Retail Brand Research Articles

The role of online retail website experience on brand happiness and willingness to share personal information: an SOR perspective

PurposeThe study aims to determine the role of online retail website experience on brand happiness and willingness to share personal information using the theoretical lens of the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework. Further, it explores the role of brand intimacy and brand partner quality in mediating the path between brand happiness and willingness to share personal information.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from 439 online retail consumers in India, using an online questionnaire. The data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling in IBM Amos.FindingsThe present study found that online retail website experience is significantly related to brand happiness. The finding also supports that brand happiness was positively and significantly related to ‘consumers' willingness to share personal information. This relationship was fully mediated by brand intimacy. Brand happiness also mediated the relationship between website experience and the willingness to share personal information.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the emerging literature on brand happiness and willingness to share personal information. It establishes a central role of brand happiness as a driver and a mediator of consumers' willingness to share personal information with e-commerce retailers, extending the stimulus-organism-response framework in the context of brand happiness and willingness to share personal information. Further, the study establishes the role of website experience as a marketer (and brand) led driver of brand happiness.Practical implicationsThe results have implications for the role of the website in enhancing the consumer experience, which in turn is a driver of brand happiness. Further, managers need to promote brand happiness with the help of website experience to enable consumers’ willingness to share personal information and help organizations customize their marketing campaigns.Originality/valueThis is among the first studies to evaluate brand happiness from the perspective of an online retail website experience and consider consumers’ willingness to share personal information from a branding rather than a technological perspective. Additionally, the study introduces the SOR framework in the context of brand happiness, with website experience acting as a stimulus for consumers, resulting in brand happiness, which is mediated by brand partner quality and brand intimacy (organism), leads to consumers' willingness to share personal information with online retail brands (response).

A Study on Brand Management in Retail: Building and Sustaining Competitive Advantage

In the retail industry, brand management is an extremely important factor in building and preserving a competitive edge within the industry. Due to the fact that the retail industry is characterized by fierce rivalry and frequently changing consumer tastes, it is necessary to have good brand management in order to construct and maintain a competitive advantage. It is possible that traditional methods of brand positioning, differentiation, and communication will not be sufficient to adequately grab and maintain market share in the retail landscape of today, which is marked by intense competition. Within the context of a market landscape that is always shifting, this study investigates the tactics that retail brands take in order to construct and maintain their competitive edge. This research focuses on the numerous aspects of brand management, such as brand positioning, brand differentiation, brand communication, and brand loyalty. It does so by drawing on previous research that has been conducted on the subject. The purpose of this study is to give a beneficial addition to scholars alike by evaluating successful retail brands and their approaches to brand management. Also, the study intends to contribute to a deeper knowledge of the dynamics of brand management in the retail sector.

Scrutinizing the effects of pop-up stores’ retailscape on young Chinese tourists’ emotion and patronage intention

PurposeThis study aims to understand how retailscape of pop-up stores could influence young Chinese tourists’ emotional response and their subsequent shopping intention in the context of luxury retailing.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was chosen. Building on the theoretical framework of the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) theory, a pop-up store retailscape behavior model was developed to explore the effect of retailscape on young Chinese tourists’ emotional response and patronage intention in a luxury retail setting. In total, 226 structured questionnaires were collected onsite.FindingsThe multiple regression analysis reveals that a luxury pop-up store’s retailscape has a positive influence on young Chinese tourists’ emotional response, but it only has a partial influence on their patronage intention. In addition, the result suggests that young Chinese tourists’ emotional response positively influences their patronage intention in luxury pop-up stores.Practical implicationsThe study reveals how retailscape influences behavior among the younger generation, and the results provide important references for the luxury retailers in future design and management of pop-up stores so as to attract and retain the interest of the younger generation.Originality/valueThis study puts retailscape effect under scrutiny in the context of luxury pop-up stores which attract young Chinese tourists, who are regarded as one of the major patrons supporting exclusive retail brands in the world. The stimuli element in the S–O–R model is, thus, reexamined in the context of luxury pop-up stores.

