Retailer’s Perspective of Product Brand Equity: An Empirical Study of Vietnamese Independent Drink Stores

Abstract

In the literature on product branding, significant attention has been paid to brand equity in the consumer context, but relatively little attention has been paid to the application of the concept of brand equity in the business-to-business context. This research attempts to bridge this gap by exploring the customer-based brand equity concept from the retailers’ perspective. The study was conducted in the context of the Vietnamese independent retail grocery sector. This context was chosen on the basis that there has been limited research conducted on branding in the Vietnamese context and due to the prominence of the independent grocery sector in the retail industry of Viet Nam. By using AMOS 16 and SPSS 16.0 software, the results of the study indicate that brand equity plays an important role in the retailing context, and it comprises three dimensions - brand association, brand trust and brand loyalty. As the result of a strong brand, retailers commit to a long-term business relationship with the brand’s manufacturer. Two of these three dimensions of retailer-based brand equity, (brand association and brand trust) are positively and significantly related to the brand’s performance at the retail outlet. Manufacturer support, including advertising, sales promotion and trade promotions has been confirmed by this study to be an antecedent of retailer-based brand equity, brand performance and customer perceived value as well.