Analyzing the Influence of eWOM on Customer Perception of Value and Brand Love in Hospitality Enterprise

Abstract

Studying brand love is vital for hospitality establishments because it helps them understand their customers’ feelings and perceptions toward their brands, especially with the growing number of hospitality brands. However, previous hospitality research has neglected the relationship between customer value and brand love. Therefore, this study investigates the influence of customer value on brand love of fast-food restaurants with a moderating role of electronic word of mouth. The research model was empirically evaluated on 385 fast-food restaurant brand customers in Greater Cairo, Egypt, who had previously participated in restaurants’ online communities. We used structural equation modeling to examine the research data. Results indicated that customer value is crucial in increasing brand love sub-dimensions (i.e., intimacy, passion, and commitment). The results also confirmed that the utilitarian value affects more than the hedonic value of brand love sub-dimensions, and the latter significantly impacted customer loyalty. In addition, electronic word of mouth moderated the relationship between the two types of customer value and brand love sub-dimensions. Hence, the current study adds a new factor (i.e., customer value) that affects the brand love of restaurants to the hospitality literature. Accordingly, the study will present several practical implications to increase customer value and, thus, brand love and customer loyalty.