Enhancing Brand Loyalty through Brand Experience: Application of Online Flow Theory

Flow, “the state in which people are so involved in an activity” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1991, p. 4), occurs only when formidable challenge is manageable by a person’s skills. Because navigational skill and challenge influence online flow (Novak et al., 2000), experiencing flow during online shopping may be determined by the level of a consumer’s skill and challenge related to the online task. Brand experience refers to cumulative consumer experiences in interacting with brand-related stimuli (Brakus et al., 2009). Considering that a brand’s Website is a brand-related stimulus affecting brand experience, online flow on the brand’s Website is expected to contribute to the consumer’s overall brand experience. Furthermore, brand experience is thought to enhance brand loyalty (Biedenbach & Marell, 2010) or a consumer’s belief in the priority of a brand over other brands and subsequent behavioral intentions (Oliver, 1999)

Exploring Antecedents of Online Flow in Shopping for Apparel Products

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of various dimensions of skills and challenges as antecedents to flow in online apparel shopping. An online survey was conducted with a national sample of 500 female online shoppers in the U.S. Participants conducted a shopping task on the Website of an apparel brand. The findings suggest that positive triggers of flow in online apparel shopping are Online Shopping Skill, Clothing Shopping Skill, and Product Challenge and demonstrate that skills and challenges do not always positively influence flow, extending the flow theory. Further, this study reveals that difficulties in online shopping itself may evoke consumers\u27 feeling of being present on a shopping Website but simultaneously being out of control. This finding highlights the necessity of convenient Website functions that provide consumers with better control over the shopping trip

Facile synthesis of nano-Li4 Ti5O12 for high-rate Li-ion battery anodes

One of the most promising anode materials for Li-ion batteries, Li4Ti5O12, has attracted attention because it is a zero-strain Li insertion host having a stable insertion potential. In this study, we suggest two different synthetic processes to prepare Li4Ti5O12 using anatase TiO2 nanoprecursors. TiO2 powders, which have extraordinarily large surface areas of more than 250 m2 g-1, were initially prepared through the urea-forced hydrolysis/precipitation route below 100°C. For the synthesis of Li4Ti5O12, LiOH and Li2CO3 were added to TiO2 solutions prepared in water and ethanol media, respectively. The powders were subsequently dried and calcined at various temperatures. The phase and morphological transitions from TiO2 to Li4Ti5O12 were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical performance of nanosized Li4Ti5O12 was evaluated in detail by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic cycling. Furthermore, the high-rate performance and long-term cycle stability of Li4Ti5O12 anodes for use in Li-ion batteries were discussed