Today’s competition among companies has increased due to the development of the Internet. Customer loyalty is crucial for companies in today’s market. It is important to create a customer base, which will result in a positive effect on profit and sustainability. Social media, such as Instagram, has an impact on customers today. Social media has made it possible for companies to be closer to their customer than ever before. The purpose of this study was to explain how a company can influence Instagram followers’ loyalty through the use of Instagram. This study examines several crucial factors which are considered to have an impact on customer loyalty. The study uses a deductive approach and the data was collected using an internetbased survey posted on a specific Instagram account. The result of the empirical study shows evidence to support that the variables community, choice and word of mouth have a significant impact on loyalty through Instagram. There is no evidence in the study that the variables customization, convenience and character have any impact on customer loyalty. The study further examines and suggests that there is no significant relationship between an individual attitude towards a company and the individual actions on Instagram. / Internet har gjort det möjligt för kunder att jämföra företag och produkter med endast en knapptryckning, något som inte varit möjligt innan utvecklingen av internet. Detta har gjort att konkurrensen ökar bland företag. Sociala medier har växt fram i och med utvecklingen av internet, vilket innebär att företag kan komma närmare sina kunder än någonsin tidigare. Det saknas kunskap om hur företag kan skapa konkurrensfördelar med hjälp av sociala medier, tidigare har internet och social medier sätts som samma sak. Ett sätt att påverka ett företags konkurrenssituation är att bygga konsumentrelationer genom att skapa lojalitet hos kunden till företaget. Syftet med denna uppsats var att kartlägga lojaliteten hos ett medieföretags instagramföljare genom att undersöka sex faktorers påverkan på lojalitet. Det som undersöks är hur följarnas lojalitet påverkas av följarnas attityd till instagramkontots design, benägenhet att sprida information om kontot, tillgången till information, känsla av samhörighet, anpassning och användarvänlighet. I studien undersöks sambandet mellan attityd och beteende, om följarens attityd återspeglas i dess beteende. I studien användes ett deduktivt synsätt där teori jämförs med data som samlats in. Vi formulerade sex hypoteser och en forskningsfråga utifrån teorier om lojalitet. Detta gjordes för att kunna studera följarnas lojalitet, attityd och beteende. Empirisk data samlades in genom att en enkät publicerade på ett specifikt företags instagramkonto. Företagets följare fick möjlighet att besvara 21 frågor som syftade till att mäta hur olika faktorer påverkade följarens lojalitet till företaget och kopplingen mellan en följarens attityd och dess beteende. Resultatet av vår studie tyder på att följarens lojalitet påverkas av följarens benägenhet att sprida information om kontot, tillgången till information och känsla av samhörighet. I studien fanns det inget som tyder på att instagramkontots design, anpassning och användarvänlighet har en påverkan på följarens lojalitet. Vårt resultat tyder också på att det inte finns något samband mellan en följares attityd och följaren beteende på Instagram.

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.

abstract: The aim of this study is to conduct the empirical tests on consumer's emotional responses of product design and the relationship between emotion and consumer's attitudinal loyalty to identify if there exists potential relationship links between these two factors together by following certain regulation. This study also seeks to compare Brand Loyalty of Apple products across two different cultures - China and US to see if there are any differences regarding their brand loyalty construction and expression. The emotional responses on product design were also studied in order to reveal potential emotional design issues between the two different cultures. Results of this study show that: (1) Brand loyalty strengthens a consumer's emotion bond with a targeted brand through its product carrier. Emotion is seen as a predictor for brand loyalty based on consumer proportionality and conformity of expression. (2) Cognitive experience is not necessary nor a sufficient condition to build brand loyalty. Emotion and culture will be crucial in constructing brand loyalty without cognition. Cultural differences will affect brand loyalty, especially regarding attitudinal loyalty. (3) Different cultures share different ways of emotional expression. Based on the scope, limitations, and results of this research, Chinese consumers appear to be more sensitive in their emotional feelings of the iPad's design than American consumers. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S.D. Design 2012

