Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

Song, Chanho; Brown, Haakon T.; Tameez, Rahmatullah Rami

2021 Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

doi: 10.1108/apjml-09-2019-0554

The purpose of this study is to bridge the gap in literature to examine social support that customers receive from their relationships with frontline service providers in discount stores.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 381 consumers are accessed through an online survey administered by an online research company in South Korea. The authors use the structural equation model (SEM) technique to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsSocial support (emotional, instrumental, informational and appraisal) significantly influences customer satisfaction in discount stores. In addition, customer satisfaction significantly influences word of mouth (WOM) and purchase intention.Originality/valueVery few studies have addressed the relationship between social support and consumer satisfaction in the discount store industry. This research helps to understand that social support is a basic consideration for customers of discount stores when they are shopping.

Chen, Tser Yieth; Yeh, Tsai Lien; Wang, Ya Jou

2021 Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

doi: 10.1108/apjml-03-2020-0187

Marketers make an effort to affect consumers through scarcity marketing thus shaping the perception of scarcity and creating desirability for consumers. To expand the scarcity-expensiveness-desirability model and to enhance insights for practical applications, this study modifies the causal relationship among two types of scarcity, three types of expansiveness and desirability.Design/methodology/approachThis study surveyed 400 Taipei city residents who had purchase experience with luxury brands products in Taiwan. The study employed structural equation modeling as empirical analysis.FindingsThe empirical results show that limited-quantity scarcity main influences perceived social status and then affects desirability. The second path is that limited-quantity scarcity influences perceived uniqueness and then affects desirability. Therefore, perceived social status and perceived uniqueness dominate the majority of effects on desirability because they are the recognition of the individual compared to others, especially when applied to luxury goods.Practical implicationsBecause limited-quantity scarcity has a greater impact on desirability than limited-time scarcity in the empirical results, marketers can adopt limited-quantity scarcity messages that are better than limited-time scarcity, to increase consumers’ desire to purchase luxury goods.Originality/valueThe first novelty of this study is dividing scarcity marketing into limited-quantity and limited-time scarcity in the scarcity-expensiveness-desirability model. This study extends expensiveness in the scarcity-expensiveness-desirability model with a complete demonstration, that is, perceived social status, perceived uniqueness and perceived value, which is the second novelty of this study.

Zafar, Abaid Ullah; Qiu, Jiangnan; Shahzad, Mohsin; Shen, Jie; Bhutto, Tahseen Ahmed; Irfan, Muhammad

2021 Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

doi: 10.1108/apjml-08-2019-0495

Considering the rapid adoption of social media among consumers and organizations, this study intends to examine the impact of online bundle promotions and contextual interactions on impulse buying as consumers encounter them synchronously. Hence, a research model is proposed with the integration of perceived transaction value, perceived acquisition values, top reviews information, impulse buying tendency and emotional intelligence following the stimulus-organism-response framework, promotional framing effect, and theory of selective attention.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from the active social media members of organization pages and selling groups by utilizing the self-administered questionnaire. This study employed the partial least squares structural equation modeling to evaluate the data of 358 individuals.FindingsResults reveal the positive impact of targeted constructs on the urge to buy impulsively with complementary partial mediation of impulse buying tendency. Besides, emotional intelligence dissuades users' impulse buying tendencies, but unexpectedly, its moderating effect is insignificant. Further, importance-performance map analysis highlights the highest importance of impulse buying tendency and better performance of perceived transaction value for the urge to buy impulsively.Originality/valueThis research is one of the early studies to explore the influence of social media advertising and contextual social factors (e.g. bundle offers and top reviews information) on impulse buying with the moderation of emotional intelligence and mediation of impulse buying tendency. This research is imperative for scholars and managers with pertinent suggestions to arouse impulse buying.

