Brand Category Research Articles

Sell on, sell to, or sell through: The sales performance implications of brand-platform selling arrangements

Despite the growing prevalence of online retail platforms, scant research has focused on how different selling arrangements affect brand sales performance on the platform. This study explores the sales performance implications of three brand–platform selling arrangements: 1P (a brand manufacturer sells to the platform for resale), 3P (a brand manufacturer sells on the platform), and 2P (a brand manufacturer sells through the platform using a hybrid model in which the platform handles all fulfillment). Utilizing a comprehensive dataset from a major U.S. brand-aggregator platform, encompassing 21,555 brand–category observations across 17 product categories, we examine the impact of these selling arrangements on brand sales performance on the platform. The findings reveal that 2P operations are generally associated with higher sales performance than 1P operations. We find no significant difference between 2P and 3P operations. The study also shows that the effectiveness of these arrangements is contingent on brand characteristics such as operational capabilities, innovativeness, and pricing strategies. This research contributes to understanding the nuanced interplay between platform selling arrangements and brand attributes, providing strategic insights for brand managers in the evolving online retail landscape.

How position level, hotel classification and brand category affect attitudes toward disabled colleagues

PurposeDue to the global labor shortage, the labor-heavy and high turnover hospitality industry is now recruiting from nontraditional sources. This study aims to investigate the views of people in the hotel industry to better understand how people with disabilities can obtain jobs in the hotel industry and how they are treated.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a constructivist approach to grounded theory. Interviews were conducted with senior managers, middle managers and line-level employees at both internationally branded and locally branded hotels and who worked at upscale and midscale hotels to tell their perspectives about recruiting and working with people with disabilities.FindingsSenior managers showed positive attitudes toward hiring people with disabilities but lacked pragmatic considerations about their integration into teams. Middle managers were the most hesitant, primarily due to practical concerns about accommodating their workplace needs. Line-level staff at midscale hotels were more open to working with colleagues with disabilities compared to those at high-end properties.Originality/valueLimited research has been conducted on the broad perspectives regarding workers with disabilities in the hospitality industry. The study reveals not only the impact of managerial level on managers’ perspectives, but also how hotel class influenced the views of the coworkers and potential coworkers of people with disabilities. These distinctions not only help to advance our theoretical understanding of careers and hospitality labor markets but also inform operators on how to best integrate and recruit people with disabilities.

Research on factors affecting second-hand car market prices

This study uses a multiple linear regression model to analyze the key factors affecting second-hand car prices. Using data exploration and regression analysis, 945 samples spanning the years 2019-2024 were analyzed, and four variables were chosen for further examination. In terms of price, these factors include the impact of mileage, the year the vehicle was manufactured, the brand category, and the color. According to the findings, the most important factors that influence price are the number of miles driven and the year the vehicle was manufactured. Additionally, the category of the brand has a significant impact, while the color has a negligible effect on the price. In addition to assisting customers in making more informed choices, the findings of this study can also provide car dealers with valuable insights regarding pricing strategies and inventory management. The findings of this study also revealed that the market for used automobiles is characterized by a significant circulation and a multitude of factors that have an impact. To further refine the existing model, further research could be conducted to take into consideration additional potential influencing factors.

Stable isotope profiling of cigarettes assisted with chemometrics for authenticity determination

The battle against tobacco fraud presents a formidable challenge, given the global proliferation of imitation and counterfeit cigarettes. This not only inflicts economic losses on governments but also poses significant health risks due to the prevalence of these fraudulent products. This research delves into the application of stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N, δ2H, and δ18O) and bio-elements (C% and N%) to discern the authenticity of various cigarette brands. Differences in brand origin notably impacted the δ15N and δ2H values. The assessment of cigarette authenticity, as well as the specific brands, unveiled maximum variances in the δ15N and δ2H values, underscoring their potential as robust discriminators between genuine and counterfeit products. Unsupervised Principal Component Analysis results consistently corroborated the authenticity of the samples for the four brands. The integration of chemometric methods, such as Orthogonal Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis, yielded highly accurate authentication for cigarettes across the four brand categories, achieving an accuracy of over 96.8 %. Additionally, this investigation revealed that the critical determinants in distinguishing authentic cigarettes were the isotopic values of δ15N, C%, and δ18O. This work paves the way for a more convenient avenue for the classification of cigarette authenticity compared to untargeted analysis that need to a comprehensive set of chemical fingerprints.

