Customer lifetime value: the effect of relational benefits, brand experiences, quality, satisfaction, trust and commitment in the fast-food restaurants

Purpose This study examines factors that affect customer lifetime value (CLV) in fast-food restaurants (FFRs) in Jordan. These factors are relational benefits, brand experiences, service quality (SQ), satisfaction, trust and commitment. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was collected from a sample of 503 respondents. The authors used SPSS to test the constructs' relationships and analyse the data. SmartPLS was used to test the hypotheses. Findings In contrast to previous studies, not all dimensions of brand experiences and relational benefits had a significant and positive influence on relationship marketing outcomes (satisfaction, trust and commitment). On the other hand, results demonstrated that SQ had a significant and positive influence on relationship marketing outcomes. Furthermore, research reveals that satisfaction, trust and commitment significantly and positively influenced CLV. Practical implications Those FFRs that seek to enhance CLV should build solid and sustainable bonds with their customers. This paper concludes by stating its implications, its limitations and the opportunities available for future research. Originality/value This study, which is unique in the Middle East, includes essential strategies for managing customer relationship that can be universally applied to improve customer benefits and maximise the performance of businesses

The effect of brand experiences and relational benefits on loyalty in the fast-food restaurants

Purpose The aim of this study is to examine the role of relational benefits and brand experience measurements on willingness to pay more (WPM), effects of word of mouth (WOM) and repurchase intention (RI) in fast-food restaurants (FFR). Design/methodology/approach Employing an online questionnaire survey with a sample size of 503 respondents, the quantitative methodology included multiple regression and factor analysis to facilitate the analyses of data. Findings Relational benefits and their dimensions (confidence, special treatment and social benefits) found to positively impact WPM, WOM and RI. With reference to brand experiences, the current study found that behavioural and intellectual experiences have significant and positive effects on WPM, WOM and RI. Surprisingly, no positive significance was identified between sensory experiences and WPM, WOM and RI. Practical implications The findings show that relational benefits and brand experience dimensions play an essential role in improving brand loyalty. Originality/value The current study subscribes to the concept of relationship marketing theory, suggesting that loyalty to FFRs can be enhanced by offering customers relational benefits and augmenting their brand experiences

Origin, Product Evaluation and Willingness to Buy: A Study of Young Myanmar Consumers’ Mobile Phone Choices

Over the last decades, country of origin (COO) and its associated concepts have received a substantial amount of research interests. They have been considering as essential instruments to explain consumers’ product evaluation and willingness to buy local or foreign brands. In international marketing literature, however, COO concept remains as one of the most debatable topics due to the effect of globalisation and the movement of the global supply chain in the production process. The change of modern consumer perceptions and preferences in the evaluation of products leads to the debates amongst the scholars about the relevance of COO, and thus, leads to cultivating the research questions of the current study. This research focuses on the COO construct from the dimension of the county of a brand (brand origin) and image-related constructs to investigate Myanmar young professionals’ product evaluation and purchase intention. Hence, the main contribution of this research aims to extend the application of COO concept into Myanmar consumers context. The majority of COO and related ascendant concepts are explored in developed countries, and a few studies are conducted in developing countries with accessible research facilities. However, newly emerging economies such as Myanmar have less privilege to research due to their hardships in political, economics, and level of country development. Thus, this study offers essential insights on the behaviour of Myanmar young professionals in product evaluation and purchase process of the research product (i.e., mobile phones) as well as the advanced perspective of the relationship between origins- and images-related country and brand constructs and consumers’ attitudes. By extending the boundary of COO concept application into a new research context, the findings are beneficial for international marketers by highlighting the importance of product country image, COO, and brand image as predictors of consumer purchase behaviour. One main contribution of this study is that it empirically examines the consumer-level determinants of COO in a newly emerging country context where consumer behaviour research is limited. The initial survey conducts in a metropolitan city of Myanmar, Yangon where target respondents, young professionals, are based and received 245 valid questionnaires. The follow-up, 20 interviews take place amongst the chosen participants for insightful one-to-one interviews. The findings show that product’s country image is the most influential factor in product evaluation, whereas the brand image is the most influential one on purchase intention for the mobile phones in Myanmar. The product evaluation can serve as a partial mediator between the relationships of ‘product’s country image – willingness to buy’ and ‘brand image – willingness to buy.’ Revealing the brand name of the product and the country name of its origin can only affect to some extent on product evaluation, yet the factor itself does not influence consumers’ purchase intention. One of the interesting findings shows that COO has no impact on Myanmar consumers’ product evaluation but has a direct influence on their purchase intention. All these results of the conceptual relationships of quantitative analysis are complemented by the discussion and findings extracted from in-depth interviews. The practicality of this research offers beneficial suggestions for various stakeholders who are keen to observe consumer behaviour of not only Myanmar young adults but also other young consumers of newly emerging economies wherein similar situations