Search results

Many organizations expect their service engineers, or frontline employees (FLEs), to behave as brand advocates by engaging in favorable communication about the brand and its offerings toward customers. However, this approach is not without risk as customers may be disappointed or even frustrated with brand advocacy behavior in many service encounters. The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of FLEs’ brand advocacy on customer satisfaction with the service encounter, and identify the conditions under which the effects are detrimental. This paper specifically considers service issue severity and product newness as contingency conditions.

Building on social identification theory, the paper builds a conceptual model, which is empirically tested using a data set that matches data from service engineers, customers, and archival records from the after-sales service department of a globally operating business-to-business print and document management solutions provider.

This paper finds that brand advocacy behavior harms customer satisfaction especially in service encounters that involve simple service issues (e.g. maintenance) for products that are new to the market. Fortunately, brand identification can compensate this negative effect under many service conditions. While the joint effect of brand identification and advocacy is most beneficial for severe service issues of new products, no effect on customer satisfaction was found for established products.

This paper identifies those service situations in which brand advocacy is advisable and guides managers toward achieving more favorable customer evaluations.

Past research has considered several FLE branding activities in the frontline but the effects of brand advocacy have not been isolated. In addition, most studies have assumed the effects of employee brand-related behaviors on customer satisfaction to be universally positive rather than negative and focused on antecedents and not on moderators and consequences.

The purpose of this study is to operationalise and measure the effects of negative customer engagement (CE) in conjunction with positive CE. Both valences are explored through affective, cognitive and behaviour dimensions, and, in relation to the antecedent of involvement and outcome of word-of-mouth (WOM). It also explores the moderating influence of service context by examining engagement within a social service versus a social networking site (SNS). Engagement with the dual focal objects of a service brand and a service community are also examined.

Structural equation modelling is used to analyse 625 survey responses.

Involvement is a strong driver of positive CE, and positive CE has a strong effect on WOM. These findings are consistent across the “brand” and “community” object, suggesting positive CE is mutually reinforced by different objects in a relationship. Positive CE is also found to operate consistently across the service types. Involvement is a moderately negative driver of negative CE, and negative CE is a positive driver of WOM. These relationships operate differently across the objects and service types. Involvement has a stronger inverse effect on negative CE for the social service, diverging from assumptions that negative CE is reflective of highly involved customers. Interestingly, negative CE has a stronger effect on WOM in the social service, highlighting the active and vocal nature of customers within this service context.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to quantitatively measure positive and negative valences of engagement concurrently, and examine the moderating effect of dual objects across contrasting service types.

Effective customer journey design (ECJD) is considered a key variable in customer experience management and an essential source of brand meaning and pro-brand behavior. Although previous research has confirmed its importance for driving brand attitudes and loyalty, the role of consumer-brand identification as a social identity-based influence in this relationship has not yet been discussed. Drawing on construal level and social identity theories, this paper aims to investigate whether effective journeys and the resulting overall journey experience are equally powerful in driving brand loyalty among customers with different levels of consumer-brand identification.

The present article develops and tests a research model using data from the European and US service sectors (N = 1,454) to investigate how and when ECJD affects service brand loyalty.

Across two cultural contexts, four service industries and 33 service brands, the results reveal that ECJD is a crucial driver of service brand loyalty for customers with low consumer-brand identification. Moreover, the findings show that different aspects of journey effectiveness positively impact the valence of customers’ experience related to those journeys – a process that is ultimately decisive for their brand loyalty.

This study is unique because it generates theoretical and practical knowledge by combining the literature streams of customer journey design, customer experience and branding. Furthermore, this work demonstrates that consumer-brand identification is a critical boundary condition to be considered in the relationship between ECJD and brand loyalty in services.

Switching behavior is predominantly seen in the consumer buying behavior of the mobile industry. This research aims to identify the factors influencing consumers to switch from their present mobile service provider. The consumer of the mobile industry operates in a dynamic and ever-changing environment that is difficult to predict, so this paper aims to focus on these issues.

The selection of factors was made with the help of qualitative study and quantitative research methods for further findings; with the help of a structured questionnaire, a total of 514 valuable responses were collected to get the results. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the data.

