram上的推荐行为、采纳餐厅建议的意愿和重访该餐厅的意愿。

这项研究对Instagram上发布的FGC的愉悦度和原创性消费者感知如何增加女性的情感契合提供了新的见解, 并扩展了关于情感性顾客契合如何增加积极的电子口碑、采纳餐厅建议的意愿和再次购买意愿的知识。

This study aims to analyze a backchannel account on news of the coronavirus at the beginning of the pandemic, with information not disseminated in official media due to the social alarm it might cause and the negative image of government management. Specifically, it examines acceptance and dissemination of this type of content in a period of lack of information, while reflecting on what would constitute proper management of this type of channel.

First, based on a literature review, this study classifies possible explanatory variables of online content dissemination into content richness and psychological content. Second, this study performs sentiment analysis of the Twitter backchannel account @COVID_19NEWS and use Qualitative Comparative Analysis to find causal configurations of variables that obtained a high rate of retweets.

The results reveal predominance of one combination of three factors in backchannel information diffusion: emotional, identifying and video content. Other interesting combinations of factors were shown to be attractive enough to contribute to success of the tweets.

Knowledge of the main configurations that attract information dissemination in backchannel accounts is useful for public management of a health crisis such as the Covid-19 outbreak. Rather than suppressing these channels, the authors discuss different solutions.

This study advances scholarship on backchannel communications in emergency situations, providing insights to understand and manage such channels.

Este estudio analiza una cuenta extraoficial sobre noticias del coronavirus al inicio de la pandemia, con información no difundida en los medios oficiales por su posible repercusión en la alarma social y la imagen negativa de la gestión gubernamental. Concretamente examina la aceptación y difusión de este contenido en un periodo de desinformación, así como reflexiona sobre la gestión de este tipo de canales.

En primer lugar, en base a la revisión de la literatura, clasificamos las variables explicativas según la riqueza de contenido y el contenido psicológico. En segundo lugar, sobre la cuenta extraoficial de @COVID_19NEWS en Twitter, realizamos análisis de sentimiento y utilizamos Análisis Comparativo Cualitativo (QCA) para encontrar configuraciones causales de variables que obtuvieron una alta tasa de retweets.

Los resultados revelan la importancia de una combinación de tres factores en la difusión de información del canal secundario: contenido emocional, identificativo y video. Otras combinaciones de factores también contribuyeron al éxito del tweet.

Estas configuraciones podrían ser útiles para la gestión pública ante una crisis sanitaria como la Covid-19, prestando atención a los factores cuya configuración atrae la difusión de información en las RRSS. En lugar de suprimir estos canales, se presentan soluciones para garantizar una colaboración eficaz.

Este estudio realiza una contribución académica a las comunicaciones extraoficiales en situaciones de emergencia, proporcionando información para comprender y gestionar este tipo de canales.

Covid-19, Coronavirus, Canal extraoficial, Twitter, Análisis cualitativo comparado

Trabajo de investigación

在新冠疫情初期, 由于可能引起社会恐慌和政府管理部门的负面形象, 官方媒体缺少相关的新闻报道。本文研究了在这种官方信息匮乏的危机时期, 非正式渠道（backchannel）对于新冠病毒内容的接受和传播情况, 本文同时反思了如何对这类非正式渠道进行正确的管理。

基于文献综述, 我们先将在线内容传播的可能解释变量分为内容丰富度和心理内容这两个方面。其次, 我们对推特上的非正式渠道账户@COVID_19NEWS发布的内容进行情感分析, 并使用定性比较分析法来寻找内容获得高转发率的原因。

结果显示, 对于非正式渠道信息的成功传播, 情绪化、具有辩认度和包含视频内容这三个要素的组合占主导地位。此外, 其他要素的组合也有来助于推文的成功传播和扩散。

了解非正式渠道吸引信息传播的主要原因, 将有利于应对健康危机（例如Covid-19爆发）和进行公共管理。文本讨论了不同的解决方案, 而不是简单地压制这些非正式渠道。

这项研究推进了危机背景下非正式渠道传播的学术研究, 为理解和管理这类非正式渠道提供了见解。

关键词 - Covid-19, 新冠病毒, 非正式渠道, 推特, 定性比较分析

The purpose of this paper is to study the rationale for the production of store brands and the possible existence of different store brand manufacturer segments according to their competitive position, size, advertising investment, sector concentration and type of product.

The method to obtain information is a survey developed in Spain and answered by manufacturers of consumer packaged goods. The methods applied are descriptive (Crosstabs and Anova) and multivariate techniques (correspondence analysis, chi‐square automatic interaction detector (CHAID), and cluster).

The article provides empirical evidence in favour of the rationale for the production of store brands by non‐leading medium to small‐sized firms and against this practice by leading manufacturers. It also shows the existence of different manufacturer segments.

The main disadvantages of this research are based on their exploratory nature and on the method to obtain information (postal survey): self‐selection, small sample size and measuring of the variables (perceptual bias). Additionally, the goodness of fit of the CHAID applications is not very high.

The insights presented here can be used by manufacturers from other countries with a less developed store brands market, such as Eastern European or Latin American. Leading manufacturers or mid‐size manufacturers with high advertising investment can still compete head to head with store brands. The other manufacturers must adapt their strategies to collaborate with retailers in order to produce store brands.

There are no previous studies that empirically assess the rationale for the production of store brands. Moreover, no empirical research has focused on the manufacturers' group identification regarding their decision to produce store brands. This study determines the most significant variables in the identification of manufacturer groups.