The Impact of Retailer Brand Name Substitution on Consumer Trust

Purpose: The aim of this article is to understand the impact of retailer brand name substitution on consumer trust. Theoretical Framework: Drawing on existing research on product brand substitution, the paper introduces variables that could influence consumer trust in situations where a brand name is substituted. Design/Methodology/Approach: To achieve this goal, a quantitative study was conducted among 351 Tunisian consumers to test the hypotheses and quantify the impact of each variable. Findings: The results of this research highlight three variables that can contribute to building consumer trust during a retailer brand name substitution, namely: (1) communication about the change; (2) perceived similarity and (3) perceived benefits derived from the change. The results also indicated that consumer attachment has a moderating effect on the relationship between trust and its determinants. More precisely, the stronger the attachment to the initial retailer brand, the more the consumer's trust in the brand decreases after the brand substitution. Research, Practical & Social implications: This paper assists practitioners in identifying the key success determinants that can facilitate the transfer of consumer trust from the old retailer brand to the new one. It provides guidance for a successful retailer brand name substitution. Originality/Value: This research fulfils an identified need to study how consumers’ trust in a brand can be transferred successfully in the case of a retailer brand name substitution.

The Impact of Retailer Brand Name Substitution on Consumer Trust

Purpose: The aim of this article is to understand the impact of retailer brand name substitution on consumer trust. Theoretical Framework: Drawing on existing research on product brand substitution, the paper introduces variables that could influence consumer trust in situations where a brand name is substituted. Design/Methodology/Approach: To achieve this goal, a quantitative study was conducted among 351 Tunisian consumers to test the hypotheses and quantify the impact of each variable. Findings: The results of this research highlight three variables that can contribute to building consumer trust during a retailer brand name substitution, namely: (1) communication about the change; (2) perceived similarity and (3) perceived benefits derived from the change. The results also indicated that consumer attachment has a moderating effect on the relationship between trust and its determinants. More precisely, the stronger the attachment to the initial retailer brand, the more the consumer's trust in the brand decreases after the brand substitution. Research, Practical & Social implications: This paper assists practitioners in identifying the key success determinants that can facilitate the transfer of consumer trust from the old retailer brand to the new one. It provides guidance for a successful retailer brand name substitution. Originality/Value: This research fulfils an identified need to study how consumers’ trust in a brand can be transferred successfully in the case of a retailer brand name substitution.

Determining consumers’ willingness to pay in view of extrinsic attributes of Erzurum Stuffed-Kadayif with Protected Geographical Indication

The aim of the study is to determine consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) in view of the brand types and food retailers simulations from the product profiles based on the intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of Erzurum Stuffed-kadayif profiles with Protected Geographical Indication, and then to create the marketing strategies for each consumer segment. In order to reach to these goals, the main material composed of the primary data obtained from consumers consuming Erzurum Stuffed-kadayif in Erzurum Province. Based on the data, k-means cluster analysis was firstly used to segment heterogeneous consumer masses according to their consumption frequencies, and choice-based CA model was secondly applied to calculate the total utilities for each consumer segment and then to measure consumers’ WTP for Erzurum Stuffed-kadayif profile simulations. The results of the study highlighted that the light and heavy users’ WTPs with higher premium prices for the local brands and manufacturer outlets calculated as 48.0% and 28.2%, and 40.8% and 26.5% respectively, but the medium users’ WTPs with high premium prices for each product attribute found as 14.5%. Focused on such consumer-oriented attitudes, the market actors should position Erzurum Stuffed-kadayif with local retailer brands sold from the higher premium prices at the manufacturer stores for the light and heavy users, but it should be implemented the product differentiation strategies under the intrinsic and extrinsic food attributes for the medium users.

Pricing and service effort strategy in live streaming commerce supply chain under the equal proportion settlement mode.

Investigating novel collaboration modes is imperative for enhancing the cooperative ties between brand retailers and anchors as live streaming commerce moves progressively towards standardization. In this paper, we study a live streaming commerce supply chain system composed of a brand retailer and an Internet celebrity anchor. We also develop the pricing and live streaming service effort decision models under the equal proportion settlement mode of pit fee for the brand retailer and anchor. The research results show that under certain conditions, there is an optimal joint decision on price discount and live streaming service effort. In addition, the equal proportion settlement mode provides security for brand retailers but tends to expose the anchor's capabilities of live streaming sales. Consequently, anchors can only obtain a higher proportion of the pit fee by putting in more effort. Finally, through numerical analysis, we presented the impact of key parameters on the optimal decisions, demand, and profits of brand retailers and anchors. Based on these findings, we provided relevant managerial insights, offering valuable guidance and reference for the live streaming commerce industry.

