Determinants of consumer attitudes and re-purchase intentions toward direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands

In the fashion and retail industry, a group of startups, referred to as Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) brands, are proliferating. DTC brands are defined as e-commerce brands that sell directly to consumers, without retailer ‘middlemen’ like department stores. They typically begin as a purely online business, fully leveraging digital channels for marketing and selling. Given the limited research on the topic, this paper aims to identify determinants of consumers’ attitudes and re-purchase intentions toward DTC brands. The initial qualitative phase of in-depth interviews with frequent DTC shoppers, resulted in the identification of eight determinants. The subsequent quantitative analysis with 210 US DTC shoppers confirmed that co-creation, cost-effectiveness, website attractiveness, brand uniqueness, social media engagement, and innovativeness of DTC brands significantly influence consumers’ attitudes while cost-effectiveness (indirectly), brand uniqueness, social media engagement, and brand innovativeness affect consumers re-purchase intentions. The findings offer insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and incumbent retailers on strengthening their value propositions.

The Impact of Restaurant Innovativeness on Consumer Loyalty: The Mediating Role of Perceived Quality

Although hospitality industry has consistently invested resources in innovation, the path by which a brand’s innovativeness influences consumers’ loyalty remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to establish a research model that represents the relationships of customers’ perceived restaurant’s innovativeness at brand level, perceived quality, and levels of loyalty. Specifically, five subdimensions (differentiation, dynamic brand, innovativeness brand, new leader, and idea generator) measure restaurant’s innovativeness at brand level. Perceived quality consists of the food and service aspects. The result shows that among brand innovativeness, differentiation predicts better loyalty whereas dynamic brand, innovativeness brand, new leader, and idea generator are less effective, with mediating effects of food quality and service quality. This outcome potentially expands the theoretical foundation of brand innovativeness in the hospitality discipline, while providing a promising marketing approach that empowers patrons with brand innovativeness through differentiation.

The positioning of green brands in enhancing their image: the mediating roles of green brand innovativeness and green perceived value

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate how green brand positioning facilitated by utilitarian environmental benefits and nature connectedness may influence green brand image, as mediated by green perceived value (GPV) and brand innovativeness and how brand type moderates these relationships.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using an online survey method, and structural equation modeling was employed to test the research hypotheses with a sample of 826 Chinese respondents.FindingsThe results demonstrate that utilitarian environmental benefits directly enhance green brand image. Both utilitarian environmental benefits and nature connectedness indirectly influence green brand image through GPV and brand innovativeness. Subsequently, green brand innovativeness positively affects GPV. The moderating effects of brand type on the relationships in the model are also established.Practical implicationsOrganisations should enhance green value and brand innovativeness when adopting green brand positioning tools to strengthen green brand image and implement diverse green branding strategies between brands of physical goods and services.Originality/valueAlthough previous studies have investigated how perceived benefits affect the development of brand image, the issue has not been examined based on the human associative memory framework from a green branding perspective. No empirical study has simultaneously included both green brand innovativeness and GPV in this formation process. Additionally, the moderating role of brand type in the model has not been explored previously.

Effectiveness of Brand Management Key Elements in Forming Consumer Loyalty

The competitive strength of companies in the current era of global trade is largely determined by the company's ability to manage their brands. The implementation of an effective brand management strategy was proven to have an impact on the formation of competitive advantage through a form of commitment and customer loyalty to the company's brand. This study aims to examine the role of key elements of brand management in shaping customer loyalty. The quantitative study was conducted in order to investigate the effect of brand innovativeness, brand customer orientation, brand self-relevance, and brand social responsibility on brand commitment. 252 responses from Indonesian respondents were collected and then analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results prove that the four key elements of brand management have a great influence on the formation of brand commitment and loyalty.

The role of brand innovativeness on attitudes towards new products marketed by the brand

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether perceived brand innovativeness has a positive effect on new product evaluations, which individual variables mediate and moderate this effect and whether perceived brand innovativeness is reinforced by new product launch. Design/methodology/approach A total of 387 adults residing in France took part in a two-stage study. The two-stage research design aimed to investigate the effect of the introduction of a new product on brand perceptions. The innovation context used to test the hypotheses was the launch of a new electricity meter in the French market. Findings Brand innovativeness affects the way consumers evaluate new products launched by the brand. This effect is mediated by perceived newness and moderated by functional, hedonic and social consumer innovativeness. In addition, attitudes toward the brand improve as a result of the new product launch. Research limitations/implications Future research should test these hypotheses with other product categories and populations to provide external validity for the results and further investigate lack of support for some of the hypotheses. Practical implications The study’s findings highlight that the ability to develop and launch innovative products is not only know-how that is critical to innovation management but also a brand attribute stored in consumers’ minds that facilitates acceptance of the brand’s future new products. Originality/value This research addresses the underexplored question of how brand innovativeness and new product launch are interrelated. Extensive research has indeed shown the importance of customer-based brand equity and brand knowledge in evaluation and acceptance of new products. However, research on customer-based brand equity so far has paid limited attention to brand innovativeness. This research provides new findings on the relationship between brand innovativeness and new product evaluations.

Are global brands trustworthy?

Purpose This paper aims to extend the understanding of how global brands can positively influence brand trust by introducing two new mediating variables – brand affect and brand innovativeness, and testing the moderating role of consumer ethnocentrism in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach In total, 250 participants completed self-administered online questionnaires in a cross-sectional study in France. Moderated mediation and floodlight analysis were performed. Findings Brand globalness is positively related to brand affect and this, in turn, is positively related to brand trust. The relationship between brand globalness and brand affect is weaker for ethnocentrist consumers. Brand globalness is positively related to brand innovativeness and this, in turn, is positively related to brand trust. The relationship between brand globalness and brand innovativeness is weaker for ethnocentrist consumers. Research limitations/implications A limited number of fast-food brands was analyzed. Future studies should replicate the research model using different product categories to generalize the findings. Practical implications This study offers new opportunities for managers concerned by the optimization of their global brands management. First, the results demonstrate the interest of managers to increase the emotional and affective aspects of their global brands to make them more trustable. Second, brand managers should also emphasize the innovative aspects of their global brand. Indeed, it is essential for practitioners not only to propose frequently new and innovative products to consumers but also to follow the latest trends in their market. The more managers provide new, useful solutions to fulfill consumers’ needs, the more consumers will trust those global brands. Originality/value The mediating role of brand affect and brand innovativeness in the relationship between brand globalness and brand trust gives new insights on an established relationship.