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

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).</p

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' 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.</p

Scarcity Effects on Consumers' Affective, Cognitive, and Conative Responses: Moderating Role of Shopping Orientation

Scarcity accelerates decision makers' perceived perishability of an offer, limiting their freedom to delay the purchase decision and creating a sense of urgency for an immediate action. Despite the ubiquity of scarcity tactics in marketing, empirical explanations of the integrative psychological mechanism underlying the scarcity effect have been scant. This study examines consumers' affective, cognitive, and conative responses to scarce offerings. Through an online experiment with 203 college consumers, this study revealed that the scarcity effects on consumers' affective response (arousal) and conative response (buying intent) were relatively robust across multiple products, suggesting the strong role of scarcity in leading to consumers' emotional decision making. However, scarcity effects on consumers' cognitive responses regarding the product benefit dimensions differed across products. Further research is needed to delve into the personal or situational factors that lead to differential scarcity effects on consumers' cognitive information processing of product benefits.</p