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This paper aims to explore the role of configurations of relationship quality dimensions for explaining sources of behavioral outcomes in the globalized manufacturing industry.

A joint analysis of behavioral and objective performance data from globalized manufacturing links perceptual customer metrics that relate to dimensions of relationship quality (i.e. attitudinal loyalty, perceived customer orientation, customers’ perceived innovativeness of the supplier and perceived customer influence on supplier innovation) with behavioral outcomes (i.e. share of wallet (SOW) and customer account profitability). Using data from a global business-to-business (B2B) customer survey together with archival performance data from a multinational mechanical engineering firm, a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is performed.

The fsQCA results suggest that perceptual customer metrics related to innovation can be relevant aspects of relationship quality, in line with Anderson and Mittal’s (2000) satisfaction-repurchase-profitability chain framework and its adaptation to SOW. However, the underlying complexities in the different combinations of attributes in the recipe are such that they are not equifinal in leading to higher SOW or higher profitability. This paper finds indications for non-linearities between perceptual measures investigated and profitability of customer accounts, with particular relevance for the role of perceived customer orientation, perceived product innovativeness of the supplier and attitudinal loyalty.

The analysis faces a number of limitations, starting with its reliance on cross-sectional survey data, which does not enable us to account for feedback mechanisms, for example, arising from customer perceptions regarding innovation aspects. The lack of a multidimensional conceptionalization of the perceptual customer constructs may have limited the analysis, considering also recent evidence from retail companies in the furniture sector in Spain, suggesting that the multidimensional conceptualization of relationship value explained satisfaction and loyalty levels to a greater extent than the one-dimensional conceptualization (Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2019).

In terms of managerial implication, the results suggest that customers perceive limited value in participating in the focal firm’s innovation value chain funnel, hence customer loyalty cannot be bought using simple incentive strategies. The results with regard to customer account profitability suggest that B2B customers investigated here may distinguish when interacting with their globalized supplier in the innovation funnel: they may see a positive customer value when the innovation is a product, and thus, relation-specific, whereas they may see limited customer value when innovation is considered in more generic terms (customers’ perceived influence on supplier innovation in general).

This paper starts from the premise that perceptual customer metrics can matter for supplier performance, as the customer relationship and customer value management research has shown. However, there is limited empirical evidence from globalized manufacturing sectors incorporating perceptual constructs in behavioral outcomes, and limited evidence assessing customer-perceived value in such sectors through alternate approaches to main-effects focused analyzes. We employ qualitative comparative analysis using fuzzy sets (Russo et al., 2019) to address these gaps, focusing on two key behavioral outcomes, namely, customer account profitability and SOW.

The term customer intimacy has been used both in academia and business, albeit lacking clear definition and empirical validation. The authors in this paper aim to develop a measure of customer intimacy in business‐to‐business contexts and to assess its reliability and validity, as well as its relevance, within a nomological relationship marketing network.

A multi‐method (qualitative/exploratory and quantitative/confirmatory structural modelling), multi‐staged (test, re‐test) research approach is used and applied in the UK and Germany.

The results show that customer intimacy is a second order construct reflected by the three formative dimensions of mutual understanding, closeness, and value perception. The results also show that customer intimacy is a relevant relationship indicator, distinct from the central relationship indicators of trust and commitment. It impacts relationship commitment levels, customer induced word‐of‐mouth, repurchase intentions, information disclosure, customer availability, and leads to an advisor status with the customer. Moreover, customer intimacy mediates relationship marketing's central trust commitment link.

The main limitations that should be addressed by future studies are: reliance on the key informant technique on one side of the supplier‐buyer dyad; cross‐sectional design.

This study shows that achieving and managing customer intimacy is a relevant managerial goal and task for firms and shows managers how it can be measured and managed.

This study, for the first time, presents a measure for customer intimacy and assesses its quality and impact empirically. The measure will be of significant value in making customer‐centric, relationship management approaches more accountable.

The transition to omnichannel retail is the recognized future of retail, which uses digital technologies (e.g. augmented reality shopping assistants) to enhance the customer shopping experience. However, retailers struggle with the implementation of such technologies in brick-and-mortar stores. Against this background, the present study investigates the impact of a smartphone-based augmented reality shopping assistant application, which uses personalized recommendations and explainable artificial intelligence features on customer shopping experiences.