On the curvilinear effect of suspicion on consumer judgement suspension: The role of uncertainty towards the brand and product imagery

AbstractWhen exposed to advertisements, consumers are often suspicious of brand claims. To that end, prior research has explored how individuals evaluate claims to form a judgement under a state of suspicion. Yet, consumer research has not examined how suspicion affects consumers' suspension of their judgement towards the brand. We experimentally investigate the effects of three (low vs. moderate vs. high) levels of consumer suspicion on judgement suspension. Study 1 shows that compared with low or high levels, moderate levels of suspicion lead to significantly higher judgement suspension. Studies 2 and 3 replicate this inverted U‐shaped effect for additional brand and product category contexts and unveil that uncertainty towards the brand mediates the effect of suspicion on judgement suspension. In turn, the impact of uncertainty towards the brand on judgement suspension is mediated by product imagery. This research corroborates the effects of suspicion on consumer judgement suspension.

High-end fashion as a social phenomenon: Exploring the perceptions of designers and consumers

Grounded on the social constructionist theory, this paper intends to compare the perceptions of the realities of high-end consumers and fashion designers on high-end brands. The main aim is to understand how the perception of luxury brands is socially constructed by designers and consumers and to explore the impact of the social interaction, specifically, the designers' realities impacting consumers' realities.The research consists of two studies. Study 1 comprised sixteen interviews with worldwide high-end fashion designers, while Study 2 considered three consumer samples (A) consumer interviews (B) consumers' tweets (n = 145,986) specifically on sixteen high-end fashion brands, and (C) consumer online questionnaire (n = 330). We found that high-end fashion designers had more negative (less positive) sentiments compared to the consumers. Designers defined different characteristics that comprise luxury brands. They tend to classify their brand category lower than the consumers. Corroborating the social constructionist theory, we found that the value of high-end brands is constructed by the designers' and consumers' interactions. Consumers gave lower value to a luxury brand if they knew that the designers were unsatisfied and critical of their work, compared to when they were satisfied and confident about it. Therefore, high-end fashion brand managers should consider the different realities of designers and consumers and their interaction in the strategic planning process to ensure designers are satisfied with their work and aligned with the brand's values and image to maintain its luxurious status and appeal to consumers.

Explainable artificial intelligence (xAI) in neuromarketing/consumer neuroscience: an fMRI study on brand perception.

The research in consumer neuroscience has identified computational methods, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, as a significant frontier for advancement. Previously, we utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) to model brain processes related to brand preferences in a paradigm exempted from motor actions. In the current study, we revisit this data, introducing recent advancements in explainable artificial intelligence (xAI) to gain insights into this domain. By integrating fMRI data analysis, machine learning, and xAI, our study aims to search for functional brain networks that support brand perception and, ultimately, search for brain networks that disentangle between preferred and indifferent brands, focusing on the early processing stages. We applied independent component analysis (ICA) to overcome the expected fMRI data's high dimensionality, which raises hurdles in AI applications. We extracted pertinent features from the returned ICs. An ANN is then trained on this data, followed by pruning and retraining processes. We then apply explanation techniques, based on path-weights and Shapley values, to make the network more transparent, explainable, and interpretable, and to obtain insights into the underlying brain processes. The fully connected ANN model obtained an accuracy of 54.6%, which dropped to 50.4% after pruning. However, the retraining process allowed it to surpass the fully connected network, achieving an accuracy of 55.9%. The path-weights and Shapley-based analysis concludes that, regarding brand perception, the expected initial participation of the primary visual system is followed. Other brain areas participate in early processing and discriminate between preferred and indifferent brands, such as the cuneal and the lateral occipital cortices. The most important finding is that a split between processing brands|preferred from brands|indifferent may occur during early processing stages, still in the visual system. However, we found no evidence of a "decision pipeline" that would yield if a brand is preferred or indifferent. The results suggest the existence of a "tagging"-like process in parallel flows in the extrastriate. Network training dynamics aggregate specific processes within the hidden nodes by analyzing the model's hidden layer. This yielded that some nodes contribute to both global brand appraisal and specific brand category classification, shedding light on the neural substrates of decision-making in response to brand stimuli.

