Michael Breazeale

Who needs delight?: The greater impact of value, trust and satisfaction in utilitarian, frequent-use retail

Purpose – The aim of this study is to determine whether the cumulative effects of satisfaction, trust, and perceived value may, under certain conditions, provide more explanatory power for customer loyalty intentions than the often studied and more elusive customer delight. Herzbergs two-factor theory is used to explain why the frequent nature of grocery shopping, a primarily utilitarian experience, might introduce considerations that have not yet been addressed in the study of delight. Design/methodology/approach – A survey is administered to a quota sample of Portuguese supermarket shoppers via phone, using a CATI system. Findings – Research findings suggest that perceived value, trust, and satisfaction have a greater impact on behavioural outcomes than customer delight in the grocery shopping setting. In such a setting, cognitive drivers may be even more important for customers who are primarily concerned with hygiene factors (rather than motivators). Research limitations/implications – Retailers are ...

Pressing the Buy Button: Generation Y's Online Clothing Shopping Orientation and Its Impact on Purchase.

The authors investigated the effect of the nine most accepted factors of online shopping orientation on online purchase intention through perceived behavioral control and attitude toward purchase of clothing. They suggest that in-home shopping tendency, convenience consciousness, and impulse purchase are the most significant constructs in building consumers’ online shopping orientation. Impulse and convenience for online shoppers appear to be more important than recreational shopping. Online shopping orientation seems to have a positive influence on perceived behavioral control and attitude toward purchase. Implications of the results are discussed to provide guidance for managers and future researchers.

Eat Green, Get Lean: Promoting Sustainability Reduces Consumption

Food overconsumption contributes greatly to health problems that affect a large portion of the population while also straining the earths natural resources. Attempts by policy makers to encourage sustainable food practices often focus more on the role of producers and less on the role of consumers, even though a growing number of consumers are concerned about the sustainability of their food products. Yet consumers often fail to perceive any immediate, personal benefits from consuming sustainably; instead, they envision future societal-level benefits. Three studies capturing actual behavior—the consumption of food and beverages—provide evidence that food promoted as sustainable can produce individual consumer benefits through reduced consumption. Study 1 shows the effect of sustainability in lessening consumption. Study 2 demonstrates how sustainability semantically primes a prosocial focus, which is the mechanism involved in the reduction of consumption. Study 3 then shows that this effect is enhanced for people with higher levels of self-control.

Branding terror: Building notoriety in violent extremist organizations

The creation and implementation of an intended brand personality has become a prevailing topic, both for practitioners and researchers. Especially in luxury industry, where brands hold a strong symbolic meaning, marketers are faced with the challenge of successfully establishing an intended brand personality and turning it into a realized brand personality among consumers. However, research identifying drivers for successful brand personality implementation is scarce. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to first identify factors which influence duality of the brand personality concept by accounting for both the intended and the realized brand personality perspective and factors that influence the fit between the two perspectives. Second, we will focus specifically on brand personality implementation strategies that involve the interplay between strategic considerations of brand managers, the corresponding implementation activities, as well as the customer’s perspective. We will integrate the results of an exploratory qualitative study that compiled interviews with luxury marketing managers in Switzerland.

Giving back the “self” in self service: customer preferences in self-service failure recovery

Purpose When a failure occurs with a self-service technology (SST), do customers want to give back the “self” in self-service? The authors explore employee’s role in a self-service failure and how the presence of other customers can change that role. Specifically, they examine how the self-monitoring of customers behavior during a failure can change recovery preferences. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from customers of a movie self-service ticket kiosk and a grocery self-checkout. Three experiments were conducted. Findings Results from these studies find that customers want employees to fully take over a transaction after a failure if it takes place in isolation. If other patrons are present or waiting in line, then customers prefer the employee to simply correct the problem and let them complete the transaction. Finally, the servicescape along with the presence of other customers in a self-service area can induce self-monitoring behaviors and alter optimal recovery strategies. Research limitations/implications These findings have implications on the appropriate amount of recovery assistance customers need in a self-service experience. Practical implications This research reveals the social and functional complexities associated with executing a satisfactory SST failure recovery, particularly with respect to determining the extent to which the employee or customer should control the attempt. Originality/value This is the first study to examine the employee’s role in a self-service failure. While other studies have examined customers’ intentions in a self-service failure, authors examine how a service provider can assist in the recovery of a self-service failure.

Cara Pils, a brand despite itself

Synopsis Cara Pils is the private label beer brand of Colruyt, the biggest supermarket retailer in Belgium. As a true private label brand, Cara Pils has never been advertised. In 2015, Colruyt undertook an initiative to reposition its numerous private label brands under two larger private label brands. Unexpectedly, customers were incensed by this initiative, came out in droves and took the matter to social media hoping to lament the demise of their beloved brand. This case study investigates the roots of this strong brand attachment and the consequences for its brand management. Research methodology This case is built on primary (one in-depth interview and two focus group) as well as secondary data sources (previous research and web information). Relevant courses and levels This case is designed to be used in a marketing management or brand strategy course for students that already followed an introduction to marketing course or for students at a master level. Theoretical bases This case should provide the basis of discussions on the topics of brand management, private-label brands, repositioning strategy, brand portfolio management, brand architecture, brand equity, brand elements, brand nostalgia, and consumers’ relationships with brands.

Countering Negative Online Reviews: The Impact of Response and Responder—A Structured Abstract

The phenomenon of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has been the focus of a substantial amount of research, with negative eWOM receiving a great deal of that attention. Compared to positive ratings, negative reviews elicit stronger feelings toward both the brand and its performance (Mizerski 1982). Indeed, research indicates that four out of five online consumers have changed their decision to purchase based on a negative online product review (Cone 2011). While sales effects directly attributable to eWOM have been shown to be short-lived (Moe and Trusov 2011), little is known about the long-term impact of negative eWOM on a brand. A study of movie ticket sales, however, did find that the volume of reviews can have a significant impact on overall movie revenues (Duan et al. 2008), suggesting that there may be long-term effects of eWOM. While the power of eWOM is accepted, to date, extant literature has not specifically addressed the impact of responses to negative eWOM and how those responses may affect readers’ evaluations of the focal brand. Our research examines how a response (i.e., a negative review has been posted online and another person posts in reference to the original comment) can counter a negative online review and empirically examines the differing impact based on who responds.

Contemplating the futures of branding

The creation and implementation of an intended brand personality has become a prevailing topic, both for practitioners and researchers. Especially in luxury industry, where brands hold a strong symbolic meaning, marketers are faced with the challenge of successfully establishing an intended brand personality and turning it into a realized brand personality among consumers. However, research identifying drivers for successful brand personality implementation is scarce. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to first identify factors which influence duality of the brand personality concept by accounting for both the intended and the realized brand personality perspective and factors that influence the fit between the two perspectives. Second, we will focus specifically on brand personality implementation strategies that involve the interplay between strategic considerations of brand managers, the corresponding implementation activities, as well as the customer’s perspective. We will integrate the results of an exploratory qualitative study that compiled interviews with luxury marketing managers in Switzerland.