The impact of celebrity credibility on consumer’s purchase intention toward the footwear industry in Malaysia: The mediating effect of attitude toward advertisement

Practices of using celebrities as spokespeople for commercialized products are continuously favoured toward the effort of marketing and positioning. The popularity of celebrity advertising is founded upon advertiser’s belief on message credibility by well-known personalities to achieve greater attention, recall and behavioural intention among consumers. The present study assesses the impact of celebrity credibility on the underlying purchase intention of Malaysian consumers toward the footwear industry, by exploring the mediating role of attitude toward advertisement between celebrity credibility and purchase intention. The influence of endorser’s characteristics and cultures on consumer’s behavioural intention is explained through the applications of the Theory of Identification (Kelman, 1961, 2006) and the Meaning Transfer Model (McCracken, 1989) in this study. Descriptive findings collected from 200 potential consumers have suggested attitude toward advertisement as the catalyst of endorser’s identification, for cultivating dimensions of celebrity credibility (trustworthiness, expertise and attractiveness) into transactional intention. The phenomenon of integration approaches of single phenomenon, with two theoretical perspectives (Mayer & Sparrowe, 2013) is demonstrated in this product marketplace

Functionality and design influence on fitness fashion

The growing debate between design and functionality dominates within the sportswear industry. Consumers purchase sportswear indirectly due to personal and social intrinsic attributes. Sportswear should be functional, comfortable and safe, developed in line with the performance needs of a person. Hence this study aims to explore the intrinsic factors of consumers purchase intention towards fitness fashion. The conceptual model which is an integration of Social Cognition and Enclothed Cognition theories was analysed using double mediation and reveals that personal and social factors affect perceived importance on functionality and design. While most research claims extrinsic values as main factors of purchase, other perceptions of consumers could come into play which would be beneficial for sportswear brands to identify with and leverage on. The results of this research can assist companies to gain prominence, leveraging on the growing popularity of active lifestyles by designing clothing that match those perceptions

A study of purchase intention of international fast-fashion brands of Malaysian Gen Y consumers

Generation Y consumers have become increasingly fashion conscious, contributing to the growth of the fashion industry particularly with a keen interest in international fast-fashion bands. Underlined by the consumer behaviour expectancy theory and theory of planned behaviour this study seeks to investigate the factors of brand image, perceived quality and country of origin affecting their purchase intention. Purposive sampling of 200 online survey using Google Docs were targeted Generation Y respondents. Results from the Multi Linear Regression show that brand image and perceived quality of fast fashion brands in Malaysia are important to purchase intention of Generation Y and that country of origin does not play a significant role. The findings recommend that new and upcoming intentional brands have the ability to market on the same level playing field as established brands regardless of country so long as they can capture the strong brand image of the Generation Y consumers effectively

The impact of Fitness Center servicescape on individual behavior: The Mediating role of emotional response

This study assesses the impact of fitness centers’ servicescape on individual behavior, exploring the mediating role of the Emotional Response between servicescape dimensions and individual behavior amongst customers of the Malaysian fitness industry. Consumers place great emphasis on the surrounding environmental stimuli which facilitates engagement during active fitness activity. 200 samples were collected from six different Malaysian fitness franchises and questions focused mainly on members perceptions of servicescape and how this affects behavior. Multiple linear regression and mediation model analysis reveals positive direct effects of the Physical and Natural dimensions of servicescape on individual behaviour, whilst mediating effects of Emotional Response are present for indirect relationships of Social and Natural dimension on individual behaviour. The results of this study serve to help the management of the fitness centers’ servicescape which will encourage more members’ engagement during their fitness regime while improving word of mouth marketing through their increased satisfaction

The mediating role of customer satisfaction in customer retention model: A Case of local automobile brands in Malaysia

The automobile industry in Malaysia is facing increasing competition from foreign makes.Local automobile manufacturers, namely Perodua and Proton, are thus losing their market share. With such rapid decline in sales, it is important to ascertain the needs of customers in determining the predictors of repurchase intention of vehicles. This research seeks to examine the mediating role of customer satisfaction and to investigate the relationship of perceived service quality, product quality, price fairness, satisfaction, and repurchase intention. Multistage cluster sampling method was employed first in the Klang Valley before extending to a few selected authorized service centres. 200 samples were collected and data was analysed using SMART PLS 2.0 to build and assess the structural equation model of the relationships between the constructs. The results show that perceived service quality has no significant relationship with repurchase intention. However, perceived product quality, perceived price fairness and customer satisfaction are important factors that influence customers’ repurchase intention. Customer satisfaction also mediates the relationship between perceived product quality and perceived price fairness towards repurchase intention

