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Article
Publication date: 14 June 2021

Anne-Françoise Audrain-Pontevia and Isabelle Garnier

The purpose of this paper is to identify which loyalty programme (LP) benefits are most likely to create consumer gratitude and increase loyalty towards the brand for consumer…

1447

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify which loyalty programme (LP) benefits are most likely to create consumer gratitude and increase loyalty towards the brand for consumer goods and services loyalty schemes.

Design/methodology/approach

French-speaking Quebecer (Canada) members of retail LPs answered an online survey. The S-O-R framework was used to investigate the effects of LP benefits on customer loyalty to the brand through the mediating mechanism of gratitude. Data analysis was performed by means of partial least square structural equation modelling.

Findings

Three benefits (entertainment, recognition and social) out of five were identified to significantly enhance customer gratitude towards the brand. Neither monetary nor exploration benefits had a direct effect on gratitude or loyalty. In addition, gratitude was positively and strongly related to loyalty and fully mediated the effects of entertainment and recognition benefits on loyalty. As for social benefits, gratitude complementarily mediated their relationship to loyalty.

Practical implications

The findings are of utmost interest to LP managers. They offer valuable insights to maintain or modify LPs to enhance customer true loyalty. First, they highlight the strategic role of gratitude, which strongly determines customer loyalty. Second, this study's findings indicate which LP benefits should be prioritised to enhance customer gratitude and loyalty.

Originality/value

This research is the first empirical attempt to study the effects of LP perceived benefits on customer gratitude. It addresses the paucity of research on customer gratitude and enhances its importance in retail and relationship literature.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 49 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

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Article
Publication date: 30 May 2018

Salim L. Azar, Isabelle Aimé and Isabelle Ulrich

Mixed-target brands with strong gender identities, whether it be feminine or masculine, are not always successful at targeting both men and women, particularly in symbolic product…

3195

Abstract

Purpose

Mixed-target brands with strong gender identities, whether it be feminine or masculine, are not always successful at targeting both men and women, particularly in symbolic product categories. While attempting to maximize their sales for both targets, managers often struggle to capitalize on a single brand, and they hesitate between different naming strategies. This paper aims to build on brand gender literature and understand these brands’ (i.e. brands targeting both men and women) potential to adopt an endorsed brand strategy rather than a branded house strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a before/after experimental design to examine the effect that introducing a gender-incongruent endorsed brand (i.e. feminine endorsed brand name of masculine master brands and masculine endorsed brand name of feminine master brands) can have on consumers’ brand attitude.

Findings

First, adopting an endorsed brand strategy increases the perceived brand femininity of masculine master brands, but there is no increase in feminine master brands’ perceived brand masculinity. Second, this strategy has a negative impact on consumer attitude toward the master brand, with a stronger negative effect for feminine master brands than for masculine master brands, which is mediated by the brand gender perception change. Third, a negative feedback effect on the brand’s gender-congruent users is revealed.

Research limitations/implications

One limitation of this work is that the focus is on one sole extrinsic brand characteristic (i.e. brand name) in our experimental design, which artificially influences the relative brand name importance for consumers. Moreover, the studies offered a short text to introduce the renaming. This may have made the respondents focus on the brand more than they would have in real-world conditions.

Practical implications

This research provides many insights for masculine or feminine mixed-target brands managers in symbolic product categories, as it shows that changing from a branded house strategy to an endorsed brand strategy appears to be unsuccessful in the short run, regardless of master brand’s gender. Moreover, the study reveals negative feedback effects on the attitude toward the initial master brand, following its renaming, in the short run.

Originality/value

This research provides a warning to managers trying to gender-bend their existing brands because it can lead to brand dilution. It also emphasizes the asymmetrical evaluation of masculine vs feminine master brands, as manipulating a brand’s perceived masculinity appears very difficult to do successfully.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 52 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

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Article
Publication date: 12 January 2021

Isabelle Collin-Lachaud and Mbaye Fall Diallo

This research seeks to investigate how in-store mobile use affects store loyalty directly or indirectly via the mediation of store value and whether social influence moderates…

1343

Abstract

Purpose

This research seeks to investigate how in-store mobile use affects store loyalty directly or indirectly via the mediation of store value and whether social influence moderates such relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a sample of 862 actual customers from a market research company panel, we used structural equation modelling to test a series of research hypotheses.

Findings

The results show a positive but weak effect of in-store smartphone use on loyalty. This effect is significantly mediated by the store’s hedonic and symbolic value dimensions, but not by its utilitarian value. This research also uncovers significant moderation effects of social influence on the relationships investigated. The effect of in-store smartphone use on store loyalty is stronger when social influence is lower. However, the effects of hedonic and symbolic store value are stronger when social influence is higher.

Research limitations/implications

This research is carried out in one country (France). It focuses on social influence through in-store mobile phone use; it would also be useful to consider physical social influence.

Practical implications

Retailers should position their stores on specific value dimensions and use social influence appropriately to improve loyalty. For instance, utilitarian value should be offered to customers with low social influence. To prevent negative social influence, retailers could develop “controlled” social influence through their own private mobile app to favour interaction.