Name order effects on cobrand perceptions: the impacts of product similarity and language structure

PurposeThe Islamic world spans many different languages with different language structures. This paper aims to explore one way in which language structure affects consumer response to the marketing of cobrands.Design/methodology/approachTwo between subject experiments were conducted using samples of participants from Saudi Arabia and the USA. The first manipulated partner brand category similarity and brand name order, along with the structure of the language used to communicate with the market. The data for this study includes Arabic speakers in Saudi Arabia as well as English speakers in the USA. The second study explores how targeting a population fluent in multiple languages of varied structure nullifies the findings from the first study and uses Latino participants in the USA.FindingsThis study finds that when brands come from similar product categories, name order did not affect cobrand evaluations, but it did when the brands come from dissimilar product categories. Here, evaluations of the cobrand are enhanced when the invited brand is in the position that adjectives occupy in the participant’s language. The authors also find that being proficient in two languages, each with a different default order for adjectives and nouns, quashes the effect of name order otherwise seen when brands from dissimilar product categories engage in cobranding.Originality/valueBy examining the impact of language structure on the effects of cobrand evaluation and conducting studies among participants with differing dominant languages, this research can rule out simple primacy or recency effects.

One independent or many independent? The relationship among self-construal, number of brand endorsers, and brand attitudes.

It was common for brands to use different numbers of endorsers in marketing practice. Nevertheless, research on brand endorsers' quantity has not yielded a uniform consensus. The previous research about brand endorsers mainly focuses on the appeal of endorsement, brand category, and endorser characteristics, paying less attention to the impact of cultural factors, particularly self-construal. This study delves into selecting brand endorsers across diverse cultural regions for the same brand. Drawing on the principles of self-consistency theory and self-construal theory, our research, conducted through three distinct experiments, reveals that consumers tend to hold more favorable opinions about brands endorsed by a single individual. Furthermore, self-consistency emerges as a crucial mediating factor in this phenomenon. Additionally, self-construal is an essential factor among consumers from various cultural backgrounds. Consumers with an independent self-construal exhibit more favorable brand perceptions when it comes to single-endorser brands compared to their counterparts with an interdependent self-construal. Conversely, individuals with an interdependent self-construal demonstrate a more positive disposition towards brands with multiple endorsers than those with an independent self-construal. This research not only enriches and extends our theoretical understanding of the impact of the number of brand endorsers on consumer brand attitudes but also provides valuable practical insights for optimizing the selection of brand endorsers for companies.

“Threatened and empty selves following AI-based virtual influencers”: comparison between followers and non-followers of virtual influencers in AI-driven digital marketing

AbstractArtificial intelligence (AI)-based virtual influencers are now frequently used by brands in various categories to engage customers. However, little is known about who the followers of these AI-based virtual influencers are and more importantly, what drives the followers to use AI-based virtual influencers. The results from a survey support the notion that compensatory mechanisms and the need to belong play important roles in affecting usage intentions of AI-based virtual influencers. Specifically, the study finds that usage intentions are mediated and moderated by compensatory mechanisms that arise from the perception of AI-based virtual influencers’ functional benefits and existential threats to human identity. Furthermore, the need for belonging moderates the effects of the following status (following versus non-following) on perceived personalization benefits of AI-based virtual influencers and behavioral intentions to use AI-based virtual influencers. This study provides important implications for academia delving into the social, cultural, and philosophical implications of AI-based virtual influencers for human societies as well as for brands that plan to use AI-based virtual influencers and gain a better understanding of their customers in AI-driven digital marketing.

