Effects of customer-based corporate reputation on perceived risk and relational outcomes: empirical evidence from gender moderation in fashion retailing

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianfranco Walsh ◽  
Mario Schaarschmidt ◽  
Stefan Ivens

Purpose Given the strategic importance of firm reputation because of its potential for value creation, extant reputation research focuses on favorable customer outcomes. This study proposes and tests a model that relates the customer-based corporate reputation (CBR) of fashion retailers to customer-perceived risk and two relational outcomes – trust and commitment. In addition, this study aims to test whether or not the hypothesized paths are equally strong for male and female shoppers. Design/methodology/approach Data for this study were collected through an online survey approach. Using a sample of more than 300 retail customers and structural equation modeling, the authors tested the hypotheses. Findings Drawing on previous research, the commitment–trust theory of relationship marketing and signaling theory, the authors find support for direct and indirect links between retailers’ reputation and relational outcomes, the intervening role of perceived risk and the partially moderational role of gender. Practical implications The findings of this research suggest that a retailer’s positive reputation can reduce customers’ risk and engender trust, which in turn promotes customer commitment. Originality/value A growing number of examples suggests that retailers (specially fashion retailers) need to manage their reputation, which can come under threat in myriad ways, and its outcomes. However, so far, no individual study empirically investigated any of these reputation outcomes simultaneously or considered gender differences. Thus, the authors address an important research gap by examining the mechanism through which CBR affects relevant customer outcomes and by considering contextual factors.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sri Rahayu Hijrah Hati ◽  
Sigit Sulistiyo Wibowo ◽  
Anya Safira

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of product knowledge, perceived quality, perceived risk and perceived value on customers’ intention to invest in Islamic Banks. This study specifically examines an Islamic bank’s term deposits. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data collected from 217 customers of an Islamic bank in Indonesia using an online survey. Findings This study highlights the central and dual roles of perceived risk as both the independent and the intervening variable that mediates the relationship between product knowledge and Muslim customer intention to invest in an Islamic bank’s term deposits. Research limitations/implications This study only investigates term deposits as one type of investment in Islamic banks. This study contributes to the literature by examining the role of product knowledge, perceived quality, perceived risk and perceived value on Muslim customer intention to invest in Islamic term deposits. Practical implications The results of this study highlight the requirement for Islamic banks to educate customers to improve the depositors’ product knowledge because Muslim customers’ risk and value perception and intention are strongly influenced by product knowledge. Originality/value The investigation of perceived risk is particularly relevant for Islamic financial products because of the inherent nature of risk sharing in Islamic finance. This study investigates the role of product knowledge in influencing the Muslim customers’ perception of risk, quality, value and their intention to invest in Islamic bank term deposits. Ideally, the profit loss sharing concept (PLS) should be applied; however, in this context, revenue sharing is applied because of Indonesia’s central bank regulation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 324-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine Fritz ◽  
Verena Schoenmueller ◽  
Manfred Bruhn

Purpose Consumer demand for authentic brands is steadily rising. With increased pressure to accommodate this demand, researchers and marketers seek to understand how to influence a brand’s perceived authenticity. The purpose of this paper is to build a link between previous research on authenticity and thus gain a deeper understanding of the influencing factors of brand authenticity and its consumer outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Building on an extensive literature review, the authors identify various antecedents of brand authenticity that are closely connected with the brand’s past, its virtuousness, consumers’ self-identification with the brand perceiver’s own self and individuals representing the brand, as well as relational outcomes as consequences of a brand’s perceived authenticity. As brand authenticity is a subjective construct, the authors include brand involvement to test for moderator effects. For data collection, they conduct an online survey that generates 509 datasets. To test the hypotheses, the authors use structural equation modeling. Findings The results demonstrate that brand authenticity can be influenced by the identified variables (i.e. brand heritage, brand nostalgia, brand commercialization, brand clarity, brand’s social commitment, brand legitimacy, actual self-congruence and employee’s passion). Moreover, brand authenticity positively affects brand relationship quality, which in turn positively influences consumers’ behavioral intentions. The analyzed relationships do not vary due to consumer-specific characteristics (i.e. brand involvement). Originality/value In sum, the results regarding the antecedents of brand authenticity demonstrate that a company can influence brand authenticity through different approaches, and that it is therefore important to analyze which of the identified antecedents brand management should manipulate to positively impact the perception of the brand’s authenticity. In addition, the findings confirm the positive consequences on consumer behavior ascribed to the authenticity concept by marketing literature.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 866-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung-Kuei Hsieh