In today’s retail landscape, the goal of retaining loyal customers is a pivotal part of success. Multichannel retailers offer an extended service package which increases the chances of totally satisfied customers, a requirement for loyalty. In 2017, 20-30 percent of all purchased e-commerce goods were returned. This aroused an interest in how consumer behaviour is influenced by a multichannel retailers’ delivery- and return policies, and so the purpose of this study was defined. The nature of the purpose directed the study to a quantitative form, where primary data was collected by conducting a survey on Lulea University of Technology (LTU) students. A requirement for the participants was to have experience in online purchasing from a multichannel retailer, such as Zara. A theoretical framework consisting of hypotheses and the main theories of the study were formed to conceptualise the potential relations. This framework was then used as a basis throughout the data analysis that made use of established measures, which were performed by means of multiple regressions and correlations on the data. The analysis revealed mixed results, some rejecting the null hypotheses and some confirming it. In other words, there exists a relation and direct link between delivery- and return policies towards brand image. This study could not prove a direct connection between delivery- and return policies towards brand loyalty, potentially due to a small sample size. A false negative also deemed the final connection between brand image and brand loyalty as inconclusive, however a larger survey sample would probably have resulted in a proven relation. This study has begun filling the gap between how delivery- and return policies influence multichannel retailers brand image and brand loyalty, an area with scarce information. The research team recommends future studies to conduct qualitative approaches to gain deeper insight into the mind of the consumer and their thoughts regarding the discussed policies. In addition, future research could view it from a company perspective to create a circumferential information stream. Most importantly, a large sample should be obtained to make sure that the relations expected to exist, can be proven.

Brand loyalty has long been an important factor for companies’ sustainability and profitability, as it is less expensive to retain existing customers than acquiring new ones. In correlation to the importance of brand loyalty, there is a new vast generation, called the millennials’ or generation Y coming in to the market that is different than any generation before. This generational cohort has shown tendencies of being very disloyal, yet not all authors agree. Furthermore, some positive evidence has been found that millennials consider brands as a way of expressing their own identity and are driven by a need of having a trendy social image. The role of brand identity has therefore been chosen as an important key factor to examine this generation’s brand loyalty. Due to the poor research and the complexity of understanding millennial’s brand loyalty, the purpose of this study is to acknowledge the role of brand identity and to enhance the knowledge about brand loyalty of millennials when it comes to fashion brands.The research is of a quantitative and deductive nature where the primary data of the study was collected through surveys. 108 people participated in the study and the participants were millennials between an age interval of 18-38 years. The result of the study shows that there is a link between brand identity and brand image and that there is a positive relationship between brand image and brand loyalty. Moreover, comparing the brand image of two companies H&M and Ralph Lauren to the respondents’ brand loyalty towards the fast fashion and luxury fashion industry showed a correlation of equivalent loyalty towards the two industries. However, the respondents that were loyal towards the luxury fashion industry were shown to have a higher general brand loyalty.The findings of this research provide evidence that millennial can be loyal, but their loyalty may differ depending on the industry. Therefore, millennials display equal loyalty to the fast fashion and to the luxury fashion industry, but overall loyalty of luxury fashion followers is higher in general.

Abstract Background: The quality of service is considered as an essential component in any service industry. It has been evolved in service marketing and has often been used in other research fields and sectors. Further, researchers have emphasized the importance of measuring the quality dimensions over years and in various industries in order to manage it. Also, they have proposed that enhancing the quality of services enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty, in turn that will enable the service provider to meet the changes and challenges in its business environment. Purpose: Based on listed companies’ perception at Nasdaq Stockholm OMX, the study seeks to evaluate the service quality provided by accounting firms in Sweden and determine the situation of its dimensions, as well as to explore their direct impact on the client satisfaction and client loyalty. In addition, the study utilizes the SERVPERF model to measure the service quality’s dimensions. Approach/methodology: To achieve the purpose, the study conducts a deductive and quantitative approach with explanatory purpose. Also, the data has been collected based an online questionnaire. It was sent to 450 listed companies at Nasdaq Stockholm OMX, resulting in a sample of 58 respondents. The analysis has been conducted based on regression analysis. Result/discussion: the research presents and discusses the result based on two hypotheses groups separately. The first hypotheses group regarding the impact of service quality and its dimensions on customer satisfaction. The second hypotheses group concerning the impact of service quality and its dimensions on customer loyalty. Originality: To the researcher’s knowledge this study is considered as a first attempt using a multi-dimension scale to assess the service quality of the accounting firms in Sweden based on the perception of Swedish listed companies.