The finding shows that technology and edge-on-competition (TEC) and pricing have a negative influence on customer switching behavior. The switching cost (SC) is the most significant factor and has a positive impact, while service encounter failure (SEF) also positively impacts switching behavior.

The findings provide important implications for consumers switching brands if they are finding alternative offers that are cost-effective and SEF from service providers

The study of one of the largest mobile markets is learning lessons for other markets around the world. This study will be helpful for mobile service provider companies in their branding and marketing strategies. This study will also be helpful to practitioners, educators and researchers in understanding the consumer behavior of mobile users.

The learning of the largest mobile market will be a great learning lesson for other mobile markets around the world. Consumer behavior will help marketers follow ethical practices and make their strategy so a consumer does not switch brands and remain satisfied with the existing brand.

The study provides unique learning for practitioners, educators and researchers to understand the consumer behavior of mobile users. This will help marketers create factors that stop consumers from switching brands and develop strategies to retain customers.

This study aims to examine the concept of brand equity and willingness to buy second-hand products in the automobile context. The customer-based brand equity model is used as a theoretical lens to examine after-sales services, brand credibility and brand loyalty as drivers of brand equity and willingness to buy the second-hand product.

A survey questionnaire based on convenience sampling is used to collect the data from the car owners. A total of 433 survey responses were used to empirically test the measures and propositions by using structural equation modeling (SEM).

The findings suggest that after-sales services are a key factor in developing brand credibility and brand loyalty. Results are also in support of the positive and significant impact of brand credibility and brand loyalty on brand equity and willingness to buy second-hand products.

Brand equity represents a differential response and preference to marketing efforts that a product obtains as a result of its brand identification. Although practitioners are actively engaged to position themselves as a unique, attractive and strong brand, little is known about the equity of the brand in the case of second-hand products. This study provides an alternate branding view to the academic scholars and to the marketing manager as this study explicitly probes into the effect of after-sales services in developing brand credibility, brand loyalty, brand equity and wiliness to buy second-hand product as an outcome.

In the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers increasingly opt for, or are forced to, use home delivery services. The authors study retailers' decisions regarding “delivery mode”, which is about outsourcing (vs. insourcing) the delivery service to a traditional delivery company or an unbranded carrier and its effects on consumers' perceived overall quality, perceived hygienic quality, and subsequently, willingness to stay with the firm beyond the pandemic.

A pre-test, an experiment and a post-test were conducted with participants from the UK (Total N = 380).

The results of this study show that (1) in a pandemic, perceived hygienic quality overshadows perceived service quality as a key determinant of consumers' choices, and (2) while consumers have a relatively negative view of the hygienic level of unbranded carriers, they do not differentiate between traditional delivery carriers and retailer-branded carriers. Thus, they are equally interested in using the services of the latter ones.

This study shows that during a health crisis, consumers change their hierarchy of motivations to reflect the new protection motivations. The authors usher perceived hygienic quality as a variable that should be seriously considered as both a tactical and a strategic variable affecting the attractiveness of alternative home delivery methods and consumers' intentions to continue using them after the pandemic.

This paper aims to analyze the spillover effects between online food delivery providers’ (OFDs) performance and restaurant brands. It proposed a model of three determinants for e-satisfaction with OFDs and related these variables to restaurants’ brand satisfaction, image and loyalty.

A survey was designed, and 332 responses from delivery apps users in Ecuador were collected. A partial least squares structural equations model was applied.

The three proposed determinants of OFD satisfaction were significant: e-service quality, personal aspects of delivery workers and perceived food quality. Regarding the spillover effects, e-service quality and personal aspects had an influence on perceived food quality, mediating a chain of effects on restaurants’ brand satisfaction, image and loyalty.

Data were collected before COVID-19. Further studies will need to be undertaken in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic because minimal contact between delivery workers and customers is expected. In addition, food quality perceptions may include new concerns about biosafety norms.

Practices aiming to improve the service experience with OFDs are suggested, including proper training, supervision and improvement of delivery workers’ conditions. On the other hand, because restaurants do not control OFD’s performance, their contractual agreements should focus on avoiding service failures that erode restaurants’ brand equity.

This paper fulfills the need to study the spillover effects in the context of the collaborative economy, where delivery companies, delivery workers and restaurants work together to provide a service, and the performance of one of the parties impacts the consumers’ perceptions of the other party.