The authors follow a design science research approach to develop a shopping assistant application artifact, evaluated by means of an online experiment (n = 252), providing both qualitative and quantitative data.

Results indicate a positive impact of the augmented reality shopping assistant application on customers' perception of brick-and-mortar shopping experiences. Based on the empirical insights this study also identifies possible improvements of the artifact.

This study's assessment is limited to an online evaluation approach. Therefore, future studies should test actual usage of the technology in brick-and-mortar stores. Contrary to the suggestions of established theories (i.e. technology acceptance model, uses and gratification theory), this study shows that an increase of shopping experience does not always convert into an increase in the intention to purchase or to visit a brick-and-mortar store. Additionally, this study provides novel design principles and ideas for crafting augmented reality shopping assistant applications that can be used by future researchers to create advanced versions of such applications.

This paper demonstrates that a shopping assistant artifact provides a good opportunity to enhance users' shopping experience on their path-to-purchase, as it can support customers by providing rich information (e.g. explainable recommendations) for decision-making along the customer shopping journey.

This paper shows that smartphone-based augmented reality shopping assistant applications have the potential to increase the competitive power of brick-and-mortar retailers.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the structural relationship between green persistence intentions and their seven drivers – green authenticity, green perceptual evaluation, green co-creation, green experiential memorability, green experiential satisfaction, green passionate love and green need for cognition in a green hotel context.

The data used in this study were based on a sample of 589 customers staying at one green hotel in New Taipei City of Taiwan. The predicted relationship was tested using the structural equation modeling and the hierarchical regression analysis.

The results indicate that green perceptual evaluation, green co-creation and green experiential memorability influence green experiential satisfaction. Green passionate love is influenced by green experiential satisfaction. Green need for cognition moderates the effect of green experiential satisfaction on green persistence intentions. Green persistence intentions are influenced by green experiential satisfaction and green passionate love.

To increase green authenticity, green perceptual evaluation, green co-creation, green experiential memorability, green experiential satisfaction, green passionate love, green need for cognition and green persistence intentions, the study findings will help green hotels to develop and implement market-orientated product and/or service strategies.

This paper provides data that lead to a better understanding of the relationships among green authenticity, green perceptual evaluation, green co-creation, green experiential memorability, green experiential satisfaction, green passionate love, green need for cognition and green persistence intentions in a green hotel context.

The set of compositional approaches to product space development is expanded to include confirmatory methods. Specifically, describes and compares product space development (perceptual mapping) via confirmatory factor analysis and partial least squares with the aid of an empirical example. Both of these procedures are widely used in causal or structural equation modelling. Since they tend to be confirmatory extensions to factor analysis and principal components analysis, the approaches are also well suited to the development of product spaces. Confirmatory approaches have several advantages over exploratory approaches including the incorporation of prior knowledge, the elimination of rotational indeterminacy, and the use of a wide variety of measurement tools to assess the reliability and validity of model results.

The importance of managing dissatisfied consumers has increased because of severe competition from the introduction of new types of stores, such as online shopping. Focuses on consumers who complain directly to the offending firms because their dissatisfaction provides a firm with the opportunity to improve its customer service. In contrast to studies that examine determinants of complaint behavior to resolve customer dissatisfaction, examines how attitudinal and perceptual variables, influenced by generalized personal factors, affect complaint intention. Performs a path analysis to examine the links among generalized personal antecedents, attitudinal and perceptual mediators, and customer’s complaint intentions. The empirical results confirm that attitudinal and perceptual mediators positively influence complaint intention. Furthermore, three generalized personal antecedents affect attitudinal and perceptual mediators. The empirical results indicate that attitude toward complaining plays a central role in mediating between three generalized personal antecedents and complaint intention. Finally, provides managerial implications that suggest ways firms can manage customers’ complaints to enhance customer satisfaction.

The purpose of this paper is to: distinguish between financial brand equity and perceptual brand equity; distinguish among different stakeholder perspectives on customer-based brand equity, consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) (consumer, customer, employee and resident); contrast the original definitions and measures of CBBE by Aaker and Keller; identify the deviations from the original conceptualizations and measures of CBBE by Aaker and Keller; discuss the evolution of the most commonly used CBBE components; analyze the structural relations of the most common CBBE components and generate conceptual, structural, relational and methodological suggestions for future research.

