Abstract Problem statement – what factors determine brand loyalty in Smartphone? Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine causal antecedent factors leading to brandloyalty in the Swedish Smartphone market Theory – theoretical review and critical analysis of academic journals related to dependantand independent variables and conceptual model is formulated. Methodology - Quantitative approach is used to quantify the relationship between dependantand independent variables based on the proposed theoretical model that delineates therelationships between dependant variable brand loyalty and the independent variablescustomer satisfaction, perceived quality, brand experience, brand image, brand switching costand product involvement. Data – In total 200 responses were collected through a structured interview from UppsalaUniversity, Uppsala central train and bus station and two big shopping centers in Uppsala (S: tper galleria and Forum galleria). Apple and Sony Ericsson brand users are interviewed in thedata gathering process, 100 respondents for each brand Findings – the analysis suggest brand image, product involvement and customer satisfactiondetermined brand loyalty in Apple brand, whereas customer satisfaction was the onlydeterminate factor in Sony Ericsson brand

The impact of identity on brand loyalty has taken precedence as an area of focus in recent marketing research. This has taken place in an era defined by technological revolution, which has created market disruptions and there are implications for customer–brand relationships. Nonetheless, the extant literature on brand loyalty does not extensively acknowledge the impact of socio-psychological attributes but rather functional utility maximisation. The brand loyalty literature has the notion that the perceived value of a brand is conceptualised and operationalised as a functional utilitarian value. Knowledge that illuminates how firms can reposition themselves to sustain brand loyalty when disruptions occur in today’s complex and globalised business environment is explored in this study, through empirical investigation into the phenomenon of brand switching behaviour among consumers in a specific competitive market, namely, the Smartphone Industry. The current study explores how resistance could be built from an identity theory perspective. As highlighted above, much emphasis has historically been placed on the functional utility of products at the expense of social meanings. Given the relative paucity of literature on identity and brand loyalty, this study adopts a grounded theory methodology based on a survey and a series of in-depth interviews across Ghana and the UK to access consumers’ insights and experiences of specific brands in the Smartphone industry. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded, utilising the three-stage process of analysing data; specifically, open, axial and selective coding. This study is the first to combine brand loyalty literature, identity theory and grounded theory to study the behaviour of brand switching in the Smartphone Industry. This study identified a gap in knowledge in the brand loyalty literature, as it focuses only on how brands perform under normal market conditions. Hence, this study provided consideration for market disruptions in the Smartphone industry. Empirical data from Smartphone users confirmed in this study that underlining factors which are non-utilitarian factors such as socio-psychological benefits, motivate consumers to continue buying the brands they buy. The study also established that the sustainability of brand loyalty could be accomplished from an identity theory perspective by adapting and advancing a customer–brand identification (CBI) model, to examine the phenomenon of brand switching in the Smartphone industry at a more matured and competitive stage.

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This research aims to identify the key factors influencing consumer behaviour and decision-making in relation to sustainable garment brands, aiming to understand why consumers do or do not switch to these brands.  Age significantly influences consumer switching behaviour towards sustainable brands, with younger generations being more likely to adopt these brands. While sustainability awareness does not significantly affect consumer loyalty, it negatively affects their willingness to switch products. Raising awareness of sustainable practices is crucial for decision-making and brand loyalty, making eco-conscious consumers less likely to switch brands.

While the concept of brand loyalty is well-researched, qualitative studies pertaining specifically to generational transfer of brand loyalty in a South African fast-moving consumer goods context are few and far between. This study used the dishwashing liquid product category in the Western Cape Province of South Africa to analyse generational transfer of brand loyalty. Following a qualitative research methodology, using in-person interviews across two generations - children and parents/guardians - raw data was obtained. Participants were asked to provide information relating to their preferred brand of dishwashing liquid, as well as their reasons for using the brand, their loyalty towards the brand, as well as their likelihood of brand switching. The data underwent a thorough thematic data analysis. Codes, categories, and themes were identified, with the researcher continually seeking to identify patterns in responses. A number of findings were laid out, offering insights into the concept of generational transfer of brand loyalty, as well as a foundation for future research into the topic. The study established that, in the dishwashing liquid product category in the Western Cape, there is a strong degree of generational transfer of brand loyalty, and at times, the transfer has taken place across three generations. Aspects such as consumers’ use of a brand out of habit and brand associations also appear to transfer generationally at times. There is also a strong occurrence of brand loyalty in the product category - mostly towards Unilever’s Sunlight brand. Brand switching across generations is uncommon in this sector, prevented by factors including enthusiastic brand loyalty and budgetary limitations. When switching does occur, it is driven mainly by a desire to discover whether a better brand exists, and changes in price and availability. Price and effectiveness frequently combine to form assessments of value during consumers’ purchase decision process in this product category. This study provides insight into the phenomenon of generational transfer of brand loyalty, within the context of the FMCG industry in the Western Cape. The findings within may prove useful both to brand marketers as well as researchers seeking a foundation upon which to conduct further studies in this area. The implications of this study, and recommendations for future, related studies, have been discussed in this report.