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate customer loyalty in the online-to-offline (O2O) model by conceptualizing and measuring emotion and cognition. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was used to collect 514 questionnaire responses. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings Three emotional factors influence two cognitive factors, which in turn affect customer loyalty. The type of message source acts as a moderator. In addition to pleasure and arousal, dominance is a key factor of emotion. The effects of social enhancement and store environment on customer loyalty reflect the O2O model’s integration of online and offline environments. Practical implications The moderating role of the type of message source implies that marketers of brick-and-mortar stores can promote positive offline experiences to attract online customers and then encourage these customers to disseminate personal messages in their social circles. By attracting online customers through appealing m-services and retaining these customers through favorable store environments, marketers can maximize the utility of the O2O model. Originality/value Three emotional factors and two cognitive factors are conceptualized to predict customer loyalty in the O2O model. This study shows that the relationships between cognitive factors and customer loyalty are moderated by the type of message source. When check-in activity messages are sent by friends, the perception of social enhancement can lead to greater customer loyalty. In contrast, when check-in activity messages are sent by unfamiliar sources, customer loyalty is driven more by cognition of the store environment than by online interaction. The findings enrich existing knowledge of the O2O model and m-services, and have implications for researchers and marketers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carola Strandberg ◽  
Maria Ek Styvén

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of brand love in place brand communication by incorporating potential antecedents and behavioral outcomes of place brand love in a social media setting. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from 281 residents and visitors of a place through an online survey focusing on a place brand video. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine the research model. Findings Results show that place brand love has a strong direct relationship with positive word of mouth (WOM), and an indirect effect on intention to share the place brand message. Self-expressiveness of the place brand message also seems to influence place brand love as well as intention to share the message. Research limitations/implications The role of self-related concepts and brand love to a place has theoretical implications for research in place branding and electronic word of mouth. The study has limitations to its generalizability in terms of cultural aspects and sample representativeness. Practical implications Place marketers need to successfully reflect the self-concept of key stakeholders in communication messages in order to increase the probability that recipients will engage in positive WOM and share the message. Originality/value Research on place brand love is scarce and previous studies have focused solely on brand love in connection to tourists. The main contribution of the current study is the exploration of the role of brand love in connection to residents, who are vital co-creators of the place brand.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1551-1570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chongyang Chen ◽  
Kem Z.K. Zhang ◽  
Xiang Gong ◽  
Matthew Lee

Purpose In the limited existing research on smartphone addiction, reinforcement reward and automatic habit have been identified as two distinct underlying mechanisms. The purpose of this paper is to better understand the interaction between these two mechanisms, as well as role of smartphone features in activating different formation mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach An online survey with 379 samples was conducted to empirically validate the model. The data were analyzed by structural equation modeling approach. Findings The automatic habit strengthens the driving effects of reinforcement rewards (i.e. perceived enjoyment and mood regulation) on smartphone addiction. Smartphone features activate distinct underlying mechanisms. Value-added function facilitates the perception of reinforcement rewards, while convenience promotes the habit formation. Originality/value This study is one of the first ones that assess the interplay between the two formation mechanisms in the extant literature on smartphone addiction. This study also reveals the dangers of smartphone features which have always been regarded as advantages. The findings contribute to the current understandings of smartphone addiction.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betül Çal ◽  
Mary Lambkin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of stock exchange-related brand equity on intention to invest and the mediating role of perceived risk (PR) in this relationship in a comparative analysis between a developed and a developing market. Design/methodology/approach The study is carried out through an online survey among financially literate adults in two countries, Turkey and Ireland. Structural equation modeling is used to empirically test the relationships between brand equity dimensions and intention to invest, with a mediating role of PR. Findings The results indicate that the brand equity of a stock exchange is a relevant construct that significantly influences intention to invest. Also, the mediating role of PR is found to be strong in a developing market such as Turkey, but weak in a developed market like Ireland. Research limitations/implications One limitation of this paper is its inclusion of individual investors as the unit of analysis while leaving out institutional ones. The second limitation is the difficulty in generalizing the results to overall country populations. Practical implications This paper offers managerial implications regarding the need for emphasizing “stock exchange brand,” besides corporate brands traded, and customizing the management of brand-related influencers in investment decisions according to country context. Originality/value The impact of corporate brands in investment choices has been demonstrated before, but the influence of intermediaries – stock exchanges – through which investments are transacted, has not yet been investigated. This study addresses this gap, and further shows the differing extent of PR in this relationship between a developed and a developing country setting.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-153
Author(s):  
Cheng Pan ◽  
Yu Lei ◽  
Jiang Wu ◽  
Yuee Wang

