Developing Consumers’ Brand Loyalty in Companies’ Microblogs: The Roles of Social- and Self- Factors

This paper aims to explore how social- and self-factors may affect consumers’ brand loyalty while they follow companies’ microblogs. Drawing upon the commitment-trust theory, social influence theory, and self-congruence theory, we propose that network externalities, social norms, and self-congruence are the key determinants in the research model. The impacts of these factors on brand loyalty will be mediated by brand trust and brand commitment. We empirically test the model through an online survey on an existing microblogging site. The findings illustrate that network externalities and self-congruence can positively affect brand trust, which subsequently leads to brand commitment and brand loyalty. Meanwhile, social norms, together with self-congruence, directly posit influence on brand commitment. Brand commitment is then positively associated with brand loyalty. We believe that the findings of this research can contribute to the literature. We offer new insights regarding how consumers’ brand loyalty develops from the two social-factors and their self-congruence with the brand. Company managers could also apply our findings to strengthen their relationship marketing with consumers on microblogging sites

Enterprise Microblog as a New Marketing Strattegy for Companies: Enterprise Microblog Commitment and Brand Loyalty

With the emergence and bloom of microblogging, companies are showing their increasing interests in this platform and try to establish their own enterprise accounts (called as enterprise microblogs in this case) in it, which enables them to broadcast product information, interact with consumers, and promote their brands. Despite much work focusing on how virtual brand communities take effect on consumers’ loyalty in the area of IS and marketing research, this paper aims to explore how companies can take advantage of their enterprise microblogs to enhance consumers’ brand loyalty. Our study aims to develop and empirically validate a brand loyalty model within the context of enterprise microblogs. In our framework, users’ enterprise microblog trust and sense of community positively affect their enterprise microblog commitment, and then enterprise microblog commitment leads to brand loyalty as a result

UNDERSTANDING THE INFORMATIONAL SOCIAL INFLUENCE OF ONLINE REVIEW PLATFORMS

Online review platforms have become a basis for many consumers to make informed decisions. This type of platforms is rich in review messages and review contributors. For marketers, the platforms’ practical importance is its influence on business outcomes. In the individual level, however, little research has investigated the impacts of a platform on consumer decision-making process. In this research, we use the heuristic-systematic model to explain how consumers establish their decision based on processing review messages on the platform. We build a research model and propose impacts of different constructs established from the systematic and heuristic processing of review messages. Survey data from a Chinese online review platform generally supports our hypotheses, except that the heuristic cue, source credibility, fails to affect consumers’ behavioral intention. Based on the findings, we discuss implications for both researchers and practitioners. We further point out limitations and suggest opportunities for future research

What Drives Users to Follow Companies’ Microblogs?: An Elaboration Likelihood Model Perspective

Along with the prevalence of microblogging technology, many companies have been creating microblog accounts to promote their products/brands and communicate with customers. However, it is still unclear regarding what factors are critical and can drive users to follow companies’ microblogs. To fill this gap, the present research develops a research model through the perspective of elaboration likelihood model. According to the elaboration level of information processing, we explicate users’ following behavior through three levels of participation: reading messages, forwarding messages, and commenting on messages of companies’ microblogs. We propose that information quality (the central route variable) and source credibility (the peripheral route variable) are two important antecedents in the research model. In addition, we extend the model by considering the role of similarity and examining its impacts on users’ following behavior. We empirically test our research model by collecting data from an existing microblogging site in China. The results show that most of the proposed hypotheses are supported. We thereafter discuss these findings, point out limitations and opportunities for future research, and summarize this study with implications for both theory and practice

ARE YOU AFRAID OF TRANSITING FROM WEB TO MOBILE PAYMENT? THE BIAS AND MODERATING ROLE OF INERTIA

The web-mobile payment transition has recently become a trend of business extension in the online payment marketplace. However, channel conflicts always exist in a multichannel environment which harms users’ willingness to try out new entrants. Using the status quo bias theory and the coping theory as theoretical lenses, we develop a model to investigate the role of traditional web payment inertia on mobile payment (MP) adoption. Our model posits that consumers’ intention to use MP, a form of coping intention, is a combination consequence of primary and secondary appraisal. Web payment inertia in turn demonstrates its effects on MP adoption via the primary and secondary appraisal process. Specifically, we hypothesize that inertia leads to decreased perceived value and increased perceived risk (i.e. primary appraisal factors) of the newly introduced MP. In addition, we hypothesize that inertia moderates the relationship between perceived controllability (i.e. secondary appraisal factor) and intention to use MP, such that perceived controllability becomes more important in the presence of inertia. We intend to conduct a field survey to test the research model and hypotheses