Ever since the creation of Web 2.0, there has been a seismic shift in how businesses advertise and promote their brands. Social media has birthed a new platform for people and organizations to interact with each other to pass information and opinions or accounts of experiences with products or services. As more consumers gravitate towards social media, firms are leveraging this sensation to engage and forge relationships with individuals which in most cases positively influence consumers’ purchase decisions. However, when some customers are dissatisfied with services or products, they engage in social media negative word-of-mouth (NWOM) which could impact a brand’s reputation, the consumer’s purchase intention and ultimately the firm’s bottom line. In the first study, 118 undergraduate students were surveyed, and empirical evidence was found to support mediating effects of brand reputation on the relationship between social media and purchase intention and moderating effects of brand engagement on the relationship between social media NWOM and brand reputation. In the second study, scenarios were presented to undergraduate students to investigate the impact of social media NWOM on small/local businesses vs. large chain businesses, the difficulty of recovery for small/local businesses, the NWOM correlation of switching behavior after product/service failure, and responses from a firm after a product/service failure. The third study replicated the findings from study two using a more diverse sample instead of students. The study expanded and explored why trust and recovery levels differ in large chain versus small/local businesses. Results indicated that small businesses suffered more from the failure in service/product but made a larger surge in trust than large chain businesses. Keywords: Negative-word-of-mouth, social media, brand engagement, business failure recovery, brand trust, switching behavior / Business Administration/Marketing

Only a few industries face challenges regarding sustainability to the same extent as the fashion industry being one of the largest consumer industries and the second most polluting industry in the world. These challenges are encouraged by the fast fashion business model, which is dominant in the sector and relies on the quick responsiveness to latest fashion trends while maintaining low prices, encouraging more consumption and shorter product life cycles. On the other side, a consumer shift towards more environmental consciousness can be observed leading to most fast fashion brands integrating sustainability in various forms into their products and services. A path that many fast fashion brands take in order to become more sustainable is the strategy of green branding through green brand extensions. Green brand extensions (GBEs) involve the application of an established brand name to new and greener products due to environmental considerations of the brand and can be divided into green line extensions (GLEs) and green category extensions (GCEs). Due to identified research gaps concerning how green brand extensions change consumer attitudes as well as the relationship between brand loyalty and the green image of brands, the following research question got developed to gain in-depth in consumer behavior in the fast fashion industry related to green brand extensions: RQ: How do green brand extensions of fast fashion brands affect the consumers’ parent brand attitude and brand loyalty? This primary study that aims to answer the research question was conducted following a deductive research approach and adopting a quantitative research design through collecting data by means of a web questionnaire. Thereby, the brand attitude of fashion consumers on green line and green category extensions as well as the relationship to brand loyalty got investigated focusing on Generation Y and Z as largest consumer groups of fast fashion. The main results of the study are that the introduction of a GLE by a fast fashion brand generally leads to a more positive brand attitude and a slightly improved brand loyalty of consumers towards the parent brand. However, when introducing a GCE, the launch has rarely a positive effect on the brand attitude and brand loyalty of consumers towards the parent brand. The relationship of GLEs and brand attitude is thereby moderated by the environmental concern of consumers as well as their friends and by the initial brand attitude towards the fast fashion brand. The relationship of GLEs and brand loyalty on the other hand is only moderated by environmental concern of consumers and the initial brand attitude. Looking at GCEs and their relationship with brand attitude as well as brand loyalty, it is influenced and moderated by the age of consumers, the environmental concern of their friends as well as consumers’ initial brand loyalty towards the parent brand.