Background: The number of acquisitions is continuously increasing andthey are often an important source for competitive advantage. Meanwhile, acquisitions can be a hazardous investment and many do not succeed in creating the expected value. When seeking value creation, corporations can occasionally rebrand in the company. However, the challenges associated with corporate rebranding are sometimes inevitable. Therefore, a developed understanding of the challenges associated with corporate rebranding is required by investigation. Purpose: The purpose of the research is to investigate the corporate rebranding, from the aspect of customer satisfaction, brand equity and customer mindset. Moreover, the relationship between customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and brand equity will be examined. Execution: A quantitative research method is applied where empirical data is collected through structured interviews with customers of Circle K. The findings will be utilised for the data interpretation and analysis, as well as for the conclusion of the research. Conclusion: Rebranding does not result into a negative customer mindset or brand equity. However, the research shows that the rebranding has a positive influence on the customer satisfaction, and that there is a positive relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty. In turn, the customer loyalty is proven to affect the brand equity positively. The customer satisfaction of the new brand decreased compared to the original brand. Conversely, the difference in customer loyalty between the original and new brand cannot be proven and therefore there is no negative connection between loyalty to the original brand and loyalty to the new brand.

Neste estudo, buscou-se identificar as motivações humanas para a prática de atividade física, a fim de compreender os motivos de aderência e permanência dos indivíduos nas academias de ginástica, e a partir disso, contribuir para criar a base de uma estratégia de marketing voltada à fidelização de clientes de academias. Como metodologia, adotou-se a pesquisa descritiva como forma de aplicar conhecimentos na direção da solução de um problema específico, composto de duas etapas distintas: a primeira qualitativa (com caráter exploratório) e a segunda quantitativa (através da estruturação, aplicação de um questionário, para verificar e mensurar o comportamento dos consumidores de academias de ginástica). A partir da coleta, tabulação e análise dos resultados obtidos sobre a motivação dos clientes de academias, foi possível criar orientações para o planejamento estratégico voltado à fidelização dos clientes de academias de ginástica. / This study aimed at identifying the human motivations for physical activity in order to understand the causes of individuals’ adherence and permanence at gym academies. Next, it brought up a marketing strategy driven to academies’ customers loyalty. The methodology adopted the descriptive research as a way to apply knowledge to reach the solution of a specific problem. It was composed by two different stages: a qualitative (first - exploratory) and a quantitative stage. The quantitative stage contemplates the creation and appliance of a questionnaire in order to verify and measure the behavior of gym academies’ customers. From collection, tabulation and analysis of data concerning gym academies’ customers motivation it was possible to generate strategic policies, driven to customers of gym academies.

