Product involvement, price perceptions, and brand loyalty

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to contribute to the literature on brand loyalty by illustrating the mechanisms through which product involvement influences brand loyalty. In doing so, the study is original in considering the mediating role of the multidimensional price perceptions’ construct.

Design/methodology/approach

Two thousand questionnaires were distributed in two shopping malls, yielding a sample of 535 consumers, covering eight different grocery products. To test the hypothesized model, the authors relied on structural equation modelling.

Findings

Product involvement influences on brand loyalty are partially mediated by price perceptions. This is a novel finding. Moreover, product involvement relates positively to six price perceptions, and this is also original. As expected, value consciousness and sale proneness are detrimental to brand loyalty, whereas price – quality schema contributes to it. Unexpectedly, however, price consciousness, sale proneness and price mavenism are positively related to loyalty.

Practical implications

Managers can improve brand loyalty by increasing consumers’ product involvement, by reducing the reliance on a value-for-money orientation and on non-coupon promotions and by focusing on lower or higher prices and on coupon promotions and emphasizing a price – quality association.

Originality/value

The product involvement/brand loyalty relationship has been characterized by mixed findings. This paper contributes to this debate by clarifying the mechanisms through which involvement relates to loyalty. In doing this, this paper also innovates by investigating the relationship between involvement and the multidimensional price perceptions’ construct. In this process, this paper also inquires how seven price perceptions relate to brand loyalty, with novel findings emerging.

Citation

Ferreira, A.G. and Coelho, F.J. (2015), "Product involvement, price perceptions, and brand loyalty", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 349-364. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-06-2014-0623