مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد توسعه هویت برند و استراتژی فروش در عصر دیجیتال – الزویر 2024

Abstract

Brand identity helps customers to identify, as well as distinguish alternative competitive brands. If there is a consistent marketing strategy and consistent messaging, brand identity remains consistent, which helps in improving sales management and generating better revenue for the brand. In this digital era, there are various digital marketing tools and capabilities to improve brand identity, which help in establishing close association with customers to influence their purchasing decisions. However, we have limited understanding of the antecedents of brand identity in the digital era, and how the moderating role of consumer belief in brands could influence their purchasing decision making process. In this context, this study aims to determine the antecedents of brand identity in the digital era, and to examine if there is any moderating impact of consumer belief in brand (CBB) on consumer purchase decision (CPD). Based on the resource-based view and social identity theory, a theoretical model has been developed. Following the survey responses of representatives from 302 organizations/brands, the covariance-based structural equation modelling validates our model. Our analysis affirms that e-WOM, digital infrastructure, skilled manpower, and digital marketing capability positively impact on developing brand identity, which influences sales strategy differently in different situation to influence CPD, where CBB plays a moderating role. The study results have been derived by analyzing the inputs of the respondents based out of India which invited external validity issue and it has been considered as one of the limitations of this study.

Introduction

It is a common practice that “every organization needs to develop strong brands as an essential part of business strategy” (Kay, 2006, p.742). Brand identity is considered as a key factor for appropriately articulating a brand-based strategy (Urde, 1999, Zhao et al., 2017). Brand identity is considered to impact the sales efforts of the organizations and it is said to be an effective ingredient of brand development which could influence the purchase decision of the consumers (Hanna & Rowley, 2013). Brand identity is associated with the concept of brand vision, brand value, and brand positioning. Analysis of these components could help to understand insights on how brand identity relates to business performance of the organizations (Muhonen et al., 2017). With rapid progress of technologies, organizations have become interested in adopting digital marketing practices as this could help to improve the sales efforts of the organizations (Rayburn et al., 2021). Digital marketing is concerned with the use of digital channels for promoting brands that are helpful to enhance the sales efforts of the organizations (Bahcecik et al., 2019). Besides, sales management is considered an important aspect of the marketing mix which is rapidly developing in the business world in this digital era (Kim and Hyun, 2011, Krishna and Kim, 2021, Squire, 2021, Erdmann et al., 2023). In such context, sales efforts of the organizations are considered as an impactful initiative to promote its brand in the marketplace (Allison & Flaherty, 2020). Effective brand management with controlled flexibility helps the organizations to effectively counter the competitors with better planning and strategy that can influence the consumer buying decision (Featherman et al., 2021, Gupta, 2022, Jabeen et al., 2022). Moreover, sales management efforts of the organizations influenced by the brand value have also been impacted by the emergence of digital technologies which has modified the style of interactions of the organizations with the potential consumers (Möller & Parvinen, 2015). Studies have demonstrated that salespeople of different organizations are involved in interactions with the consumers mainly through using different digital platforms. Such digital interactions could help the organizations to propagate their brand positioning helping the consumers to be better aware of the brand with superior knowledge about the products (Ballantyne, 2004, Allison and Flaherty, 2020, Chatzopoulou and Navazhylava, 2022). In such perspective, brand identity plays a decisive role to make consumer aware regarding the product features and functionalities along with its positioning. Social media and digital marketing play a vital role in promoting brand identity through digital means ( Syed et al., 2023). The purchase decisions of the consumers could be impacted through proper sales efforts by the salespersons along with the belief and trust of the consumers in the brand through feedback from other consumers (Riley et al., 2013, Chatterjee et al., 2022, Chatterjee et al., 2022, Merle et al., 2022). In this digital era, there are numerous ways by which the organizations strive to improve their brand identity in establishing a close association with the consumers that helps to influence their purchase decision (Karimi et al., 2018, Chaudhuri et al., 2023).

Discussion and conclusion

This study has demonstrated that EWM, DIC, DMC, and SMC could impact BRI significantly and positively as the path coefficients are 0.17, 0.21, 0.14, and 0.31 respectively with respective levels of significance as p < 0.001(***) (H1a), p < 0.01(**) (H1b), p < 0.05(*) (H1c), and p < 0.001(***) (H1d). These hypotheses have duly been statistically validated and they also received support from other studies like Chu and Kim, 2011, Conti et al., 2023, Apasrawirote et al., 2022, and Senker (1980). Besides, the study has highlighted that BRI could impact SAE significantly and positively as the concerned path coefficient is 0.41 with level of significance is p < 0.01(**) (H2). Also, the present study has demonstrated that SAE could impact CPD significantly and positively since the concerned path coefficient is 0.43 with level of significance as p < 0.05(*) (H3). Both these hypotheses (H2 and H3) have been statistically validated and they have received support from Badrinarayanan and Laverie (2011). The present study has shown that CBB acts as a significant moderator on the relationship between SAE and CPD since the concerned path coefficient is 0.11 with level of significance as p < 0.05(*) (H4). Such moderation impact is consistent with the findings from the research study by Cheung and To (2021) with the consideration of the moderating aspect of ethical belief. The present study also demonstrates that EWM, DIC, DMC, and SMC could predict BRI to the tune of 47 % as the R2 value is 0.47. Also, SAE could be predicted by BRI to the tune of 53 % since the concerned R2 value is 0.53. Again, this research work highlights that SAE could explain CPD to the extent of 71 % since the concerned R2 value is 0.71 which is the explanatory power of the proposed theoretical model. It is pertinent to mention here that R2 means coefficient of determination which is a number lying between 0 and 1 that could accurately estimate how well a model could predict an outcome.