This critical review conducted a narrative analysis of the perceptual brand equity literature (CBBE) by inventorying about 200 empirical and conceptual CBBE studies in several different contexts. Studies that included CBBE, brand equity, customer-based brand equity and consumer-based brand equity were included in this review. Only 87 representative studies that either conceptually defined or empirically measured CBBE and its components were included in the deep analysis.

The review revealed that the literature is divergent in terms of CBBE components or structural relations among components in any context including tourism and hospitality. Even though about 40 different CBBE components exist in different contexts, the totality of the CBBE literature reflects a consensus on five components of CBBE, brand familiarity/brand awareness, brand image/brand associations, perceived quality, consumer value and brand loyalty, all of which collectively define the total meanings of a brand from consumer/customer perspective.

Keeping these five components intact, this study suggests a concise CBBE definition, conceptual clarifications for these components, a model reflecting their structural relations and a framework of parsimonious measures. The study makes future research recommendations in terms of using uniform CBBE components, measures and relational structure among components, identifying the relationship between CBBE and financial-based brand equity and comparing different stakeholder perspectives on CBBE in future research.

With these observations and suggestions, this critical review provides a guideline for more robust theory development of the CBBE construct. Additionally, it offers a parsimonious and practical CBBE blueprint for the practitioners who include CBBE as a strategic market metric in their marketing and research plans. Furthermore, it suggests standardization in CBBE research to enable systematic reviews with meta-analysis of the CBBE literature in the future. Using standard components, measures and relational models in CBBE research, as was suggested in this study, would allow meta-analysis for a meaningful comparison of results between different brands, products and even industries.

This paper presents a two‐dimensional model of service process that is linked to customer encounter satisfaction and is modified by a customer’s perceptual filters, including brand image and customer mood. The first dimension is comprised of fixed (structural) descriptors, while the second dimension consists of variable (situational) descriptors. The proposed model delineates eight descriptors in each dimension. Their origin in the services marketing literature is explained. The model suggests that service process and a customer’s perceptual filters both have a direct influence on encounter satisfaction. The utility and limitations of the proposed model are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to propose a theoretical model of how content-related factors, social factors and perceptual factors influence consumer engagement in brand social networking sites (SNSs) pages and further how consumer engagement behavior influences the customer–organization relationship.

This study used an online and offline questionnaire to conduct empirical research and collected and analyzed data of 430 samples by using the structural equation modeling approach.

The result showed that all three factors, i.e. content-related factors, social factors and perceptual factors, had positive influence on consumer engagement. Further, the result also showed a positive influence of consumer engagement on the customer–organization relationship. Another important thing the study found was that social media users mostly engage in consuming the content and contributing.

This study has considered one popular SNS: Facebook. As the usage purpose and features of different SNSs vary, the future research should be directed by taking other popular SNSs, such as Twitter and LinkedIn, to gain a broader insight of consumer engagement on other brand SNS pages. Further, the present study has stressed on the exploring the quality of customer–organization relationship as the major outcome of consumer engagement on brand SNS pages. Therefore, the future study should be directed toward measuring the relationship between consumer engagement and other important outcomes, such as brand advocacy behaviors, positive word-of-mouth behaviors and brand loyalty.

This paper suggests strategies for consumer engagement through SNSs, especially Facebook advertisements. First, the study has identified content-related factors, social factors and perceptual factors which will help the managers to set strategies for engaging new and prospective consumers on brand SNS pages. Second, it also describes how the online activities of consumers on brand SNS pages strengthen the relationship between customer and organizations. This conception will definitely help marketing managers to develop quality relationship with their existing and new customers.

The novelty of this study is that it attempts to explore the combined effect of content-related factors, social factors and perceptual factors on consumer engagement and also explores the nature and specific types of engagement behavior on brand SNS pages.

Argues that the unidirectional measurement and evaluation of service quality in any specific service encounter is not enough in itself to understand the existing service quality between two actors in a dyadic service encounter. Therefore, a method is introduced for the express purpose of analysing the perceptual bi‐directionality of service quality in order to measure and evaluate the dynamics of service quality in dyadic service encounters.