Toward a new business model of retail industry: The role of brand experience and brand authenticity

While the customer-to-manufacturer (C2M) business model has received increasing attention as a new business model for e-commerce and retail industry, little is still known about it and the effect of its approach. This study aims to understand how brand-related stimuli in C2M environments affect customer responses as the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The outcomes reveal that the Sensory, affective, and intellectual aspects of brand experience positively influence brand authenticity. Brand authenticity has a positive effect on behavioral intention, such as reuse intention and word-of-mouth. Additionally, this research finds that social presence moderates the association between the sensory aspect of brand experience. Thus, this study can suggest a C2M business model as a means of sustainable operation of the retail industry to both researchers and practitioners in relation to the retail industry.

Understanding the role of anticipated loss and gain during consumer competition: the moderation of purchase importance and prior brand attitude

Purpose>This study examined how consumer competition affects purchase intention. The anticipated loss of not buying and the anticipated gain of buying are considered the underlying mechanism. This research also demonstrated the moderating effects of situational factors such as purchase importance and prior brand attitude.Design/methodology/approach>In total, 200 responses were collected from an experiment that manipulated the level of consumer competition in the retail environment. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multigroup analysis were used to test the hypotheses.Findings>The results indicated that perceived competition positively affects both the anticipated loss of not buying and the anticipated gain of buying. Among these, only the anticipated gain of buying significantly increased purchase intention. However, for participants with lower purchase importance or prior brand attitude, both the anticipated loss of not buying and the anticipated gain of buying significantly affected purchase intention.Research limitations/implications>The findings suggest an appropriate communication method when practicing retail strategies related to competition. In particular, the consideration of intervention of purchase importance and prior brand attitude helps retail managers execute marketing strategies more effectively.Originality/value>This study verified the effect of consumer competition on purchase intention in terms of anticipated losses and gains related to buying. Moreover, the moderation effects of situational factors such as purchase importance and prior brand attitude were initially examined in the context of consumer competition.