The Impact of Store Brands on Overall Product Category Performance

A comprehensive store-level data set of 9 dairy product categories across 149 stores of a supermarket retailer chain over 32 weeks in 2021 was used to examine the impact of store brands on overall category performance as measured by net margin dollars. The study examines results on both the overall dairy department and category specific performance. The results for the overall dairy department indicate there is not a significant positive relationship between a change in overall store brand sales penetration and profitability. There is, however, a significant positive relationship between overall store brand net margin dollar penetration and category profitability.

Beverage industry TV advertising shifts after a stepwise mandatory food marketing restriction: achievements and challenges with regulating the food marketing environment.

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) are heavily advertised globally, and SSB consumption is linked to increased health risk. To reduce unhealthy food marketing, Chile implemented a regulation for products classified as high in energies, sugar, saturated fat or sodium, starting with a 2016 ban on child-targeted advertising of these products and adding a 06.00-22.00 daytime advertising ban in 2019. This study assesses changes in television advertising prevalence of ready-to-drink beverages, including and beyond SSB, to analyse how the beverage industry shifted its marketing strategies across Chile's implementation phases. Beverage advertisements were recorded during two randomly constructed weeks in April-May of 2016 (pre-implementation) through 2019 (daytime ban). Ad products were classified as 'high-in' or 'non-high-in' according to regulation nutrient thresholds. Ads were analysed for their programme placement and marketing content. Chile. From pre-regulation to daytime ban, child-targeted, daytime and total ads decreased by 51·8 percentage points (p.p.), 51·5 p.p. and 61·8 p.p. for high-in products and increased by 62·9 p.p., 54·9 p.p. and 61·8 p.p. for non-high-in products (Ps < 0·001). Additionally, total ready-to-drink beverage ads increased by 5·4 p.p. and brand-only ads (no product shown) by 7 p.p. After the regulation implementation, 'high-in' ads fell significantly, but 'non-high-in' ads rose and continued using strategies targeting children and being aired during daytime. Given research showing that advertising one product can increase preferences for a different product from that same brand and product categories, broader food marketing regulation approaches may be needed to protect children from the harmful effects of food marketing.

Why do people buy virtual clothes?

AbstractVirtual clothes consumption is part of the digital virtual consumption practices of the global NFT phenomenon and the global digital fashion trend. While cutting‐edge technologies shape customer experience and behavior, research examining how consumers desire, own, and experience these technologies in general, and virtual objects in particular, remains scarce. Adopting the uses and gratifications (U&amp;Gs) theory and building on research related to brand roles and category, the present research aims to unveil the psychological determinants of purchasing NFTs‐virtual clothes. A mixed‐method, two‐stage approach was adopted. First, a qualitative study and a pilot study aimed to capture and understand what motivates people to buy NFTs‐virtual clothes and identify contextualized U&amp;Gs. Second, two original confirmatory studies verified the U&amp;Gs of purchasing virtual clothes and investigated how they differ based on brand category (luxury vs. non‐luxury). The results show that enjoyment, social interactivity, and curiosity are the main predictors of NFTs‐virtual clothes purchases. Consumers mainly seek hedonic, social, and technological gratifications as part of the digital fashion consumption trend. Brand managers must recognize virtual clothing gratifications for effective virtual world positioning. Products should encourage networking, community, and user interaction. Demographics and virtual experience should be considered to understand NFT‐virtual clothes motivations.

