The Effect of Retail Brand Experience on Satisfaction, Brand Commitment and Word of Mouth Communication: The Case of Decathlon Brand

Year 2023, Volume: 22 Issue: 4, 1361 - 1379, 20.10.2023

Adil Bical

https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.1290541

Abstract

In the modern consumer world, individuals tend to express their intrinsic reactions by prioritizing not only the utilitarian features of products, but also their hedonic and experiential aspects. This has led to an increased interest in brand experience among both industry practitioners and scholars. The enhancement of the hedonic characteristics of products and services, in addition to their functional attributes, serves to increase the experiential aspect of the shopping process. Moreover, due to the necessity of customer interaction within the retail industry, customer experience has emerged as a critical factor. The interactions between customers and a brand can vary significantly. The environmental stimuli such as store atmosphere, music, color, smell, visual theme, and employees have a considerable impact on customers. The physical stimuli that customers encounter during their time in the store result in emotional and cognitive outcomes. Meeting cognitive and emotional expectations increases customer satisfaction and increases the likelihood of repurchase. This study aims to examine the impact of brand experience on consumers' perceptions of satisfaction, its effect on brand commitment, and word-of-mouth. To accomplish this objective, the brand experiences of customers who visited Decathlon stores were investigated. The results of the study indicate that a strong relationship exists between brand experience and customer satisfaction. Additionally, the findings reveal that brand experience has a positive impact on brand commitment. The results also demonstrate that there is a positive association between word-of-mouth and brand commitment, as well as between word-of-mouth and brand experience. However, as hypothesized in the study, no significant relationship was found between customer satisfaction and brand commitment. While this study provides important recommendations for retail companies on customer experience management strategies, it emphasizes that does not always create brand loyalty.

Keywords

Retail brand experience, Decathlon, Brand commitment, Word of mouth, Brand satisfaction.

Perakende Marka Deneyiminin Marka Tatmini, Marka Bağlılığı ve Ağızdan Ağıza İletişime Etkisi: Decathlon Markası Örneği

Abstract

Modern tüketici dünyasında bireyler, alışverişleri sırasında ürünlerin sadece faydacı özelliklerine değil, aynı zamanda hedonik ve deneyimsel yönlerine de öncelik vererek içsel tepkilerini ortaya koyma eğilimi göstermektedir. Bu durum hem sektördeki uygulayıcılar hem de akademisyenler arasında marka deneyimine yönelik ilginin artmasına yol açmıştır. Ürünlerin ve hizmetlerin işlevsel yönlerinin yanı sıra hedonik özellikleri de zenginleştirilerek alışveriş sürecinin deneyimsel boyutu artırılmaktadır. Diğer yandan perakende sektörü, müşteri etkileşimini zorunlu kıldığından, müşteri deneyimi önemli bir faktör olarak ön plana çıkmaktadır. Müşterilerin marka ile etkileşim noktaları çeşitlilik göstermektedir. Mağaza atmosferi, müzik, renk, koku, görsel tema ve çalışanlar gibi çevresel uyaranlar, müşteriler üzerinde belirgin bir etki yaratmaktadır. Müşterinin mağazada geçirdiği süre içerisinde karşılaştığı fiziksel uyarıcılar, duygusal ve bilişsel sonuçlara yol açmaktadır. Bilişsel ve duygusal beklentilerin karşılanması, müşteri tatminini artırarak tekrar satın alma olasılığını yükseltmektedir. Bu çalışma, marka deneyiminin müşteri tatmin algısı üzerindeki etkisini, bunun marka bağlılığı ve ağızdan ağıza iletişime etkisini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, Decathlon mağazasını ziyaret eden tüketicilerin marka deneyimleri incelenmiştir. Araştırma sonuçları, marka deneyimi ile müşteri tatmini arasında güçlü bir ilişkinin varlığını kanıtlamaktadır. Benzer şekilde, marka deneyimi marka bağlılığını olumlu yönde etkilemektedir. Sonuçlar, ağızdan ağıza iletişim ile marka bağlılığı arasında ve ağızdan ağıza iletişim ile marka deneyimi arasında pozitif yönlü bir ilişki olduğunu göstermektedir. Bununla birlikte, araştırma müşteri tatmini ile marka bağlılığı arasındaki beklenen ilişkiyi doğrulayamamıştır. Bu çalışma, perakende sektöründeki şirketlere müşteri deneyimi yönetimi stratejileri konusunda önemli öneriler sunarken, müşteri tatminin her zaman marka bağlılığı yaratmadığını vurgulamaktadır.

Keywords

Perakende marka deneyimi, Decathlon, Marka bağlılığı, Ağızdan ağıza iletişim, Marka tatmini.

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