Retailer Awareness Research Articles

Does brand equity vary between department stores and clothing stores? Results of an empirical investigation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine whether retailer brand equity levels vary between department store and specialty clothing store categories.Design/methodology/approachRetailer brand equity is conceptualized in this paper as a four‐dimensional construct comprising retailer awareness, retailer associations, retailer perceived quality and retailer loyalty. Categorization theory is used to explain the differences in retailer equity across the two different store categories. A doubly multivariate design is incorporated in a structured questionnaire used to collect data via mall‐intercepts in an Australian state capital city.FindingsResults suggest that retailer brand equity varies significantly between department store and specialty store categories. Department store brands yielded significantly higher ratings for all the retailer brand equity dimensions than specialty store brands.Originality/valueResearchers have argued that retailers possess brand equity. However, extant research does not provide any specific guidance in relation to the question of whether retailer brand equity levels vary from one store category to another. The present research fills an important gap by demonstrating that retailer brand equity levels vary significantly between department store and specialty clothing store categories.

Does customer satisfaction lead to improved brand equity? An empirical examination of two categories of retail brands

PurposeThe objective of the present research is to examine the relationship between consumers' satisfaction with a retailer and the equity they associate with the retail brand.Design/methodology/approachRetail brand equity is conceptualized as a four‐dimensional construct comprising: retailer awareness, retailer associations, retailer perceived quality, and retailer loyalty. Then the associative network memory model is applied from cognitive psychology to the specific context of the relationships between customer satisfaction and consumer‐based retailer equity. A survey was undertaken using a convenience sample of shopping mall consumers in an Australian state capital city. The questionnaire used to collect data included an experimental design such that two categories of retailers were included in the study: department stores and specialty stores, with three retailers representing each category. The relationship between consumer‐based retailer equity and customer satisfaction was examined using multivariate analysis of variance.FindingsResults indicate that retail brand equity varies with customer satisfaction. For department stores, each consumer‐based retailer equity dimension varied according to customer satisfaction with the retailer. However, for specialty stores, only three of the consumer‐based retailer equity dimensions, namely retailer awareness, retailer associations and retailer perceived quality, varied according to customer satisfaction level with the retailer.Originality/valueThe principal contribution of the present research is that it demonstrates empirically a positive relationship between customer satisfaction and an intangible asset such as retailer equity.

A consumer-based method for retailer equity measurement: Results of an empirical study

This research extends the consumer-based brand equity measurement approach to the measurement of the equity associated with retailers. This paper also addresses some of the limitations associated with current retailer equity measurement such as a lack of clarity regarding its nature and dimensionality. We conceptualise retailer equity as a four-dimensional construct comprising retailer awareness, retailer associations, perceived retailer quality, and retailer loyalty. The paper reports the result of an empirical study of a convenience sample of 601 shopping mall consumers at an Australian state capital city. Following a confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modelling to examine the dimensionality of the retailer equity construct, the proposed model is tested for two retailer categories: department stores and speciality stores. Results confirm the hypothesised four-dimensional structure.

Knowledge of Ontario’s Tobacco Control Act in the Community of Scarborough

Ontario’s Tobacco Control Act (TCA), 1994, states that it is against the law to sell or supply cigarettes to anyone under the age of 19. In the Scarborough community to date, 120 charges have been laid under the TCA demonstrating that, despite education and enforcement, some retailers continue to sell to minors. The “Not To Kids” campaign was developed in partnership with community agencies and the business sector to decrease youth tobacco access through a community-based social marketing and education campaign. Four pre-test data collection initiatives were undertaken to support the development and evaluation of the campaign. These included a youth survey, a retailer survey, compliance checks and a community telephone survey. The purpose of the community telephone survey was to assess the community’s knowledge about selling and supplying cigarettes to minors and reporting offences under the TCA. Although a number of studies have assessed retailer awareness of tobacco control laws, 1,2 to our knowledge, this type of community survey has not been previously conducted. The data generated provided the framework for the development of educational messages and community mobilization strategies. METHODS