Engaging the customer with augmented reality and employee services to enhance equity and loyalty

PurposeThis study aims to understand customer equity and loyalty using augmented reality (AR) and employee services in a physical retail environment. The current study investigated how customers' experiences with AR-based and employee service affect their satisfaction, equity and loyalty.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework was developed by reviewing AR and employee services literature. The Smart PLS-SEM technique was used to test the responses of 620 Chinese respondents empirically.FindingsThe findings provided valuable insights into AR and employee services in a physical retail environment. Customers are more inclined to use AR services in the current business climate.Research limitations/implicationsThis study's sample was drawn from a single city, with a total of 620 respondents, which may not be a complete representation of China as a whole. As a result, the results may not be generalizable to a single city.Practical implicationsRetail brand managers should emphasize implementing innovative technologies in the physical retail environment to retain and attract customers. Pandemic consumers are opting for innovative technologies as part of their shopping experience due to changes in business models.Originality/valueThe researchers recognized AR and employee services as innovative domains in physical retail stores because they can increase sales, customer equity and loyalty. As a result, the framework results are precious to practitioners interested in implementing such innovative technologies for retail stores.

AI service impacts on brand image and customer equity: empirical evidence from China

This paper examines the relations among AI service attributes, brand image, brand familiarity and customer equity. The proposed relationships were tested by structural equation modeling of survey data of 210 usable responses in China. Test results indicate that problem-solving ability, accuracy, and customization of AI service have significant positive effects on brand image;the three constructs of customer equity (value equity, brand equity, and relationship equity) are all positively and strongly affected by brand image. Moreover, brand familiarity moderates the effect of customization, interaction, and problem-solving ability on brand image. By bringing together AI literature and consumer behavior literature, this research sheds light on the effectiveness of AI service in enhancing brand image and customer equity. This has important theoretical value in enriching the streams of AI and brand research. Additionally, this research integrates the AI technology within a corporate brand management strategy and offers practitioners and marketers in post-COVID era with a model with which they can find new ways to meet consumer demands and improve brand image via AI technology. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.

AI service impacts on brand image and customer equity: empirical evidence from China

This paper examines the relations among AI service attributes, brand image, brand familiarity and customer equity. The proposed relationships were tested by structural equation modeling of survey data of 210 usable responses in China. Test results indicate that problem-solving ability, accuracy, and customization of AI service have significant positive effects on brand image;the three constructs of customer equity (value equity, brand equity, and relationship equity) are all positively and strongly affected by brand image. Moreover, brand familiarity moderates the effect of customization, interaction, and problem-solving ability on brand image. By bringing together AI literature and consumer behavior literature, this research sheds light on the effectiveness of AI service in enhancing brand image and customer equity. This has important theoretical value in enriching the streams of AI and brand research. Additionally, this research integrates the AI technology within a corporate brand management strategy and offers practitioners and marketers in post-COVID era with a model with which they can find new ways to meet consumer demands and improve brand image via AI technology.

Effective marketing strategies for global FMCG brands during COVID-19 pandemic crisis

Purpose This study proposes marketing strategies for global fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) brands to survive and thrive in the turbulent economic environment created by COVID-19. The authors investigate the indirect effects of consumer ethnocentrism (CET) and consumer confidence (CC) on customer equity drivers (CEDs)' effectiveness in influencing repurchase intention (RI) for global FMCG brands. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the mall-intercept technique. Respondents were randomly approached at popular retail and shopping destinations in Athens, Greece, and 228 customer participants completed the survey. Findings CET and CC weaken the positive relationship between certain CEDs and RI of FMCG brands. Particularly, the effects of relationship equity (RE) and value equity (VE) on strengthening repeated purchases are higher for low-confidence or low-ethnocentric consumers. Thus, marketing strategies for enhancing value and creating stronger consumer-brand relationships are more effective in boosting repeated purchases during economic turbulence. Practical implications Practitioners and academicians can use the insights obtained from this study to determine how to allocate resources and adopt the most effective marketing strategies in local environments based on consumer preference for domestic or global products and consumer morale and expectations for future financial status. Originality/value This research unveils the mechanism behind the moderating effects of CET and CC on the effectiveness of CEDs in global FMCG settings using social identity and system justification theory. Turbulence in international and local markets due to the pandemic has revealed that marketing function needs to redesign strategies and coordinate practices to boost repeat purchases.

The Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic on Client’s Equity: The Case of a Senegalese Telecommunication Company

In the telecommunication industry, at the very top of the revenue generation hierarchy is the classification of the B2C and B2B cash flow sources broken down into various service packages available for each segment. The work-from-home during the pandemic has helped generate more revenues for telecom vendors coming from B2C pool. However, the revenues from the B2B side suffered as clients’ cash flows are challenged during the pandemic. This study attempts to compute the clients’ equity CE of the only local Senegalese telecommunication company. The net value of the average Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) of all cohorts makes up the CE, whereas, the “net present value of all current and future profits generated from a customer over the life of his or her business with the firm” defines CLTV. The results suggest that Waw telecom will realize a surplus in CE at the end of the client’s expected average lifespan. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Are you ready for a contactless future? A multi-group analysis of experience, delight, customer equity, and trust based on the Technology Readiness Index 2.0

Contactless hospitality services are technology-enabled innovative services combating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Surveying 1,537 hotel guests, this study explores the relationships between customer experience, customer delight, customer equity, and brand trust in contactless hospitality services. A theoretical model is proposed to investigate the antecedents and consequences of customer equity. The moderating effect of health concerns lies on the path from customer equity to trust. A multi-group analysis was conducted to examine the invariance among proposed paths between two customer groups. The effects of delight on equity and equity on trust are stronger for the low technology readiness group.