He, Yuanqiong; Zhou, Qi; Guo, Shuojia; Xiong, Jie

2021 Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

doi: 10.1108/apjml-12-2019-0725

This study aims to investigate the construal congruence of anthropomorphized brand roles and product messaging and its underlying mechanism on consumers' product attitude.Design/methodology/approachFour experimental studies were conducted to test the hypotheses. Study 1 investigated the framing effect of anthropomorphized brand roles (servant vs partner) in consumers' minds. Study 2 examined the matching effect of anthropomorphized brand roles and product messaging on product attitude. 132 students were randomly assigned to a 2 (anthropomorphized roles: servant vs partner) × 2 (product messaging: higher-level construal vs lower-level construal) between-subject factorial design. Study 3 tested the mediation effect of processing fluency underlying the construal congruence mechanism. Study 4 replicated the results of study 3 and further examined the boundary conditions by introducing product innovation locus as a moderator. A total of 218 students were randomly assigned to a 2 (anthropomorphized role: servant vs partner) × 2 (product messaging: higher-level construal vs lower-level construal) × 2 (innovation locus: core innovation vs peripheral locus) between-subjects design experiment.FindingsThe results demonstrate that a construal match between product messaging and anthropomorphized brand roles –anthropomorphized “servant” with higher-level construal messaging and anthropomorphized “partner” with lower-level construal messaging – can positively influence consumers' attitude via enhanced processing fluency. Furthermore, this construal matching effect on product attitude is moderated by the innovation locus of the product.Practical implicationsThis study reveals that anthropomorphized brand roles with compatible product messaging in the associated construal levels lead to more favorable product attitudes. Furthermore, the matching effect of anthropomorphized brand roles and product messaging is stronger for products with peripheral innovation than with core innovation.Originality/valueOur study contributes to the literature in two ways. First, it provides new insights into the construal matching effect of anthropomorphized brand roles and product messaging. Second, it investigates the boundary conditions of the above-mentioned construal fit mechanism.

Kumagai, Ken

2021 Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

doi: 10.1108/apjml-04-2020-0274

This study examines consumer behaviour based on product sustainability and brand luxury. The purpose is to provide strategic suggestions to apparel companies attempting to invest in sustainable development of plastic clothing, as well as implications for marketing and sustainability research.Design/methodology/approachConsumer brand attitude and purchase intention towards sustainable plastic clothing are examined across material types, brand luxury levels and price levels from 315 valid samples collected in Japan.FindingsThe results reveal that sustainable plastic clothing raises brand attitude, indirectly influencing purchase intention. However, the direct effect of sustainable clothing on purchase intention is contradictorily negative. These contradictory effects are especially significant when brand luxury is high. Both brand attitude and purchase intention hardly vary across price levels or material types of sustainable plastic, such as post-consumer bottles versus apparel.Practical implicationsThe results imply that sustainable products are not instantly profitable but contribute to a desirable brand association, especially for luxury brands. An investment in costly closed-loop technology for apparel recycling is found to be commercially disadvantageous. Managers are suggested to discuss this aspect carefully, since it seems partially unprofitable, while sustainable management seems to comprehensively contribute to overall enterprise performance.Originality/valueThe study specifically reveals the luxury effect enhancing, yet contradictory, consumer behaviour towards sustainable plastic clothing. To the best of the author’s knowledge, few studies have examined the relationships between these elements. Furthermore, the study sheds new light on consumer behaviour across recycled plastic types from a marketing perspective.

Cheung, Millissa Fung Yi; To, Wai Ming

2021 Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

doi: 10.1108/apjml-04-2020-0221

This study aims to use the framework of customer dominant logic to explore the mediating role of service co-creation on the relationships between customer involvement and perceived service performance and between customer involvement and word-of-mouth (WOM). It also investigates the moderating role of customer relational-motivational orientation on the relationship between customer involvement and service co-creation.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was conducted to collect responses from 289 Hong Kong's customers in different service settings. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed research model.FindingsThe results of structural equation modeling showed that the freedom of co-creation and the degree of collaboration fully mediated the effect of customer involvement on perceived service performance and WOM. Additionally, relational-motivational orientation moderated the relationships between customer involvement and the freedom of co-creation and between customer involvement and the degree of collaboration.Practical implicationsThis research provides implications to managers on how to facilitate an environment that stimulates customer co-creation. Customer-contact employees must be trained with the necessary interpersonal skills to serve customers with different levels of relational-motivational orientation.Originality/valueThe study is one of the first to identify customer involvement as a key antecedent of service co-creation attributes and the moderating role of relational-motivational orientation on the relationships between customer involvement and service co-creation attributes.