Exploring the Role of Gender on Bloggers\u27 Switching Behaviors

Blog has become an increasingly popular form of new information technology (IT) in recent years. Many world famous web sites (e.g., Microsoft, Yahoo!, and Google) are providing blog services on the Internet. Bloggers, therefore, can easily establish and maintain their blogs through such services. However, research on blogs’ adoption and diffusion is rare. In this study, we attempt to study bloggers’ post-adoption behaviors. We examine bloggers’ intention to switch their blog services building upon the marketing and IS literature. Particularly, the role of gender is explored and an online survey is conducted to test the research model. Findings confirm that bloggers’ intention to switch their blog services is strongly associated with three factors: satisfaction, sunk costs, and attractive alternatives. Meanwhile, gender is found to moderate the relationship between satisfaction and intention to switch the blog service. Implications for both researchers and practitioners are provided

Cognitive Trust, Emotional Trust And The Value-Based Acceptance Model In Mobile Payment Adoption

Mobile commerce has grown rapidly worldwide and become globally competitive in the last decade. Despite the fact that mobile payment is a key enabling part of mobile commerce, consumers’ adoption has been lacking behind the adoption of many other mobile commerce activities. How to facilitate consumers’ adoption of mobile payment remains an important open question. Drawing on the attribution theory and value-based acceptance model, this study investigates the role of consumers’ trust on mobile payment adoption. In contrast to prior research, we develop a research model to examine the influence of both cognitive and emotional trust on consumers’ perceived value and the subsequent usage intention. We examine four dimensions of perceived value, namely functional, emotional, price and social value in the mobile payment context. The model is empirically tested with an online survey (n=273). Our results indicate that emotional trust has a much stronger effect than cognitive trust on consumers’ value perceptions. Further, functional, emotional and price value gain prominence in predicting adoption intention, while the effect of social value is insignificant. Discussions on limitations, theoretical and practical implications are provided

How to Increase Users' Social Commerce Engagement? A Technology Attractiveness Model

With the proliferation of social networking and electronic commerce, social commerce helps people engage in various forms of online social commercial activities through sharing their product or service knowledge and experiences. A better understanding of users' engagement in social commerce websites thus become increasingly important. Based on the attractiveness theory, this study proposes a research model that highlights the unique role of technology attractiveness, including task, social, and physical attractiveness, in promoting user involvement, which in turn affects social commerce engagement. Results demonstrate that users' perceptions of technology attractiveness are positively associated with their involvement with social commerce websites, and further stimulate engagement. In addition, website involvement partially and fully mediates the effects of social and physical attractiveness, respectively, on social commerce engagement. The limitations and implications of this study for research and practice are further discussed

How to Increase Users\u27 Social Commerce Engagement? A Technology Attractiveness Model

With the proliferation of social networking and electronic commerce, social commerce helps people engage in various forms of online social commercial activities through sharing their product or service knowledge and experiences. A better understanding of users\u27 engagement in social commerce websites thus become increasingly important. Based on the attractiveness theory, this study proposes a research model that highlights the unique role of technology attractiveness, including task, social, and physical attractiveness, in promoting user involvement, which in turn affects social commerce engagement. Results demonstrate that users\u27 perceptions of technology attractiveness are positively associated with their involvement with social commerce websites, and further stimulate engagement. In addition, website involvement partially and fully mediates the effects of social and physical attractiveness, respectively, on social commerce engagement. The limitations and implications of this study for research and practice are further discussed

EFFECT OF BRAND PEREFFECT OF BRAND PERSONALITY ON BRAND LOYALTY IN COMPANIES’ MICROBLOGS

Along with companies’ increasing engagement on microblogging sites, how to leverage the marketing potential of this kind of social platform remains an important concern for many marketers. The purpose of this research is to address this gap by exploring the effect of brand personality on brand loyalty in companies’ microblogs. Building upon prior research on brand personality, consumer satisfaction, and brand loyalty, we propose and empirically test our research model with an online survey study on an existing microblogging site in China. Our findings show that the four dimensions of brand personality, including sincerity, competence, excitement, and sophistication, have positive impacts on consumer satisfaction, which further increases consumers’ loyalty toward brands. Consumer satisfaction is found to be a key mediator that connects brand personality and brand loyalty in companies’ microblogs. We believe that the findings of this research can bring noteworthy implications to both theory and practice. We provide new insight on how consumers’ brand loyalty develops from the perspective of brand personality. The managers of enterprises can also utilize our findings to strengthen their relationship marketing with consumers on microblogging sites