本调查旨在分析在线食品配送提供商 (OFD) 绩效与餐厅品牌之间的溢出效应。 它提出了 OFD 电子满意度的三个决定因素模型, 并将这些变量与餐厅的品牌满意度、形象和忠诚度相关联。

本研究设计了一项调查, 并收集了来自厄瓜多尔交付应用程序用户的 332 份回复。 应用PLS结构方程模型。

OFD 满意度的三个拟议决定因素非常重要：电子服务质量、送货员的个人方面和感知的食品质量。 关于溢出效应, 电子服务质量和个人方面对感知食品质量有影响, 调节对餐厅品牌满意度、形象和忠诚度的连锁影响。

本研究数据是在 COVID-19 之前收集。 由于预计送货员和顾客之间的接触最少, 因此需要在 COVID-19 大流行的背景下进行进一步研究。 此外, 食品质量认知可能包括生物安全规范的新担忧。

本研究建议采取旨在改善 OFD 服务体验的做法, 包括适当的培训、监督和改善送货工人的条件。 另一方面, 由于餐厅不控制 OFD 的绩效, 因此他们的合同协议应着重于避免服务失败而损害餐厅的品牌资产。

本文满足了研究协作经济背景下溢出效应的需要, 在这种情况下, 送货公司、送货工人和餐馆共同提供服务, 其中一方的表现会影响消费者的 对方的看法。

This paper aims to test the effects of brand experience and brand love on brand loyalty and willingness to pay a premium price in streaming television services.

Structural equation modelling was used to assess the proposed theoretical model drawing on data from 220 subscribers of a well-known TV streaming brand services (Netflix).

The results revealed that brand experience and brand love have a significant direct impact on brand loyalty and willingness to pay a premium price in streaming TV services. Also, the impact brand experience has on brand loyalty and on willingness to pay a premium price is partially mediated by brand love.

In the streaming television industry, brand managers can create more meaningful experiences that create strong and emotional bonds with users, thereby increasing loyalty levels and intention to pay a premium price. Also, brand managers should consider focusing their efforts to young consumers, as they have a stronger attachment to technology than older generational groups.

This paper enriches the existing literature on brand experience in the entertainment television industry and provides evidence of the role of experience and brand love on brand loyalty and willingness to pay a premium price in services.

Este estudio prueba el efecto que tiene la experiencia de marca y el amor a la marca en la lealtad a la marca y la disposición a pagar un precio más elevado en las plataformas de servicios de streaming.

Un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales (SEM) ha sido utilizado para contrastar el modelo teórico propuesto basándose en datos de 220 suscriptores de una conocida marca de servicios de streaming (Netflix).

Los resultados revelan que la experiencia de marca y el amor a la marca tienen un impacto significativo y directo en la lealtad a la marca y la disposición a pagar un precio más elevado en el contexto de televisión por streaming. También, el impacto que tiene la experiencia de marca en la lealtad a la marca y en la disposición para pagar un precio más elevado es parcialmente mediado por el amor a la marca.

En el contexto de la industria de entretenimiento (televisión por streaming), los gerentes de marca pueden diseñar significativas experiencias que sean capaces de crear fuertes lazos emocionales con sus usuarios, incrementando sus niveles de lealtad y disposición a pagar más. Además, los gerentes de marca deben considerar enfocarse al segmento de consumidores jóvenes, pues ellos tienen más apego a la tecnología que las personas mayores.

Este estudio enriquece la literatura existente sobre experiencia de marca en el sector del entretenimiento televisivo aportando evidencia del rol de la experiencia y del amor hacia la marca en la lealtad y la disposición a pagar un precio elevado.