Functional Theory of the Development of Religiosity and Knowledge on Intention to Purchase Bubble Tea Drinks in Indonesia

Society competes fiercely to produce the best goods and attract customers with various strategies and methods. Due to high demand, the same phenomenon also occurs in Indonesia, especially in the culinary sector. The food and beverage industry in Indonesia experienced an increase from 2020 to 2021 by 2.54 percent to IDR 775.1 trillion, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that the national food and beverage industry's gross domestic product (GDP) based on current prices (ADHB) was IDR 1.12 quadrillion in 2021. The type of research used in this research is a quantitative research approach. Data collection was carried out through a Google Form survey tool using the convenience sampling method and structural equation modeling (PLS) which was distributed to 121 respondents. The analysis carried out validity, reliability, Goodness-of-Fit and hypothesis testing. The research results show that there is a positive and significant relationship between the utilitarian function, knowledge and religiosity with Attitude Towards Advertising. Apart from that, this research shows that there is a positive and significant relationship between Attitude Towards Advertising and Retailer Brand on Customer Purchase Intentions. This research also shows that attitude towards advertising can mediate religiosity and knowledge on customer purchase intention.

Modular design of new products and remanufacturing of used products under mass customization

Modular architecture design can not only increase the product variety and thus make mass customization (MC) easier, but also improve interchangeability and then lower the remanufacturing cost. This paper models a remanufacturing MC supply chain with one manufacturer and one retailer. The manufacturer, as a Stackelberg game leader, designs and then sells the new and modular MC products via its brand retailer, and meanwhile the remanufacturing of used MC products would be carried out by either the manufacturer or the retailer. We study the optimal modular design for new MC products and the best remanufacturing mode for used MC products. One centralized and two decentralized decision models are formulated, and the equilibrium solutions of proposed models are compared and analyzed. Findings show that, compared to the retailer-remanufacturing mode, the manufacturer-remanufacturing mode can be superior in terms of the ability to cope with customer customization requirements (i.e., the modularity level), total supply chain profit, and consumer surplus. Moreover, both supply chain members and consumers would prefer the manufacturer-remanufacturing mode when the parameters meet certain conditions. We also extend the model to two scenarios: the remanufacturing is bounded by cores supply and the retailer acts a leader, so as to verify the robustness of main results. The above theoretical results are verified by numerical examples.

Consumers’ Resistance to Retailer Brand Substitution: Antecedents and Consequences

Since the economic and social crisis in Tunisia, consumers have grown skeptical and suspicious of developments and changes coming from companies. Brand substitution is a strategy that has captured consumers’ attention, prompting numerous inquiries. The purpose of this research is to understand how consumers perceive and react toward a store brand name substitution and, consequently, a change in their retailing mix and to identify antecedents that can generate consumer resistance. A qualitative approach analysis with 15 consumers highlighted three main antecedents such as (1) surprise, (2) negative emotions, (3) attachment to the old store brand. These antecedents influence buying behavior and, in some cases, generate resistance to substitution, negatively affecting the relationship between customers and the new store brand.

Behind Zara’s success: An analysis of brand marketing and management in fast fashion

This paper focuses on an in-depth analysis of the fashion retail brand Zara, starting with a detailed introduction of its brand background, history, and main features. Zara, a brand of the Inditex Group, is known for its quick response to market trends and for offering high-quality and fashionable clothing products. This article explores how Zara has had a significant impact on the global fashion industry with its unique brand positioning. In addition, the thesis delves into its market positioning and its strategies to stand out in the global fashion market through its fast fashion model. It focuses on Zara’s supply chain management, design innovation, marketing strategy, etc., as well as an in-depth study of its target consumer groups and market environment. In addition, it analyses how Zara has increased its brand awareness and influence in the digital age through brand communication, social media marketing, and online-offline integration. Taking Zara, one of the world’s most famous fast fashion brands, as an example, this article analyses Zara’s successful experience in brand management and marketing strategy, which provides a useful reference and inspiration for the development of fashion retail brands.

