The relationship between customer participation and online brand community and consumer loyalty

Willis, Michelle ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6183-3661 , Ng, Raye ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2942-0434 and Chitran, Vivek (2019) The relationship between customer participation and online brand community and consumer loyalty. Interdisciplinary Journal of Economics and Business Law, 2019 (9). pp. 72-111.

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Abstract

The popularity of online brand communities has maintained the close link between consumers and brands and it encourages consumers to actively participate in online platforms. From this emerges intentions to achieve social and functional goals, leading to the question: How is loyalty affected by online participation? Based on a constructivist perspective, empirical data were generated through in-depth interviews to explore millennial’s level of participation in online communities and the extent to which it affects their loyalty to the brand and the community in the fashion industry. The study provides a conceptual framework that links a set of online participation characteristics contingent to different participatory motives. The study proposed four main customer participatory behavioural traits (brand identification, interactivity, media valence and perceived community sentiment) linked to consumers’ perception towards a brand in the fashion sector. The main findings reveal how the four categories impact the level of customer loyalty. These key categories are explored to create a framework for future research in this area, and further contribute to the field of online brand engagement, particularly in the fashion industry.

Item Type:	Article
Journal / Publication Title:	Interdisciplinary Journal of Economics and Business Law
Publisher:	CJEAS
ISSN:	2047-8755
Departments:	Institute of Business, Industry and Leadership > Business
Depositing User:	Christian Stretton
Date Deposited:	04 Jun 2020 13:14
Last Modified:	13 Jan 2024 09:04
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/5560

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