本研究检验了品牌体验和品牌喜爱对流媒体电视服务的品牌忠诚度和高价支付意愿的影响。

结构方程模型（SEM）被用来评估本文所提出的理论模型, 该模型的数据来自于一个知名电视流媒体品牌服务方（Netflix）的220名订阅用户。

本文的结果显示, 品牌体验和品牌喜爱对流媒体电视服务的品牌忠诚度和高价支付意愿有显著的直接影响。同时, 部分品牌体验对品牌忠诚度和高价支付意愿的影响会被品牌喜爱所调节。

在流媒体电视行业中, 品牌经理可以创造更多有意义的体验, 与用户建立强大的情感联系, 从而提高忠诚度和高价支付意愿。同时, 品牌经理应该考虑将他们的工作重点放在年轻消费者身上, 因为他们比老一辈群体对科技有更强的依恋。

本文丰富了关于娱乐电视行业品牌体验的现有文献, 并提供证据证明了体验和品牌喜爱对品牌忠诚度和高价支付意愿的作用。

The purpose of this study is two-fold. First is to explore the role of some customer personality traits in explaining customer satisfaction in mobile services. Second is to explore the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty of mobile services customers, mediated by attitude-to-brand considering the fierce competition and the fast industry growth.

The study used a cross-sectional design and a survey of mobile service customers. For the empirical analysis, the structural equation models were applied (partial least squares).

The results suggest that customers who are agreeable, neurotic and open to new experience are more likely to be satisfied with mobile services than other personality types. In addition, the satisfaction-loyalty link is fully mediated by attitude-to-brand. Hence, satisfaction is not a direct driver of loyalty in the mobile services business and loyalty is achieved when service providers simultaneously focussed on the customers’ satisfaction and their attitudes towards brands.

The study identified the personality trait drivers of customer satisfaction and the path to customer loyalty in the mobile services sector. With this information, mobile service providers should be better able to target and retain customers.

The study offers new insights into customer behaviour by using personality traits to identify requirements for achieving customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and attitude-to-brand.

El propósito de este estudio es doble. Primero, explorar el papel de algunos rasgos de personalidad del cliente para explicar su satisfacción en los servicios móviles. Segundo, explorar la relación entre la satisfacción y la lealtad de los clientes de servicios móviles, mediada por la actitud hacia la marca considerando la feroz competencia y el rápido crecimiento de la industria.

El estudio utilizó un diseño transversal y una encuesta de clientes de servicios móviles. Para el análisis empírico se utilizaron modelos de ecuaciones estructurales (PLS)

Los resultados sugieren que los clientes agradables, neuróticos y abiertos a nuevas experiencias tienen más probabilidades de estar satisfechos con los servicios móviles que otros tipos de clientes. Además, el vínculo satisfacción-lealtad está mediado por la actitud hacia la marca. Por lo tanto, la satisfacción no es un precursor directo de la lealtad en servicios móviles. La lealtad se logra cuando el proveedor de servicios se centra simultáneamente en la satisfacción del cliente y cuida la actitud hacia la marca.

El estudio identificó los rasgos de personalidad de los clientes que llevan a la satisfacción y el camino hacia la lealtad del cliente en el sector de los servicios móviles. Con esta información, los proveedores de servicios de telefonía móvil deberían estar mejor capacitados para dirigirse a los clientes y retenerlos.

El estudio ofrece nuevas perspectivas sobre el comportamiento del cliente al utilizar los rasgos de la personalidad para identificar los requisitos que permiten lograr la satisfacción del cliente, su lealtad y mejorar la actitud hacia la marca.

The purpose of this paper is to integrate branding and higher education literature to conceptualize, develop, and empirically examine a model of university social augmenters’ brand equity.

Drawing on an empirical survey of 401 undergraduate students enrolled in private universities in Egypt, this study model was tested using structural equation modeling.

The findings reveal that university social augmenters’ reputation, coach-to-student interactions, and student-to-student interactions influence students’ satisfaction with social augmenters. The results also suggest that students satisfied with university social augmenters are more likely to exhibit outcomes of brand equity – namely, brand identification, willingness to recommend, and willingness to incur an additional premium cost.

The results offer managerial implications for university administrators in their quest to enrich students’ university experiences and build strong sub-brands within the university setting. University social augmenters are found to have strong brand equity manifestations and may hold the potential to differentiate university brands in an industry dominated by experience and credence.

This research contributes to the extant literature by filling two gaps in university branding literature. First, previous research has never unified separate streams of literature related to augmented services and brand equity. Second, limited conceptual and empirical research on university branding in general and university social augmentation in particular has been conducted in emerging markets, which has resulted in conceptual ambiguity for the key factors constructing students’ university social experiences.