Nonprice antecedents of consumer preference for cyber and extension brands

Abstract

Price is an important factor affecting consumer preference for online brands and, not surprisingly, has played a dominant role in the Internet marketing literature. Concurrently, important nonprice factors that account for individual online brand preferences have received scant attention. This research examines nonprice influences on preferences for online brands and demonstrates that brand character, brand offerings, prior Internet shopping experience, brand familiarity, and brand evaluation affect online brand preference. Using data from cyber and extension brands, our results show that influences on consumer preference for the types of brands examined are different. In the case of cyber brands, familiarity, character, and brand offerings are related to brand preference. In contrast, extension brands benefit from having market-based counterparts, and for these firms, brand familiarity is not a predictor of consumer preference. Breadth of offerings is the most important predictor for both cyber- and extension-brand preference. Future research and managerial implications are discussed.