Title: Maintaining customer-brand relationships in the mobile industry: the mediation effects of brand relationship benefits and quality

Authors: Li-Chun Hsu; Dah-Kwei Liou

Addresses: Department of Cultural Resources and Leisure Industries, National Taitung University, 369, Sec. 2, University Road, Taitung 95092, Taiwan, ROC ' Department of Finance, Chihlee University of Technology, 313, Sec. 1, Wunhua Road, Banciao District, New Taipei City 22050, Taiwan, ROC

Abstract: This study focuses on customers pursuing mobile products in order to attain brand relationship benefits (BRB). This research investigates the antecedents and consequences of BRB and brand relationship quality (BRQ) in the mobile industry. This research adopted structural equation modelling to test the proposed model and had a research sample of 310 smartphone consumers in Taiwan. The results indicate that fashion innovativeness and fashion involvement influence hedonic benefit from the fashion approach of customers' psychological attributes. From the utilitarian approach of product attributes on mobile, usability influences functional benefit, and convenience influences special treatment benefit. Hedonic benefit, functional benefit, and special treatment benefit, all influence BRQ. In addition, BRQ influences repurchase intention. BRB are the mediators between the antecedents and BRQ. BRQ is the mediator between BRB and repurchase intention. As an academic contribution, this study filled a void in this area, as most of the previous studies in this area focused on the influence of service relationship on the relationship benefits and relationship quality rather than on the influence of brand relationship issues. From a managerial standpoint, this study can assist mobile providers to understand which approaches influence customers' repurchase intention.

Keywords: brand relationship benefits; brand relationship quality; mobile industry; mobile products; repurchase intention.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2017.084861

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2017 Vol.15 No.4, pp.388 - 413

Received: 20 Jul 2015
Accepted: 02 Jul 2016
Published online: 01 Jul 2017 *

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