Originality/value

This research underlines the critical role of store value and social influence on the relationships between smartphone use and store loyalty. It shows that the effects of value dimensions (utilitarian, hedonic and symbolic) on loyalty differ depending on social influence level.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 49 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

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Article
Publication date: 28 February 2019

Lova Rajaobelina, Isabelle Brun and Line Ricard

The purpose of this paper is to classify live chat service users in the banking industry and provide relevant descriptive information on each group to be able to suggest…

1354

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to classify live chat service users in the banking industry and provide relevant descriptive information on each group to be able to suggest appropriate strategies to managers.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 682 panelists from a large Canadian polling firm self-administer a web-based questionnaire. Respondents are users of financial sector live chat services. Two-step cluster analysis was performed.

Findings

Four groups emerge from the analysis. Young frequent users (Group 1) attach dominant importance to speed of service, whereas computer users (Group 3) and conservative users (Group 4) who avail themselves of live chat services via computer focus on ease of use.

Practical implications

This study, which details four groups of live chat service users in the banking industry, enables managers to better adapt their strategies to the different market segments with a view to providing customers with better quality service and enhancing their experience.

Originality/value

The study presents the first live chat service classification to detail user profiles and examine differences at the before, during and after phases of the user experience. Findings enrich the body of academic literature in the service sector, in particular literature focusing on customer service in the banking industry. The paper also provides an interesting managerial framework for the implementation of successful, segment-specific strategies.

Details

International Journal of Bank Marketing, vol. 37 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-2323

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Article
Publication date: 31 July 2024

Nida Shamim, Suraksha Gupta and Matthew Minsuk Shin

The purpose of this paper is to explore user engagement (UE) within the Metaverse (MV) environment, emphasising the crucial role of immersive experiences (IEs). This study aims to…

721

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore user engagement (UE) within the Metaverse (MV) environment, emphasising the crucial role of immersive experiences (IEs). This study aims to understand how IEs influence UE and the mediating effects of hedonic value (HV) and utilitarian value (UV) on this relationship. Additionally, the authors examine the moderating impacts of user perceptions (UPs) such as headset comfort, simulation sickness, prior knowledge and ease of use on the utilisation of the MV. This study seeks to elucidate the dynamics of virtual travel at a pre-experience stage, enhancing the comprehension of how digital platforms can revolutionise UE in travel and tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a triangulation methodology to provide a thorough investigation into the factors influencing UE in the MV. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to frame the research context and identify relevant variables. To gather empirical data, 25 interviews were performed with active MV users, supplemented by a survey distributed to 118 participants. The data collected was analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the hypothesised relationships between IEs, UPs, HV and UV and their combined effect on UE within the MV.

Findings

The findings from the SEM indicate that engaging in the MV leads to a positive IE, which significantly enhances UE. Additionally, it was discovered that HV and UV play a mediating role in strengthening the link between IEs and UE. Furthermore, UPs, including headset comfort, simulation sickness, prior knowledge and ease of use, are significant moderators in the relationship between IEs and MV usage. These insights provide a nuanced understanding of the variables that contribute to and enhance UE in virtual environments.

Originality/value

This research contributes original insights into the burgeoning field of digital tourism by focusing on the MV, a rapidly evolving platform. It addresses the gap in the existing literature by delineating the complex interplay between IEs, UPs and value constructs within the MV. By using a mixed-method approach and advanced statistical analysis, this study provides a comprehensive model of UE specific to virtual travel platforms. The findings are particularly valuable for developers and marketers in the hospitality and tourism sectors seeking to capitalise on digital transformation and enhance UE through immersive technologies.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

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Book part
Publication date: 19 November 2012

Philippe Naszályi

This chapter attempts to offer a clearer look at the historical roots of the founding of mutualist finance. Without denying that the various forms of financial mutualism may have…

Abstract

This chapter attempts to offer a clearer look at the historical roots of the founding of mutualist finance. Without denying that the various forms of financial mutualism may have legal and organizational roots in ancient times, the author considers what, for contemporary mutualist banks, may constitute the soul.

In its first part, the document presents the individual constructions that existed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, in a context in which economic development and the industrial revolution banished the rules and standards of the former society. It refers to Utopian socialisms as opposed to the scientific solutions proposed for a new social organization and to the new solidarism according to Léon Bourgeois. Christian sources are also called to mind with social Christianity (Protestant) and social Catholicism until the birth of the social doctrine of the Church.

This frenzy of ideas as well as the confrontation with reality led to the birth, in Germany, of the first experiments with alternative finance. This is the subject of the second part of this chapter, which then develops the bank mutualism created by the founding fathers, F.W. Raiffeisen and H. Schulze-Delitzsch.

The historical description of the creation of mutualist banks brings up two major problems when talking about the “other finance”: the interest and activity of the bank. Is an ethical finance capable of proposing a credible alternative? This is a question that needs to be answered in the light of history.

This chapter attempts, more than 150 years after the fact, to demonstrate the ponderous presence of the question and the permanence of the founding ideas in order to comprehend the facts and propose ideas for analysis and construction of an “other finance.”

Details

Recent Developments in Alternative Finance: Empirical Assessments and Economic Implications
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-399-5

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