Strategic understanding of Malaysian online customers’ service quality preference through demographic customer profiling and e-product bundling

In order to stay competitive in the arena of e-commerce, conventional e-marketing research have provided solutions to online businesses and marketing practitioners by understanding online purchasing behavior and thereby proposing various determinants influencing online purchasing behavior. Little research has been done in order to assist marketing practitioners to identify the precise online customer segmentation, making market targeting and positioning and use of effective marketing campaigns complex. Hence, this study aims to identify the appropriate online customer segmentation (product bundles) based on three determinants of online purchasing behavior, i.e. e-service quality, demographic profiles and types of product purchased. 680 useful data was collected from existing online shoppers and data mining technique was employed to identify the product bundles and decision trees were used for customer profiling. Findings have identified Tickets, Clothing and Travel product bundles as the basis of segmentation. Result from this study will assist online marketing practitioners to be conscious of online customers needs and astutely create marketing campaigns aiming at their targeted online customers segment

Airport revenue management: does airport size matter?

Airports today operate as business entities. Competition between airlines has revolutionized the way airports operate. There is an increasing preference for smaller airports. This has improved the economic and financial viability of small and medium airports from non-aeronautical revenue. An empirical study examines the relationship between airport size and airport profits. There is no statistically significant evidence from the results to suggest that small/medium airports are less profitable than major hub airports as the former reconfigure their activities in response to changing circumstances

A study of customer retention and churn rate management through data mining and customer profiling of Malaysian mobile user

This study aims to investigate the needs and wants of prepaid mobile service subscribers in Malaysia and identify usage patterns of industry churners, ultimately to offer the right product and value to target customers within a highly competitive market. This paper discusses the challenges faced by mobile companies in relation to high churn rates (sometimes called attrition rate), maintaining customer loyalty and the presence of stiff competition. Data was collected through database extraction from a telecommunication company in Malaysia which includes available demographic and behavioral data of the subscribers. Apriori association algorithm was employed to determine product bundling and C&R decision trees were used for customer profiling. It was discovered that there were three main product bundles subscribed by the prepaid mobile consumers. A brief look at the behavioral usage pattern of churners was also discussed. These information help mobile service providers to be more aware of their customer needs and to intelligently predict potential market churners

Factors influencing dietary compliance amongst Australian diabetics

Managing the socio-economic burdens associated with the exponential global growth of diabetes diagnosis, poses one of the greatest challenges to modern health systems. Whilst there is no known cure for diabetes, many of the negative health impacts can be successfully minimised through formal therapy, dietary modification and exercise. In particular, dietary modification is considered an important first step and crucial for positive diabetes management and therapy outcomes. Despite this knowledge and extensive support and education provided by the health system, diabetes educators report that many people with diabetes are unable or unwilling to practice recommended dietary modification. This study empirically tests a model of factors that have been shown to play a role in influencing dietary compliance and confirms the importance of self-efficacy in this behaviour. The findings of this study are translated using a social marketing framework into recommendations for diabetes health educators

To buy or to lie: Determinants of purchase intention of counterfeit fashion in Malaysia

In the competitive market of the fashion industry, counterfeit fashion has become prominent and also a great threat to the original brands in the market. The study seeks to investigate the factors that affect consumers' purchase intention towards counterfeit fashion products (CFP). Constructs of past experience of consumers, perceived risk, social influence, attitudes of consumers towards the purchase intention of counterfeit fashion products were explored through the distribution of 350 questionnaires. 245 usable date is analysed and the results showed that past experience and social influence have the most significant influential effect towards the purchase intention of CFP. The results also proved that consumers' attitude towards CFP have a mediating effect and gender moderates between past experience and purchase intention. This research discusses the implications towards authentic brand manufacturers in fashion industry and recommendations for future research studies, which will help researchers in conducting research more accuratel