Marketing Strategy for Black Tea Products Using SOAR Analysis at PT. Rolas Nusantara Mandiri Surabaya

Indonesia is recognized for its vast and fertile agricultural landscapes, encompassing a wide variety of crops, tea being one of them. The potential of cultivating tea in Indonesia is demonstrated by the presence of extensive state-owned plantations (SOP) and the multitude of tea beverage brands in the market. However, the high SOP production does not guarantee that the tea products produced by state-owned enterprises (SOE’s) will be recognized and have a strong brand in the minds of the Indonesian people. One such brand is Rolas Tea, managed by PT. Rolas Nusantara Mandiri, which has not been able to break into the top six brands in the Top Brand category for loose-leaf or bagged tea. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the appropriate marketing strategies to break into the top six brands. The research objectives are to analyze internal-external factors, formulate alternative marketing strategies for black tea products, and determine the priority and recommendation of marketing strategies. The research uses a qualitative and quantitative approach and is conducted in Surabaya. Four informants were purposively selected, and data were collected through primary and secondary sources. The analysis methods used include descriptive analysis, IFE and EFE matrices, the IE matrix for PT. RNM, SOAR analysis resulting in six alternative strategies, and the QSPM matrix. The research findings indicate that the IFE matrix score is 3.19 and the EFE matrix score is 3.58. The IE matrix places PT. RNM in quadrant I, the SOAR analysis yields six alternative strategies, and the QSPM matrix identifies strategy 3 as the top priority, which is market penetration with a TAS score of 8.00.

Emotional design theory of digital art combined with perceptual machine model

Abstract The article begins by exploring the emotional design of brands in various categories and proposes a mathematical morphological visual perceptual machine model to implement emotional design. The model constructs a mathematical model capable of capturing and expressing emotional features through numerical sets. Point sets and images, and basic operations in image algebra. Finally, the influence of the applicable fields of brand digital art design, personal emotional needs, and personal experience needs on brand choice is analyzed. The entertainment industry and the Internet industry account for the largest share, each accounting for 30% and 29%, respectively. The influence of personal emotion on choosing a brand is more than 0.8, and the influence of personal experience on choosing a product is more than 0.6. The research results of this paper have certain practical and theoretical significance for the development of brand digital art design.

EXAMINING PURCHASE INTENTION OF PRIVATE-LABEL BRANDS: THE MODERATING EFFECT OF BRAND CATEGORY

Private label is seen as a way to maintain profits, encourage consumption, and as a form of CSR for retail companies when empowering local small businesses. In its development, private labels have evolved into brands that pay attention to value and sustainability. A brand category in Indonesia involves SMEs as product suppliers for PLB. This study examines the influence of factors related to the store on the perception of private-label products produced by SMEs. This study collects online data from 441 Indonesian respondents who are Alfamart and Indomaret customers aged 18 or above and have shopped in the last 3 (three) months, using the non-probability sampling method with a purposive sampling technique. The collected data were tested using SEM Partial Least Squares analysis. The results reflect that store loyalty and brand image have a significant positive impact on attitudes toward buying private labels. In contrast, store loyalty and price consciousness have the least significant positive impact. On the other hand, perceived risk was was found to have a significant negative effect. The Brand Category was found to be moderating in Store Loyalty and Brand Image antecedent variables. This study is expected to be useful for academics and marketing practitioners by expanding private-label studies, especially in relation to SMEs as producers. Moreover, retailers can consider involving more SMEs in their private-label business, which will positively impact society.

Visual strategies of luxury and fast fashion brands on Instagram and their effects on user engagement

This study aims to examine what makes the image content of fashion brands successful on Instagram, while comparing between luxury and fast fashion brands. A quantitative analysis of a massive collection of fashion photos posted by notable luxury and fast fashion brands was therefore conducted to identify specific patterns in these images based on four important visual content variables: the use of a brand name, brand logo, text, and hashtag. This study also examined how user engagement levels vary depending on each visual content variable. This study made several interesting findings: (1) luxury brand images with logos and brand names had higher user engagement whereas fast fashion brand images did not show this same trend; (2) the size of the brand name and logo in an image was negatively related to the user engagement or had no effect, regardless of the brand category; and (3) the use of embedded text within an image positively influenced user engagement for luxury brands whereas it negatively influenced user engagement for fast fashion brands.

