Gloria Berenguer-Contrí

Measuring the antecedents of e-loyalty and the effect of switching costs on website

This paper deals with the process by which electronic customer loyalty (e-loyalty) is formed. The twofold aim is to analyse e-loyalty, describing its development in terms of how it is influenced by several determinants and to study potential barriers to switching which significantly affect the repeat purchase decision. In particular, an integrating theoretical framework is proposed to determine the e-loyalty dependency of electronic service quality and perceived value, and how this last relationship can be moderated by switching costs. Results offer evidence for the important role of customers perceptions of e-service quality and value in e-loyalty. Proposals are made of how companies that are online can use this knowledge to build marketing strategies.

Relational benefits and loyalty in retailing: an inter‐sector comparison

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically a model that reflects the different types of relational benefits perceived by customers, as well as the benefits obtained by the organization in terms of customer loyalty.Design/methodology/approach – In order to achieve the aim of this paper, a quantitative analysis through a personal survey to consumers for four types of retailing activities is performed. Data are analyzed through factor analysis and a structural equation model is estimated.Findings – Confidence benefits and special treatment benefits have major influence on customer loyalty towards the retailer. These results are consistent across retail activities.Research limitations/implications – The present study is limited in its scope and a first approach is considered that it might inspire further research adding new constructs into the model in order to deepen into the analysis of the relationship between customer and retailer relational benefits.Practical implications – Since the benefits ...

Information and Communication Technology as a Differentiation Tool in Restaurants

Hospitality companies implement various communication and information technologies to improve efficiency and customer service, among other aspects. However, the literature has paid little attention to investment in technology by restaurants. Therefore, this article aims at testing the use of technology as a differentiation instrument by restaurants. As a result of this analysis for a sample of 150 restaurant owners or managers, these findings allow the identification of the specific technology solutions that make the difference across restaurants and, thus, to infer the information and communication technologies that should be prioritized by restaurant owners/managers depending on their restaurant profile.

Instruments for Wine Promotion in Upscale Restaurants

In recent years, wine marketing has assumed an increasingly important role in restaurants. The growing complexity of the supply of wines determines that consumer choice is conditioned by wine labels included in the wine list and the influence of the waiter. The objective of this study is to identify and characterize how a wine list is prepared and displayed for wine promotion by upscale restaurants, depending on the presence of wine specialists on staff. As a result, it is observed that the content and design of the wine list is largely conditioned by the presence of a sommelier, since the ways used for promoting wines in the wine lists differ across restaurants.

Store equity and behavioral intentions: the moderating role of the retailer’s technology

Purpose In the current competitive environment in which retailers operate, store equity is seen as a key differentiating factor. In view of the scarce research on the dimensionality and correlates of brand equity related to the retailer, this paper aims to analyze the relationship between store equity and behavioral intentions and the influence of information and communication technology on this relation. Design/methodology/approach From a sample of 820 customers of store chains, a multigroup structural equation model is estimated considering the level of technological development of the retailer as a moderating variable. Findings The authors find evidence in favor of the positive influence of store equity on consumer behavioral intentions toward the retailer and the role of technology as a moderator in this relationship. Research limitations/implications This paper provides evidence about the multidimensionality of store equity and its positive influence on behavioral intentions towards the retailer. Furthermore, the authors find support for the notion that information and communication technology (ICT) solutions implemented by the retailer contributes to reinforce the positive impact of store equity on behavioral intentions. Practical implications Technology may be used to differentiate the retail chain from competitors. The retailer should concentrate its investments in ICT solutions that contribute to enhance the customer experience in the store. Originality/value Research on the brand equity concept in the context of retailing is still scarce. The results of this research provide support to the role of loyalty, service quality, product quality and perceived value as the dimensions of store equity. In addition to this, to the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper that addresses the role of technology in the relationship between store equity and behavioral intentions.

Dimensionalidad del servicio universitario: una aproximación desde un enfoque de marketing

This contribution sets out to adopt a holistic vision of university services via the presentation of a conceptual and methodological framework that is basedon its definition as a complex construct integrating dimensions such as teaching, support of teaching and learning, supplementary services for education, supplementary services of social nature, recreational services and non-academic and other supplementary services. The empirical research focused on the preparation of a measurement tool to quantify quality of university services as perceived by the students. Said questionnaire was applied to a sample of students at a Spanish university, which lead us to obtain data that confirmed the formulated hypothesis and the suggested model. Thus it has been proven that students are capable of differentiating up to nine dimensions of university services. Said results imply the need to improve the quality of all such service dimensions.

Facilitators and Inhibitors of Technologies to Tackle Climate Change: Opinions of Government and Private Actors

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the facilitators and inhibitors of investing in environmentally friendly technologies from the Spanish hotel perspective as well as to describe the governance initiatives pertaining to this issue. A description of the actions implemented by different Spanish governance institutions is given. Additionally, a survey is conducted to compile information provided by hotel managers on facilitators and inhibitors regarding investments in environmentally friendly information and communication technology (ICT). The results are compared across hotel categories. National governance bodies focus on providing tourist companies with preferential credits, assuming that the main reason for investing in ICT is financing, while hotels point out the importance of several inhibitors against implementing technologies. Differences are found across hotel categories. Additional governance actions are inferred from the results of our research to pursue the sustainability of the Spanish hospitality industry.