Loyalty
*
Selin Burçak Güner – Volkan Öngel Beykent University
After the industrial revolution, the developments in production and the transformative power of technology have differentiated consumer habits and word of mouth (WOM) has become even more important for brands which want to take a solid place in the market. With WOM that emerged with the recommendations of consumers, brands can have the oppor-tunity to create new images, strengthen their existing image and gain the trust of their customers easily, quickly and free of charge. It is a strategic necessity for brands to have a strong position in the market, to gain a com-petitive advantage and to create brand loyalty in consumers in order not to lose their superiority.
Research Problem
In small home appliances sector, WOM is effective in consumers' brand choice and in consumer loyalty towards the brand. WOM, which is carried out among consumers, creates a positive brand image in consumers’
minds and earns brand trust while it can also create brand loyalty with the effect of brand image and brand trust. Customers' sustainable brand loy-alty provides long-term profitability for the brand. According to these ideas, the question of the research is "What are the factors affecting brand loyalty in the electrical small home appliances sector? and the sub-ques-tions are as follows; "What is the role of WOM in creating brand loyalty?",
"Is there a mediating role of brand image and brand trust in the effect of WOM on brand loyalty?".
Purpose
The aim of the research is to determine the effect of WOM on brand loyalty and the mediating role of brand image and brand trust in this effect.
Method
While collecting the research data, the survey method was preferred and the convenience sampling method was applied. 663 survey data were an-alyzed in SPSS 25 and SPSS Process 2.16 programs.
Findings
According to the research, it has been determined that WOM has a posi-tive effect on brand loyalty through brand image and brand trust. Also in electrical small home appliances sector, consumers’ positive WOM activi-ties effect brand image, brand trust and brand loyalty positively. As a re-sult of the study, different than the original scale, the WOM scale was ob-tained in five dimensions and this new dimension was named as “web site content” as previously used in the literature.
Results and Conclusions
According to the results obtained from the research, WOM activities car-ried out by consumers of electrical small home appliances on brands pos-itively effect brand loyalty. While determining their brand preferences, customers care the comments of other customers instead of advertise-ments or the comadvertise-ments of store employees. The consumers who get posi-tive information about the brand from their friends or family members, create a strong and successful brand image in their mind. Also strong brand image creates brand loyalty. Positive WOM activities also build trust in customers which also effect the brand loyalty. There is also strong link between brand trust and brand loyalty, and trust is one of the im-portant premises for sustainable brand loyalty. Similar to the results of other studies in the literature, it was found that brand trust effects brand
loyalty as well. Finally, according to the findings obtained from the re-search, brand image and brand trust have a partial mediating effect on the effect of WOM on brand loyalty. Accordingly, it has been determined that positive opinions of consumers positively effect the brand image and brand trust, and as a result, brand loyalty has partially increased.
Since there was no research on the mediating role of brand image and brand trust in the effect of WOM on brand loyalty in the literature, it is thought that those results will also contribute to the marketing literature.
In addition, according to the results of the research analysis, it was deter-mined that brand image is much stronger mediator between WOM and brand loyalty than brand trust. This result also shows that consumers are more inclined to trust and foster loyalty to brands that have a strong brand image. Since there is an intense competition in electrical small home ap-pliances sector, the primary goal of the brands should be building long-term brand loyalty with their customers. Loyal customers will not only establish a stable and long-term relationship with the brand, but will also help to gain new customers with their positive comments about the brand.
There is no other research in the literature examining these four varia-bles and since there are structural differences in other sectors, it is recom-mended to examine different sectors in future studies. Also, since it has been concluded that the mediation effect of brand image and brand trust is partial in the effect of WOM on brand loyalty, in future studies, a model can be created with different variables which effect brand loyalty and may have a mediating effect. In addition, due to the time and cost constraints of this research, the questionnaire was delivered to the sample group with convenience sampling method and only in online. In future studies, it is recommended to differentiate the sample group and to apply the ques-tionnaire face-to-face.