Developing brand meaning theory: the interplay of tangible attributes and intangible associations in relation to local food brands

PurposeThis study aims to explore brand meaning from a consumer perspective, identifying tangible attributes and intangible associations and their arrangement in brand meaning frameworks. Previous literature has focused on brand meaning flowing from intangible associations, and new insights are offered into the tangible attributes’ contribution to brand meaning.Design/methodology/approachA phenomenological approach was adopted, and meanings were gathered from lived experiences with consumers of local food brands. Quasi-ethnographic methods were used, including accompanied shopping trips to food fairs and local farm shops, kitchen visits and in-depth interviews in and around the county of Dorset in the south-west of England.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that tangible attributes have sensorial and functional brand meanings and are mentally processed. Both hierarchical and flatter patterned approaches are present when connecting attributes and associations. The hierarchical approach reflects both short and long laddering approaches; the flatter alternative offers an interwoven, patterned presentation.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a small in-depth study of local food brands, and the findings cannot be generalised across other brand categories.Practical implicationsLocal food brand practitioners can promote relevant sensorial (e.g. taste) and functional (e.g. animal welfare) attributes. These can be woven into appropriate intangible associations, creating producer stories to be communicated through their websites and social media campaigns.Originality/valueA revised brand meaning theoretical framework updates previous approaches and develops brand meaning theory. The study demonstrates that tangible attributes have meaning and hierarchical connections across tangible attributes, and intangible associations should not always be assumed. An additional patterned approach is present that weaves attributes and associations in a holistic, non-hierarchical way.

The Impact of Store Brands on Intangible Aspects of Consumer Welfare

This research investigated how an intangible component of consumer welfare can derive from the presence of store brands in durable-product categories. The objective was to explore the degree to which consumers can more reliably depend on price as an accurate indicator of quality in those product categories in which store brands are present. When a strong price-quality relationship exists, consumers may confidently choose a given level of quality chiefly on the basis of price. The focal measure was the correlation between price and quality, computed separately for those categories in which only national brands were present and for those categories in which both store brands and national brands were present. Examination of the price and quality of 14,234 individual brands from the U.S. and other countries tested by Consumer Reports revealed that when store brands were present the strength of the relationship between price and quality exceeded the strength of the respective relationship when store brands were absent. Counterfactual simulations confirmed the relationship.

A framework for transitioning brand trust to brand love

PurposeThis study aims to propose a conceptual framework for transition of brand trust to brand love in an uncertain market situation, from the perspective of cognitive-emotion theory (CET).Design/methodology/approachSince brand anthropomorphism is successfully established in branding research, this study takes cognitive characteristics of brand trust and emotional characteristic of brand love from extant literature to develop a conceptual framework for transformation of brand trust (cognition) into brand love (emotion). This study situates the relationship in the context of market uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses in the development of the conceptual framework by taking cognitive components of brand trust and brand behavioural characteristics as moderator, in uncertain market situation.FindingsFindings suggest that transition of brand trust (cognition) to brand love (emotion) is possible in uncertain situation, and brand behavioural characteristics moderate this relationship. Brand behavioural characteristics are brand innovativeness, brand ethicality, brand empathy, brand expertise and brand agility, which have the potential to further strengthen the relationship in the given situation.Research limitations/implicationsThis research proposes a conceptual model and propositions that add a rich understanding to the relationship of brand trust and brand love, which requires empirical testing in any brand category context. Through a richer understanding of conditions and the underlying psychological mechanism, researchers and marketers, brand managers, policymakers and so forth can gain insights that aid strategic decision-making. Trusted brands can leverage on the situation by highlighting unique behavioural characteristics to establish a strong and sustainable long-term relationship.Originality/valueThe current research is an attempt to provide deeper insights from the perspective of CET, into the relationship of brand trust (cognition) and brand love (emotion) by introducing conditions under which a trusted brand becomes a lovable brand in uncertain market situation, thereby adding new knowledge to branding, customer-brand relationship sustainability, in uncertainty literature. The new perspective, that is CET, puts forward a novice view on the advantage of brand love over brand trust that could help in formulating strategic decisions in managing brands in crisis situation.