Engaging Gen Y Customers in Online Brand Communities: A Cross-National Assessment |
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| Institution: | 1. Newcastle Business School, University of Newcastle, 409 Hunter St, Newcastle, NSW 2300, Australia;2. Department of Marketing, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia;3. John L. Grove College of Business, Shippensburg University, 1871 Old main Drive, Shippensburg, PA 17257, USA;4. University of Sydney Business School, Abercombie Building, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;1. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, United States;2. Towson University, Towson, MD, 21252, United States;3. Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, 28723, United States;4. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States;1. Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India;2. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA;3. University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA;1. Tilburg School of Economics and Management, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands;2. Fowlam Ltd, Nottingham, UK;3. Horizon Digital Economy Research Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK;4. Hull University Business School, University of Hull, Hull, UK;5. Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK;1. Department of Strategy and Industry, China Mobile Research Institute, China;2. School of Information Systems, Technology and Management, UNSW Business School, UNSW, Australia;3. Business School, Qingdao University, China;4. School of E-Business and Logistics, Beijing Technology and Business University, China;5. Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, China;1. University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Information Systems & Supply Chain Management Dept. 516 Stirling St., Greensboro, NC, 27412, USA;2. University of New South Wales, School of Information Systems Technology and Management, Sydney, Australia;1. School of Economic Information and Engineering, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, 555 Liutai Road, Wenjiang, Chengdu, 611130, China;2. School of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, 555 Liutai Road, Wenjiang, Chengdu, 611130, China;3. Business School, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Global retail brands find it vital to engage Generation Y (Gen Y) customers through firm-hosted online brand communities (OBCs) for generating actionable insights; this study advances customer engagement (CE) frameworks in this setting. First, we draw on the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) theory to introduce OBC website quality (termed OBC-SiteQUAL), alongside brand involvement as a customer resource input, to shape an expanded quadripartite CE conceptualisation. Second, using multi-country data, we test the validity of the OBC-SiteQUAL and CE measurement models, and the theoretical framework. Results indicate that the newly conceived OBC-SiteQUAL construct, underpinned by various web-based cues related to affective elements, brand interaction and customer-to-customer interaction, positively influences CE, whereas brand involvement partially influences CE. Third, we examine how these variables translate to behavioural loyalty outcomes. Empirically, a consistent pattern across the country samples indicates that OBC-SiteQUAL can affect behavioural loyalty by enhancing CE. Thus, we reliably confirm the mediating effect of CE (O) between OBC-SiteQUAL (S) and behavioural loyalty (R). Fourth, we found that the impact of OBC-SiteQUAL and brand involvement on CE differs between younger and older Gen Y consumers. These findings inform the optimisation of precise digital content marketing activities to enhance customer-brand relationships. |
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| Keywords: | Social media Site quality Brand community Customer engagement Loyalty |
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