Cleopatra Veloutsou

Consumer engagement in online brand communities: a social media perspective

Purpose – This paper aims to delineate the meaning, conceptual boundaries and dimensions of consumer engagement within the context of online brand communities both in term of the engagement with the brand and the other members of the online brand communities. It also explores the relationships of consumer engagement with other concepts, suggesting antecedents of engagement. Design/methodology/approach – Data are collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 international online brand community members, covering a variety of brand categories and social media platforms. Findings – This paper suggests that individuals are engaging in online communities in social network platforms both with other individuals and with brands. The study also identifies three key engagement dimensions (cognition, affect and behaviours). Their meaning and sub-dimensions are investigated. The paper further suggests key drivers, one outcome and objects of consumer engagement in online brand communities. These findings are in...

Measuring customer satisfaction in the fast food industry: a cross‐national approach

In todays ever‐increasing globalization of services and brands, service‐oriented businesses need to attend to the satisfaction of their customers both domestically and abroad while transcending unique cultural differences from country to country. This study provides a cross‐cultural comparison of service satisfaction of fast food establishments in four English‐speaking countries. It is based on data collected from customers of five globally‐franchised fast‐food chains, using a previously developed service satisfaction instrument. The study reveals two empirically derived, cross‐cultural fast‐food customer satisfaction dimensions: satisfaction with the personal service and satisfaction with the service setting. Should future research support this studys findings, the measurement of cross‐cultural service satisfaction among franchised brands and services could aid business managers’ efforts to assess the quality of the services they provide across national boundaries and on a more real time, practical basis.

A cross‐industry comparison of customer satisfaction

Purpose – This paper seeks to identify service satisfaction measures that can be used across industries.Design/methodology/approach – The paper attempts to identify empirically core characteristics of customer satisfaction ratings across six industries based on the ratings of 10,835 respondents within the USA. The industries included are banking and finance, retail, government, grocery stores, hospitality/sports, and restaurants.Findings – The paper finds that banking and finance and hospitality/sports entertainment were rated highest by their patrons. Those dealing with government, general retail and moderately priced fast food restaurants received lower service satisfaction ratings. Differences were also found among respondent characteristics (i.e. age, gender, education and ethnicity/race).Research limitations/implications – The study sample was selected from organizations readily available to the research team. Future studies based on systematic random samples would enhance the generalizability of the...

Relationship marketing: What if … ?

Academics and market professionals appreciate the importance of relationship marketing for contemporary firms. Yet, relationship marketing strategies and tactics are context specific. Based on opinions expressed in an academic “think tank” held at Lake Menteith in Scotland and the use of an expert system, this paper reports how business relationships may develop in the future and the practices that should be used under certain scenarios. It concludes with recommendations of areas where further research activity in relationship marketing is required.

Identifying the Dimensions of the Product-Brand and Consumer Relationship

The concept of relationship marketing emerged from services and business-to-business marketing. Most of the research analysing the relationships themselves focuses on the social links formed between people and the needed supporting processes. However, companies can use their brands to develop and maintain links with their customers. The research on the role of brands in the development of bonds with the customers is still very limited, especially for consumer goods as opposed to consumer services. This paper reports the findings of a study which aimed to unfold the dimensions of the consumer relationship with product brand. It identifies two separate dimensions, which may be used to describe the consumer-brand relationship.

Measuring transaction-specific satisfaction in services: are the measures transferable across cultures?

Purpose – This study examines the equivalence of the use of a customer satisfaction survey in four culturally divergent contexts.Design/methodology/approach – It is based on 6,776 responses collected from fast food customers in Greece, Jamaica, the UK and the USA.Findings – The results reveal that the similarities in the measurement of satisfaction in these contexts are more than the differences, and suggest that the development of measures to examine and compare consumer satisfaction across cultures and languages is, indeed, feasible.Research limitations/implications – The data reveal considerable promise that rather simple, cross‐cultural measures can be identified and used to gain valuable insight about the viability of business products and services. This implies that researchers might be able to use the same instruments for measurement in different contexts. However, additional research is necessary to firmly support the suitability of the consumer‐related measures across cultures that were the focus...

Consultation and reliability of information sources pertaining to university selection: Some questions answered?

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the information sources used by school leavers when selecting a university at which they wish to study and the perceived reliability of these sources of information.Design/methodology/approach – Using data from 306 pupils studying at various schools in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland it was revealed that applicants utilise mostly communication originating from the university itself, including the university prospectus and open days, and, they also classify such sources of information as being the most reliable.Findings – There are some differences in the perception of the various groups under investigation; for example, potential female applicants perceive most information sources to have greater credibility than their male counterparts believe. In addition, higher performers make more use of the available information sources and also place more value on their worth.Research limitations/implications – This study set out to explore aspects of student university s...

Capturing consumer engagement: duality, dimensionality and measurement

ABSTRACT This study advances the conceptualisation and operationalisation of consumer engagement in the context of online brand communities (OBCs). Past scholarship has only partially addressed the dimensionality of engagement and the different engagement foci, and these oversights have important theoretical and empirical consequences. This study contributes to the nascent stream of research that aims to theoretically refine and operationalise engagement by espousing the duality of engagement with two engagement foci (brand and community) and seven sub-dimensions of consumer engagement. Using qualitative data from consumers and experts, three survey data sets based on English and French samples, and two pools of mirrored items (one for each engagement focus), the study develops and validates a dual-focus 22-item scale of consumer engagement that can be used to operationalise engagement with various consumer engagement objects.

Brands as relationship facilitators in consumer markets

This paper examines two types of relationships that consumers form around brands. First there are direct brand and consumer relationships, while the second are the links that a consumer develops with other consumers around brands. This includes brand communities, brand tribes and brand sub-cultures.

Brand evaluation, satisfaction and trust as predictors of brand loyalty: the mediator-moderator effect of brand relationships

Purpose – This paper aims to examine whether the strength of positive brand relationship can either mediate between trust, satisfaction, attitude towards the brand and loyalty or moderate the link between these variables. Existing research has established that trust, satisfaction and the attitude towards the brand contribute to the development of brand loyalty. However, recently, there is a growing stream of research indicating that the brands are not only facilitating transaction but companies can also use them to develop and maintain links with their customers. The exploration of the role of brands in the development of bonds with the customers is still very limited. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 189 women who are using lipstick in Glasgow, Scotland. Respondents were asked to answer a questionnaire keeping in mind their preferred brand. Findings – The findings revealed that the strength of the consumer brand relationship is a very strong predictor of brand loyalty. They also sug...