Title: Investigating online loyalty, attitude, credibility and moderating role of moral identity from CRM perspective

Authors: Harishchandra Singh Rathod; Vijayendra Gupta; Richa Shreevastava; Ashwin Jadeja; Krishnaba Vaghela

Addresses: Shri Jairambhai Patel Institute of Business Management and Computer Applications (NICM Campus), Near Infocity Gate 01, Indroda Circle, Koba-Gandhinagar Road, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382007, India ' Woxsen University, Hyderabad, India ' R.B. Institute of Management Studies, Opp. Hirawadi BRTS Thakkarbapa Nagar, Hirawadi, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382350, India ' B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies, Gujarat University, 120 Feet Ring Road, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380009, India ' Graduate School of Management Studies (GSMS), Gujarat Technological University, Sabarmati Koba, Three Roads, Gujarat State Highway 41, Nigam Nagar, Chandkheda, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382424, India

Abstract: Cause-related marketing (CRM) is widely acknowledged as a promotional marketing tool across emerging markets. CRM is a promotional activity where the company partners with a charity organisation to donate to a particular cause by purchasing a specific product. The increased competition has led online businesses to pay attention to credibility because it becomes a point for successfully realising CRM marketing strategy. Past studies have focused on the western context, and less research has been carried out in the Indian context. In the first stage of the study, we investigate the effect of company, brand and charity credibility on attitude toward the brand in the CRM context. Next, we investigate the impact of CRM brand attitude on online customer loyalty. IBM-SPSS-AMOS 22 software analysed 608 respondents through the structural equation modelling method. The results of this study have established the effect of company credibility, brand credibility and charity credibility on attitude toward CRM and its subsequent impact on online customer loyalty. Furthermore, our research ascertained the moderating role of moral identity on attitude toward CRM and online customer loyalty. The findings of this study would guide Indian marketers and retailers alongside charity managers to design effective CRM campaigns.

Keywords: online customer loyalty; attitude toward CRM; company credibility; brand credibility; charity credibility; moral identity.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2025.146485

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2025 Vol.22 No.4, pp.441 - 459

Received: 02 Oct 2022
Accepted: 28 Mar 2023
Published online: 02 Jun 2025 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article