Purpose The purpose of this paper is to model the perceived value and customers’ intention to continue using m-banking services, assuming the existence of multiple consumption values. Specifically, it is proposed that entertainment (hedonic value), ubiquity (utilitarian value) and novelty seeking (epistemic value) impact m-banking overall perceived value, which in turn influences customers’ reuse intentions. Design/methodology/approach A survey with 260 Macedonian current users of m-banking services was carried out, using questionnaires as a method of data collection. Five-point Likert scales adapted from the relevant literature to the context of m-banking services were used to measure the variables. PLS-SEM approach was employed to estimate the proposed model. Findings The findings indicate that bank entities can increase customers’ intention to reuse m-banking, by providing an enriched perceived value of m-banking services, precisely putting emphasis on perceived value drivers related to utilitarian value (ubiquity) and epistemic value (novelty seeking). Hedonic value (perceived entertainment) does not show a significant influence on the perception of m-banking value. Originality/value This study provides a different perspective of the perceived value observation, by contemplating not only the well-established hedonic and utilitarian aspects of value, but also the epistemic component, considered as a vital element in contexts of mobile technologies adoption. Moreover, this is the first study to explore the m-banking perceived value in a developing country in the Balkans.

The goal of this paper is to explore the impact of SMEs' strategic orientations on customer loyalty and financial performance. SEM analysis was employed in order to test the proposed hypotheses. Our study suggests that SMEs can improve their customer loyalty performance by developing their orientation toward creating customer retention and brand value, while at the same time maintaining brand consistency. The results confirmed only the positive relationship between brand orientation and financial performance partially mediated by customer loyalty. The type of business sector and the company's size as control variables do not affect the assumed relationships in the model.

This study explores the role of situational, demographic, and socioeconomic variables in stimulating impulse purchase behavior in the Republic of Macedonia. Factor analysis reveals five categories of situational impulse buying factors: social and personal, in-store atmosphere, sales related, sales promotion, and time and money. Cluster analysis produced two segments: noticeably rational and noticeably impulsive. The results show significant differences between the two segments on all five factors of impulse buying. Furthermore, the results show that segments differ in terms of age, working status, household income, and frequency of buying.

PurposeThis study aims to facilitate the understanding of brand building among owners/managers of SMEs by highlighting the relationships among the multidimensionality of brand orientation, brand-building behavior and brand identity.Design/methodology/approachIn addressing the research issue, the study uses responses from 158 domesticated SMEs in North Macedonia, afterwards relying on structural equation modeling to test the research propositions.FindingsThis study validates brand orientation as a multidimensional term that is underlined by brand artefacts, norms and values. This study also validates the assumptions that brand orientation, brand-building behavior and brand identity are significantly related.Research limitations/implicationsWhile it is possible that our evidence base is limited to the context studied, the research findings nevertheless contribute primarily to the emergent scholarship on SMEs' brand building.Practical implicationsThis study has practical consequences for SMEs' brand building. More specifically, it enriches the understanding of the interrelationships between brand orientation, brand-building behavior and brand identity.Originality/valueThis study provides an advanced perspective of brand orientation as a complex phenomenon and further provides understanding of its relations to brand-building behavior and brand identity of the domesticated SMEs.

The purpose of this study is to analyze social media users’ incentives for engagement with brand-related content on social media. Based on the uses and gratification theory, two types of incentives are analyzed as motivators of users’ brand engagement, i.e. communal and self-interest incentives. Users’ brand engagement is conceptualized and measured as intentions to contribute to brand-related content on social media in terms of intentions for commenting, sharing, and liking. Further, it is assumed that the effects of the two types of incentives (communal and self-interest) vary depending on the brand-related content type (commercial messages, personal opinions and lifestyle affairs). An online survey was conducted for obtaining quantitative data which were analyzed by applying structural equation modeling. The total number of effective responses is 415. The results indicate that only communal incentives motivate users to contribute to brand-related commercial messages, personal opinions and lifestyle affairs. The obtained results could be utilized by brand marketers in effectively designing brand-related content on social media.