Com o passar do tempo, a crescente demanda por produtos ambientalmente mais amigáveis tem suscitado um entendimento mais avançado acerca do Marketing Verde e da forma como se delineia o consumo dentro deste campo com raízes antigas, mas ainda jovem dentro do escopo do Marketing. Nesta direção, o presente estudo consiste em uma aproximação acerca do consumo de produtos concebidos com base nos preceitos do Marketing Verde. Trata-se de um estudo de natureza exploratória que faz uso do método Laddering, baseado na Teoria das Cadeias Meios Fins, para investigar o papel do Marketing Verde no processo de Fidelização de Clientes. Sendo o processo de fidelização já bastante explorado, o presente estudo representa um avanço na medida em que propõe uma aproximação exploratória neste campo, com a finalidade de melhor entender o papel do Marketing Verde. Para tanto, foi preciso definir uma empresa que pudesse ser representativa do Marketing Verde neste estudo, o que foi realizado na primeira fase da presente pesquisa. Por meio de um levantamento com especialistas na área da sustentabilidade, e da posterior validação desta fase com base em análise documental, a empresa ou marca revelada foi a Natura, fabricante brasileira de cosméticos com engajamento em ações socioambientais. A partir desta definição, partiu-se para a aplicação do Laddering com consumidoras assíduas da Natura a fim de desvendar os Atributos, Consequências e Valores presentes no consumo desta marca. Com base nisso, pode-se perceber a forma como estes se ligam no processo de consumo da marca em questão, bem como revelar as implicações mais importantes para explicar o processo de fidelização das clientes participantes do estudo. Como resultado, constata-se o forte peso do Marketing Verde sobre o processo de fidelização destas clientes, na medida em que passa a percebido como diferencial e a ser considerado diante da escolha de uma determinada marca. No caso de produtos cosméticos, cuja finalidade básica está relacionada à obtenção de beleza e bem-estar, a constatação de que o Marketing Verde da marca estudada age tão fortemente, quanto às próprias questões relacionadas à beleza e bem-estar, sobre o processo de fidelização das clientes, significa um avanço no campo de estudo sobre lealdade. / Over time, the growing demand for environmentally friendly products has led to a more advanced understanding about Green Marketing and about the way the consumption rises within this field with ancient roots, but still young within the scope of Marketing. In this sense, the present study consists of an approximation about the consumption of products designed based on the precepts of Green Marketing. This is an exploratory study that makes use of the laddering method, based on the Means-End Chains Theory to investigate the role of Green Marketing in the process of customer loyalty. As the process of loyalty can already be considered extensively explored, this study represents advancement, in the sense it proposes an exploratory approach in this field, in order to best understand the role of Green Marketing. To that end, we have been supposed to define a company that could be representative of Green Marketing in this study, which was conducted in the first phase of this research. Through a survey with experts in the field of sustainability and further validation of this phase based on document analysis, the company or brand revealed has been Natura, Brazilian cosmetics manufacturer, because of its engage in socio-environmental actions, which can be regarded as an exponent of Green Marketing. From this definition, we advanced to the implementation of laddering with assiduous consumers of Natura, in order to uncover the attributes, consequences and values present in the consumption of this brand. On this basis, we can see how these ones link to each other in the process of consumption of the brand in question and reveal the most important implications as capable of explaining the process of customer loyalty in the study. As a result, it can be noticed the heavy importance of the Green Marketing on these customers loyalty, as it is taken into account and considered before choosing a particular brand. In the case of cosmetic products, whose basic purpose is related to the achievement of beauty and wellbeing, the discovery that the Green Marketing of the brand studied acts as strongly as the issues related to beauty and wellness on the loyalty of customers means a breakthrough in the field of study about loyalty.

Esta dissertação, construída a partir da teoria multidimensional da confiança com dimensões cognitivas, afetivas e comportamentais (ROSENBERG & HOVLAND, 1960; CUMMINGS & BROMILEY, 1996; MCALLISTER 1995; JOHNSON & GRAYSON, 2000) tem como objetivo desenvolver e validar uma escala que mensure os componentes afetivos, cognitivos e comportamentais da confiança. Aplicou-se a escala em uma amostra de 480 estudantes. O desenvolvimento da escala utilizou Churchill (1979) como base teórica seguindo os seguintes passos: a) Geração dos itens - através de escalas existentes e entrevistas em profundidade; b) purificação - utilizando análise fatorial exploratória e c) validação - através da análise fatorial confirmatória. Para fins de análise, a primeira metade dos respondentes foi utilizada na etapa exploratória e a outra metade, na etapa confirmatória. Para o teste do impacto das confianças cognitiva, afetiva e comportamental nas intenções de lealdade, foi utilizada a amostra completa. Os resultados mostraram que as confianças afetiva, cognitiva e comportamental são empiricamente distintas e podem ser mensuradas. Conforme esperado, as confianças afetiva e cognitiva tiveram um impacto positivo nas intenções de lealdade, contudo a confiança comportamental não teve impacto significativo. A análise multigrupos mostrou que, em relacionamentos mais longos, as confianças afetiva e cognitiva possuem um impacto maior quando comparadas com relacionamentos menos longos. / This dissertation, based on multidimensional trust theory, aims to develop and test a trust scale that considers affective, cognitive and behavioral aspects. In order to do that, the scale was applied in 480 students. The scale development was based on Churchill (1979) steps: a) Items Generation - using the literature and in-depth interview, b) Purification - using Factorial Exploratory Analysis and c) Validation - using Factorial Confirmatory Analysis. For the development and test of the scale, the sample was divided in two parts: one for the exploratory analysis and the other for confirmatory analysis. For the investigation of the impact of trust dimensions on loyalty intentions the whole sample was used. The results show that cognitive, affective and behavioral dimensions of trust can be empirically distinguished and measured. As expected, the cognitive and affective trusts have significant and positive impact on loyalty intentions, while behavioral trust does not have impact on that. The multigroup analyses show that when the relationship between client and company is longer, the affective and cognitive trusts have higher impact than when the relationship is sorter.