Kaynakça / References
Agung, L., Rahmat, S. Y. ve Angga, N. D. (2019). The relationship of brand communication, brand image, and brand trust to brand loyalty of Samsung celluar phone product. Russian Journal of Agricultural and So-cio-Economic Sciences, 88(4), 138-143. doi: 10.18551/rjoas.2019-04.18
Alhaddad, A. (2015). Perceived quality, brand ımage and brand trust as de-terminants of brand loyalty. Journal of Research in Business and Mana-gement, 3(4), 2347-3002.
Aziz, N. ve Ngah, H. (2019). The effect of self expressive value and perceived value on Malaysian cosmetic brand loyalty: The mediating role of brand identification and word of mouth. Asia-Pacific Management Ac-counting Journal, 14(1), 151-178. doi: 10.24191/apmaj.v14i1.907.
Azizi, S. (2014). A model of factors affecting foreign brand trust. Journal of Competitiveness, 6(3), 20-31.
Blackston, M. (1992). Observations: Building brand equity by managing the brand's relationships. Journal of Advertising Research, 32(3), 79-83. doi:
10.2501/JAR-40-6-101-105.
Briciu, V. A. ve Briciu, A. (2016). A brief history of brands and the evolution of place branding. Bullefin of the Transilvania University of Brasov, 9(2), 137-142. Erişim adresi: https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-de-tail?id=494838
Chaudhuri, A. ve Chatterjee, S. C. (2005). Are trusted brands important? Mar-keting Management Journal, 15(1), 1-16.
Chaudhuri, A. ve Holbrook, M. B. (2001). The chain of effects from brand trust and brand affect to brand performance: The role of brand loyalty. Jo-urnal of Marketing, 65(2), 81-93. doi: 10.1509/jmkg.65.2.81.18255 Chen, G.-L., Yang, S.-C., Chang, R.-M. ve Lee, T.-L. (2017). The antecedents of
brand loyalty building in fan page of Facebook. In Proceedings of the 4th Multidisciplinary International Social Networks Conference, 1-9. doi:
10.1145/3092090.3092126
Copeland, M. T. (1923). Relation of consumers' buying habits to marketing methods. Harvard Business Review, 1(3), 282-289.
Delgado-Ballaster, E. ve Munuera-Aleman, J. (2005). Does brand trust matter to brand equity? Journal of Product and Brand Management, 14(3), 187-196. doi: 10.1108/10610420510601058
Delgado-Ballester, E. (2004). Applicability of a brand trust scale across pro-duct categories. European Journal of Marketing, 38(5-6), 573-592. doi:
10.1108/03090560410529222
Doney, P. M. ve Cannon, J. P. (1997). An examination of the nature of trust in buyer–seller relationships. Journal of Marketing, 61(2), 35-51. doi:
10.1177/002224299706100203
Doyle, C. (2011). Oxford dictionary of marketing. New York: Oxford University Press.
Esenyel, V. ve Emeagwali, O. L. (2019). The relationship between perceived corporate reputation and employee’s positive word of mouth beha-vior: The mediation effect of trust to managers. Management Science Letter, 9(5), 673-686. doi: 10.5267/j.msl.2019.2.004
Geyskens, I., Steenkamp, J. B. ve Kumar, N. (1999). A Meta-Analysis of satis-faction in marketing channel relationships. Journal of Marketing Rese-arch, 36(2), 223-238. doi: 10.1177/002224379903600207
Goyette, I., Ricard, L., Bergeron, J. ve Marticotte, F. (2010). e-WOM scale:
Word-of-Mouth measurement scale for e-services context. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 27(1), 5-23. doi: 10.1002/cjas.129 Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J. ve Anderson, R. E. (2014). Multivariate data
analysis (Vol. 7.). Harlow, UK: Harlow: Pearson Education.