The mediating role of social media marketing effectiveness in the relationship between customer engagement and brand loyalty: A study of Amazon as a retail brand store

This study aims to examine the mediating role of social media marketing effectiveness in the relationship between customer engagement dimensions (cognitive, emotional, behavioral, transactional, and social) and brand loyalty in the context of Amazon as a retail brand store. A quantitative approach was adopted, employing a survey-based method to collect data from 320 consumers who engage with Amazon as a retail brand store on social media platforms. Findings reveal positive effects of cognitive, emotional, transactional, and social engagement on brand loyalty and social media marketing effectiveness. However, behavioral engagement exhibited a negative impact. Social media marketing effectiveness positively influenced brand loyalty and mediated the relationships between customer engagement dimensions and brand loyalty. This study contributes to literature by challenging assumptions and providing insights into the interplay among customer engagement dimensions, social media marketing effectiveness, and brand loyalty. This offers brands the opportunity to promote and increase their awareness with the use of social media to interact with existing customer base that will boost loyalty in the long run. Only a few studies have examined social media marketing effectiveness as a mediator between customer engagement dimensions and brand loyalty. Therefore, this work endeavors to fill this gap by investigating consumer engagement, social media marketing and brand loyalty in an age when the internet plays an important role.

Customer definitions of moral value for retail brands: A qualitative understanding

The present study investigates consumer definitions of morality for brand value (BV) and whether the definitions are similar or different from ethics. Past research has identified many dimensions (e.g., functional value) of BV but not moral and ethical, which is surprising. There is also a constant debate on whether morality is similar or different from ethics, but only some scholars offer limited empirical research. Some clarity informed by in-depth qualitative insights will illuminate the debate and whether morality is necessary or redundant to a BV framework after ethics has been considered. Hence, we purposefully recruited and interviewed 12 British consumers from varied backgrounds to gauge their morality and ethical definitions of BV. Our work suggests that morality and ethics are necessary to develop a BV framework because they are not identical. Whilst they share the caring dimension, they are also distinct. Morality is more about cooperation/teamwork and prudence, whereas ethics is more about compliance plus fairness/honesty.

Analysis of Marketing and Brand Development Strategy of Sports Retail Brand - Take Lululemon as an Example

This article delves into marketing strategies aimed at boosting sales for sports brands, with a specific focus on Lululemon, a prominent international sports brand, as a case study. Through an in-depth analysis of Lululemon's historical challenges and subsequent improvements, we aim to glean valuable insights into effective marketing strategies applicable to the sports brand industry. Lululemon, like many other sports brands, has faced its fair share of obstacles. These challenges often encompass market competition, changing consumer preferences, and the need for innovative approaches to stay relevant. By examining how Lululemon addressed these issues, we can distill practical lessons in marketing. Furthermore, this case study serves as a source of inspiration for developing distinctive and innovative marketing strategies. We will explore various aspects of marketing, from branding and product development to consumer engagement and market positioning. This comprehensive analysis will help identify key areas where sports brands can fine-tune their strategies to enhance sales and brand recognition. In an era of ever-evolving consumer demands and fierce market dynamics, sports brands must remain adaptable and innovative in their marketing efforts. This article seeks to provide valuable insights and actionable recommendations that can empower sports brands, including Lululemon, to navigate the competitive landscape effectively and thrive in the industry.

Feeling close from Afar: Public reactions to racial profiling in retail and brand crisis management

Consumer racial profiling, a service failure unfairly targeting consumers based on their race, still prevails in the retail sector, impacting not only the direct victims' perceptions but also shaping the broader public sentiment toward the retail brand. To comprehend public reactions to a retail brand's racial (vs. non-racial) profiling service failure, we conducted three scenario-based online experiments with MTurk panels. In Study 1, we discovered that a brand crisis resulting from racial profiling service failure, as opposed to non-racial profiling, led to a more pronounced reduction in purchase intention toward the retail brand. This heightened negative response unfolded in a sequence, where the service failure initially triggered negative moral emotions among the public, subsequently shaping their judgment toward the brand, ultimately leading to a decline in purchase intention. In Study 2, we explored the role of perceived psychological distance as a moderator. We found that non-racial profiling service failure intensified negative moral emotions when the public perceived the service failure as more personally likely to happen to them (close). Meanwhile, the impact of racial profiling remained consistently high, regardless of psychological distance. In Study 3, when comparing the impact of distinct crisis management approaches (ethics of justice and ethics of care), we found that the ethics of care approach more effectively alleviated negative moral emotions in response to a racial profiling crisis than the ethics of justice approach.

