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Engaging Gen Y Customers in Online Brand Communities: A Cross-National Assessment

Author

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  • Carlson, Jamie
  • Rahman, Syed Mahmudur
  • Rahman, Mohammad M.
  • Wyllie, Jessica
  • Voola, Ranjit

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlson, Jamie & Rahman, Syed Mahmudur & Rahman, Mohammad M. & Wyllie, Jessica & Voola, Ranjit, 2021. "Engaging Gen Y Customers in Online Brand Communities: A Cross-National Assessment," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ininma:v:56:y:2021:i:c:s0268401220314511
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102252
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Taylor, Alex & Carlson, Jamie & Liao, Yi-Chuan & Rahman, Mohammad M., 2023. "Customer engagement and sharing behaviors: Toward a contingent curvilinear perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    2. Xu, Ying & Niu, Nan & Zhao, Zixiang, 2023. "Dissecting the mixed effects of human-customer service chatbot interaction on customer satisfaction: An explanation from temporal and conversational cues," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    3. Wong, Amy, 2023. "How social capital builds online brand advocacy in luxury social media brand communities," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    4. Xu, Xiao-Yu & Gao, Ya-Xuan & Jia, Qing-Dan, 2023. "The role of social commerce for enhancing consumers’ involvement in the cross-border product: Evidence from SEM and ANN based on MOA framework," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).

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