Han, H., Yu, J., Chua, B.-L., Lee, S. ve Kim, W. (2019). Impact of core-product and service-encounter quality, attitude, image, trust and love on re-purchase. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(4), 1588-1608. doi: 10.1108/IJCHM-05-2018-0376
Hayes, A. F. (2017). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Newyork: Guilford Publications.
Ho, C.-H., Chang, S.-T., Chen, Y.-T. ve Chiu, K.-H. (2010). Effects of brand image, online word of mouth, and price discount on consumer’s purc-hase intention - mobile phone as the example. Department of Business Administration, National Taipei University, 1-21.
Hu, H.-h., Wang, L., Jiang, L. ve Yang, W. (2019). Strong ties versus weak ties in word-of-mouth marketing. BRQ Business Research Quarterly, 22(4), 245-256. doi: 10.1016/j.brq.2018.10.004
Hyun, S. S. ve Kim, W. (2011). Dimensions of brand equity in the chain resta-urant industry. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 52(4), 429-437. doi:
10.1177/1938965510397533
Kalaycı, Ş. (2010). Spss uygulamalı çok değişkenli istatistik teknikleri (sayı, 5). An-kara: Asil Yayıncılık.
Kauv, S. ve Blotnicky, K. A. (2020, Spring). Brand loyalty, brand trust, peer ınfluence and price sensitivity as ınfluencers in student computer purchase. Journal Of Business and Behavioral Sciences, 32(1), 131-150.
Keller, E. (2007). Unleashing the power of word of mouth: Creating brand ad-vocacy to drive growth. Journal of Advertising Research, 47(4), 448-452.
doi: 10.2501/S0021849907070468
Keller, K. L. (2013). Strategic brand management building, measuring and mana-ging brand equity (4 ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc., as Pren-tice Hall.
Kim, R. B. ve Chao, Y. (2019). Effects of brand experience, brand image and brand trust on brand building process: The case of Chineese millen-nial generation consumers. Journal of International Studies, 12(3), 9-21.
doi: 10.14254/2071-8330.2019/12-3/1
Kim, S. S., Choe, J. J. ve Petrick, J. F. (2018). The effect of celebrity on brand awareness, perceived quality, brand image, brand loyalty, and desti-nation attachment to a literary festival. Journal of Destidesti-nation Marketing and Management,9, 320-329. doi: 10.1016/j.jdmm.2018.03.006
Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., Saunders, J. ve Wong, V. (2005). Principles of marke-ting (2 ed.). Milan: Pearson Education Limited.
Kurtoğlu, R. ve Sönmez, A. T. (2016). Marka imajı ve marka faydasının marka sadakati ve pozitif ağızdan ağıza iletişim üzerindeki etkisi. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 21(4), 1127-1138.
Kurtuluş, K. (2010). Araştırma yöntemleri, Türkmen Kitapevi: İstanbul.
Lau, G. T. ve Lee, S. H. (1999). Consumers' trust in a brand and the link to brand loyalty. Journal of Market-Focused Management, 4(4), 341-370.
doi: 10.1023/A:1009886520142
Marliawati, A. ve Cahyaningdyah, D. (2020). Impacts the brand of experience and brand image on brand loyalty: Mediators brand of trust. Manage-ment Analysis Journal, 9(2), 140-151. doi: 10.15294/MAJ.V9I2.36945 Mihardjo, L. W., Sasmoko, S., Alamsjah, F. ve Elidjen, E. (2019). The influence
of digital customer experience and electronic word of mouth on brand. Uncertain Supply Chain Management, 7(4), 691-702. doi:
10.5267/j.uscm.2019.4.001
Morgan, R. M. ve Hunt, S. D. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relati-onship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20-38. doi:
10.1177/002224299405800302
Newman, J. W. (1957). New Insight, new progress, for marketing. Harvard Bu-siness Review, 35(6), 95-102.