Mostafa, Rania B.; Kasamani, Tamara

2021 Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

doi: 10.1108/apjml-11-2019-0669

Based on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) model, the aim of this study is to explore the impact of brand experience (BE) on brand loyalty, with the mediation effect of emotional brand attachment (EBA) dimensions, specifically brand passion, self-brand connection and brand affection.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilized a sample of 278 smartphone users in Lebanon. A questionnaire was used for data collection and a mediation analysis was employed to test the hypothesized relationships.FindingsThe findings revealed that experiential brands promote long-lasting brand loyalty through building brand passion, self-brand connection and brand affection.Practical implicationsTo achieve a long-standing brand–consumer relationship, marketing managers should enhance and augment experiential marketing practices as this triggers deep emotional links and builds strong emotional ties with customers.Originality/valueIn contrast to previous studies on BE and loyalty, this research contributes to the literature by deepening the impact of emotions from the EBA perspective, specifically brand passion, brand affection and self-brand connection and posits the latter as mediators to the link between the BE and brand loyalty in the smartphone industry.

Mo, Tingting

2021 Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

doi: 10.1108/apjml-12-2019-0733

The transgenerational influence of inherited family capital on consumers' luxury consumption has been studied recently in the mature luxury market. However, little research explores this topic in the emerging luxury market. In China's Confucian culture, “family face” as part of “family inheritance” has been conceptualized as a factor driving luxury consumption. However, this hypothesis has not been empirically tested. The current research, therefore, seeks to examine the impact of economic and cultural capital on Chinese consumers' luxury consumption within the family inheritance context and the roles that face concern and gender play to reveal the particularities of a specific emerging luxury market.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 324 Chinese consumers was recruited in Shanghai. With the full sample, the author first assessed the effects of economic and educational capital (both personal and family sources) and face concern on luxury consumption using regression analyses. Next, the author conducted the regression analyses again by gender.FindingsUnlike trends in the mature luxury market, Chinese consumers' educational levels do not drive their luxury consumption, and the transgenerational influence of economic and cultural capital functions as a negative factor. Influenced by the patrilineal tradition, higher levels of luxury consumption to compensate for parents' lower income and educational levels and to enhance family face are found only in the male consumer group, but not in the female group.Originality/valueThis research contributes to expanding the current understanding of emerging luxury markets and how the Confucian tradition influences Chinese consumers' luxury consumption through gender role norms.

Handarkho, Yonathan Dri

2021 Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

doi: 10.1108/apjml-01-2020-0018

This study aimed to understand mobile payment (MP) continuance usage in physical settings from trust and social experience perspective. A theoretical model was proposed based on trust transfer and social impact to reveal the factors influencing user intention to continually use MP.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was used on 308 respondents from Indonesia to examine the theoretical model while principal component factor analysis and descriptive statistics were utilized for data preparation.FindingsThe findings revealed the Perceived Herd behavior had the most significant contribution to Trust formation followed by Perceived Risk and Para-social interaction while the analysis of indirect and moderating effect was also significant in enriching the result.Originality/valueThis study postulated social experience as an antecedent factor to the formation of Trust in the MP continuance usage context. Moreover, while the commonly explored direct effect was investigated, the indirect effect and moderating impact that has not been addressed adequately in previous MP studies were also analyzed and this can be considered as a contribution to the body of knowledge.

Tan, Wee Kheng; Lu, Kuan-Ju

2021 Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

doi: 10.1108/apjml-01-2020-0024

The impact of smartphone use at tourist destinations on the relationship of travel companions and trip satisfaction remains unclear. This study considers differences in relational outcomes arising from smartphone use to kill time and reduce boredom during leisure travel with different companions, either family or friends, and uses the Riva's emotion regulation model to examine whether such smartphone use provides immediate relief from ostracism.Design/methodology/approachPartial least square (PLS) method and PLS multigroup analysis were used to analyze the data collected from 205 Taiwanese tourists (104 respondents vacationing with friends and 101 respondents with family).FindingsThis study found no negative effect of smartphone use to kill time and reduce boredom on relationship satisfaction and overall trip satisfaction. Smartphone use is rather limited as a contributor to trip satisfaction, and the effect of smartphone use depends on who the tourists are traveling with. The results reflect the effect of the established position of smartphones in everyday life, extending to tourism. The use of smartphones to kill time and avoid boredom is not a sufficiently “active” activity to serve as an effective immediate response to ostracism.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the continuing debate on the impact of new technologies on social relations. Although past studies have examined the relational outcomes of smartphone use, few have investigated this subject in the context of different travel companions. Using Riva's emotion regulation model, this study considers smartphone use as a possible response to ostracism.