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop a theoretical framework to explore the influence of green packaging on green purchase intention in the context of online-to-offline (O2O) commerce and to discuss the indirect effects of perceived value, perceived risk and green satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach To cast light on the factors affecting consumers’ intention to purchase in the context of O2O commerce, 295 valid questionnaire responses of O2O consumers in China were collected via an online survey. Data analysis was performed based on structural equation modeling. Findings The empirical results indicated that green packaging significantly affects consumers’ green purchase intention in the O2O commerce context indirectly through perceived value, perceived risk and green satisfaction. Moreover, green loyalty positively and significantly moderates the effects of perceived value, perceived risk and green satisfaction on green purchase intention. Originality/value Research on product packaging has mainly focused on investigating packaging materials, designs, functions and applications but has rarely examined how product packaging affects consumers’ purchase intention in the context of O2O commerce. Moreover, although previous studies have explored the roles of perceived value and perceived risk on purchase intention, they have not investigated the effects of environmental concerns and commerce context. This study attempts to fill these research gaps.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Kuei Wu ◽  
Hsiao-Chung Wu ◽  
Chih-Sung Lai

PurposeThis study aims to explore how a buyer's perceived buyer-seller (B-S) guanxi facets (i.e. ganqing, renqing and mianzi) and guanxi positions (i.e. zi-ji-ren, shou-ren and sheng-ren) affect the seller's influence effectiveness (SIE) and purchase intention (PI) in social commerce.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted an online survey in three cities of Taiwan and collected a total of 364 data. The structural equation modeling and cluster analysis were used to test research hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate that (1) each guanxi facet exerts a different and positive impact on SIE, but only one guanxi facet – renqing – helps improve PI, (2) guanxi facets can be used to predict the buyer's perceived guanxi position toward the seller, (3) the effect of guanxi facets on SIE and PI varies across B-S guanxi positions and (4) the SIE positively mediates effects of guanxi facets on the PI.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates the individual effect of each guanxi facet on SIE and PI and affirms the implicit guanxi position features guanxi facets and determines the buyer's perceived SIE and PI as well. To the best of our knowledge, these findings are rarely proposed in previous research and are beneficial for understanding the guanxi mechanism in social commerce.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yung-Shen Yen

Purpose – This paper aims to explore how perceived risk affects customer loyalty in e-commerce and how switching costs mediate in the relationship between perceived risk and customer loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, structural equation modeling was conducted, and data on Internet shopping habits of 382 consumers in Taiwan were examined. Findings – The findings of this study revealed that lowering perceived risks can increase switching costs, which leads to customer loyalty with the service provider in e-commerce. Research limitations/implications – A sample bias may exist because the sampling was conducted through an online survey in a specific Web site. This study affirmed the theoretical framework regarding the mediation effect of switching costs on perceived risk and customer-loyalty relationships. Practical implications – To avoid the single effect of reducing perceived risk on customer loyalty, practitioners should be difficult for competitors to imitate. This can increase the barriers to competition, further lock in the customer and can prevent the switch to other service providers. Originality/value – The findings provide a new feasible approach to customer retention: a business can reduce customers’ perceived risk to increase switching costs against the competition for customer retention in e-commerce.


Author(s):  
Daniel Tumpal H. Aruan ◽  
Felicia Felicia

Purpose The growth of information and communication technology and the appearance of the sharing economy have affected the market. This trend will potentially create a competitive transformation, especially in the accommodation sector. While Airbnb has become the leader in the sharing economy, more competitors are coming into the market, some with different business propositions and positioning strategies, thereby offering different points of differences (PODs). The purpose of this study is to identify and compare the factors that influence the usage of peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation services for trading activity (renting vs lending), particularly between Airbnb and Couchsurfing. More specifically, this study examines the causal relationships among some major factors that influence customers’ purchase intentions, such as perceived risk, perceived value, price sensitivity and word of mouth. Design/methodology/approach A total of 400 millennial respondents – 200 for each service – who have used the respective mobile applications participated in the online survey. Using structural equation modeling, the analysis revealed that the model acts differently across the groups. Findings The results revealed that Airbnb respondents paid more attention to perceived risks when booking the accommodation, thus indicating that they are more risk-averse, whereas Couchsurfing’s users sought the perceived value that they would receive at the destination. Practical implications The findings of this study are beneficial for Airbnb and Couchsurfing in particular and players in the industry in general. Originality/value This study reveals that factors that influence the intention to use the sharing economy platform work differently based on the form of trading activities.


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