Nikookar, G., Rahrovy, E., Razi, S. ve Ghassemi, R. A. (2015). Investigating influential factors on word of mouth in service industries: The case of Iran Airline Company. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,177, 217-222. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.392
Özdemir, M. ve Koçak, A. (2012). İlişkisel pazarlama çerçevesinde marka sa-dakatinin oluşumu ve bir model önerisi. Ankara Üniversitesi SBF Der-gisi, 67(2), 127-156. doi: 10.1501/SBFder_0000002246
Saeednia, H. R. ve Masoumi, P. (2014). An investigation on the effects of brand equity, trust, image and customer satisfaction on regular insurance firm customers’ loyalty. Management Science Letters, 4(3), 497-502.
Saleem, S., Rahman, S. U. ve Umar, R. M. (2015). Measuring customer based beverage brand equity: Investigating the relationship between perce-ived quality, brand awareness, brand image and brand loyalty. Inter-national Journal of Marketing Studies, 7(1), 66-77. doi:
10.5539/ijms.v7n1p66
Salinas, E. M. ve Pérez, J. M. (2009). Modeling the brand extensions' influence on brand image. Journal of Business Research, 62(1), 50-60. doi:
10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.01.006
Sallam, M. A. (2015). The effect of dual image (corporate and brand) on cus-tomers’ wom: The role of customer loyalty. International Journal of Eco-nomics, Commerce and Management, 3(12), 1-17.
Sensuse, D. I., Cahyaningsih, E. ve Wibowo, W. C. (2015). Identifying knowledge management process of Indonesian government human capital management using analytical hierarchy process and pearson correlation analysis. Procedia Computer Science, 72, 233-24. doi:
10.1016/j.procs.2015.12.136
Seo, E.-J. ve Park, J.-W. (2018). A study on the influence of the information characteristics of airline social media on e-wom, brand equity and trust. The Open Transportation Journal, 12(1), 289-300. doi:
10.2174/1874447801812010289
Sernovitz, A. (2012). Word of mouth marketing: how smart companies get people talking (Vol. 3). Texas: Greenleaf Book Group Press.
Silverman, G. (2006). Ağızdan ağıza pazarlama. (E. Orfanlı, Trans.) İstanbul: Me-diaCat Yayınları.
Sparks, B. A. ve Browning, V. (2011). The impact of online reviews on hotel booking intentions and perception of trust. Tourism Management, 32(6), 1310-1323. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2010.12.011
Sung, Y. ve Kim, J. (2010). Effects of brand personality on brand trust and brand affect. Psychology and Marketing, 27(7), 639-661. doi:
10.1002/mar.20349
Tekin, M. ve Öztürk, A. (2010). Kriz ve marka iletişimi (1 ed.). Konya: Eğitim Akademi Yayınevi.
Ulusu, Y. (2011). Effects of brand image on brand trust. Journal of Yasar Uni-versity, 24(6), 3932-3950.
Virvilaite, R., Tumasonyte, D. ve Sliburyte, L. (2015). The influence of word of mouth communication on brand equity: Receiver perspectives. Pro-cedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences (213), 641-646. doi:
10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.465
Yıldız, E. (2017). Effects of service quality on customer satisfaction, trust, cus-tomer loyalty and word of mouth: An application on cargo compa-nies in Gümüşhane. Global Journal of Economics and Business Stu-dies, 6(12), 81-88.
Yi, Y. ve Jeon, H. (2003). Effects of loyalty programs on value perception, prog-ram loyalty and brand loyalty. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sci-ence, 31(3), 229-240. doi: 10.1177/0092070303031003002
Yükselen, C. (2013). Pazarlama araştırmaları (6 ed.). Ankara: Detay Yayıncılık.
Kaynakça Bilgisi / Citation Information
Burçak Güner, S. ve Öngel, V. (2021). Ağızdan ağıza pazarlamanın marka sadakatine etkisinde marka imajı ve marka güveninin aracılık rolü. OPUS–Uluslararası Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 18(39), 553-588. DOI: 10.26466/opus.898666.