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ABSTRACT
Based on the consumer-psychology model, this paper developed a model of self-centered brand engagement with the brand by examining the interplay between image, brand attachment, customer-brand relationship, and brand loyalty. The moderating effect of self-brand connection and positive word-of-mouth (WOM) on the relationship between three antecedents and brand loyalty was also investigated. CB-SEM was used to analyze the data collected online from 210 customers of fast fashion brands in Vietnam. The results show positive relationships between constructs in the model, except for the effect of image on brand loyalty. Moreover, the self-brand connection can moderate the effect of the customer-brand relationship on brand loyalty, whereas positive WOM significantly moderates the effect of image and brand attachment on brand loyalty. Managerial implications were suggested to show fast fashion brands how to build up a long-term relationship with their customers based on brand factors.
Keywords: Relationship quality, trust, emerging countries, Vietnam customers.
Received 17 March 2023 | Revised 27 July 2023 | Accepted 10 September 2023.
1. INTRODUCTION
Shopping has currently become a form of entertainment and the demand for clothes is rapidly increasing, hence, fashion plays an indispensable role in each person's life; hence, the fast fashion industry has emerged to catch up with the continuous and increasing demand of this market. As a result, the fast fashion industry appears inevitable due to the continuous change in customer demand. The fast fashion industry allows firms to produce fast, save every source, and optimize the supply chain so that products can reach consumers quickly with reasonable prices and help retailers avoid discounts and cut profits (Choi, 2014). After decades of growing and being a wise idea for the retailing industry, the concept of fast fashion has been adopted as a vital form of key players in the global fashion market (Caro and Martínez-de-Albéniz, 2015; Su and Chang, 2018). Fast fashion business models are finding a way to grow sustainably with customers (e.g. environmental impacts) (Long and Nasiry, 2022). Therefore, the consumer-brand relationship is considered to contribute a vital role to fast fashion brands as a sustainable competitive advantage (Nyaga and Whipple, 2011). Moreover, many international fast fashion brands have penetrated Asian emerging markets in recent years, including Zara, Uniqlo, and Mango and with the constant...