Myths and Realities of Retail Shopper Behaviour towards ‘Sustainable’ Brands

Sustainable marketing aims to encourage consumer behaviour that will improve the environmental and social outcomes of consumption. Despite decades of effort, however, manufacturers and retailers often see disappointing shopper responses to their sustainable marketing efforts. This paper argues that this is because many sustainable marketing efforts are hampered by false assumptions about how buyers behave in retail settings. The purpose of this paper is to take two commonly accepted sustainable marketing retail beliefs—that ‘sustainable’ brand buyers are a different type of retail shopper and that they are more loyal to these brands than shoppers of non-sustainable brands—and draw upon two established marketing empirical generalisations, the Law of Brand User Profiles and the Law of Double Jeopardy, both built over decades of research, to show that these beliefs are, in fact, myths. We use 22 sets of continuous data spanning five categories in the UK to illustrate this. Mean Absolute Deviations were used to compare the profile of sustainable brand users against non-sustainable brand users. The Dirichlet model of buyer behaviour was applied to the data to examine loyalty to sustainable brands. The results show sustainable brands are just like all other retail brands in their performance. This is a positive finding as it means they can utilise ‘regular’ brand growth knowledge to increase their market share. Overall, the paper illustrates the process and benefits of moving to a view of sustainable marketing that has stronger scientific underpinnings and that leads to more realistic shopper response expectations for retailers and manufacturers.

Correction to: A high-performance turnkey system for customer lifetime value prediction in retail brands

Correction to: A high-performance turnkey system for customer lifetime value prediction in retail brands

Purchase intention of fashion brand retailers: a journey through consumer engagement and happiness

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to define a structural equation model (SEM) that examines how fashion consumers' expectations of consumer brand engagement (CBE) influence purchase intention, both directly and through consumer happiness as a mediator. For this purpose, the authors will develop the components of CBE and consumer happiness variables, whose relevance in the literature has increased considerably.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out by means of a survey developed on the basis of the scales found in the literature, with a sample of 1,296 consumers representative of the Spanish population. The method used to test the hypotheses was partial least squares SEM.FindingsThe results of this research indicate that both CBE and consumer happiness positively influence the purchase intention of fashion brands. In turn, the importance of the dimensions of the antecedent variables can be established.Research limitations/implicationsThe current research does not allow a longitudinal analysis of the consumption of fashion retailers. The findings of this scientific study provide a wealth of theoretical and practical information for managers to develop management models based on the sensory enjoyment of their consumers.Originality/valueOne of the novelties of this study is that it considers the consumer happiness variable and its dimensions in a consumer behavior model together with CBE.

A high-performance turnkey system for customer lifetime value prediction in retail brands

Customer lifetime value (CLV) modeling underpins modern marketing analytics, enabling the development of tailored customer relationship management strategies based on the predicted future value of their customers. As part of Amperity’s enterprise customer data platform (CDP), we deploy and maintain a CLV prediction system that caters to a rapidly growing list of brands across various industries, purchase behaviors, and scales. Given the impracticality of developing bespoke models for each brand, our solution must be adaptive, generalizable, and high-performing ”out of the box”. Furthermore, our platform demands daily prediction updates to facilitate prompt marketing decisions. This paper introduces a turnkey CLV prediction system that achieves state-of-the-art performance across a diverse set of brands. This system has several contributions: 1) the use of encodings and embeddings to incorporate signals from high-cardinality data; 2) a multi-stage churn-CLV modeling framework that augments additional flexibility in adjusting churn probabilities, subsequently reducing CLV prediction errors while maintaining a synergistic learning process; 3) a feature-weighted ensemble of both generative and discriminative models to accommodate diverse underlying purchase patterns. Empirical results show that our enhanced model consistently surpasses benchmark performances for twelve retail brands across six evaluation intervals from June 2020 to September 2022.

Measuring employee-consumer integrated retailer brand equity

The aim of this research is to develop and test a measure of integrated retailer brand equity (IRBE) based on frontline fashion retail employees' internal (i.e., as employee) and external (i.e., as consumer) perceptions of the retailer's brand. Comparisons are made between two types of frontline employees, patronizing and non-patronizing. Using advanced PLS-SEM techniques, this research introduces a third order reflective-formative hierarchical component model (HCM) into the retailer brand equity domain. The research validates an IRBE model with four consumer dimensions and seven employee dimensions. Both types of employees value all four consumer dimensions; however, they value different employee dimensions. The IRBE model, when operationalized, can encourage closer integration of human resources and marketing functions, and enable practitioners to enhance their brand offerings and build a more cohesive retailer brand.