Develops an orientation system for measuring customer satisfaction. Reveals dimensions of satisfaction experienced by retailers, taking account of the relevant literature, empirical studies on the satisfaction of retail organizations with their suppliers and the results of discussion with experts. Confirms that these are verified according to empirical criteria and quantified in respect of their contribution to delivering satisfaction to retailers. Identifies approaches on which to base activities, allowing suppliers of branded articles to give their customers greater customer satisfaction.

As brand activism continues to move up the corporate agenda, a more comprehensive understanding of its effects is needed. This paper contributes to the evolving research by investigating moral emotions (i.e. other-praising and other-condemning emotions) as mediating factors and consumer-brand identification (CBI) as a moderator that shape consumer reactions to brand activism. Three scenario-based experiments on two divisive topics show that activist messages elicit moral emotions that determine how individuals respond to them, depending on whether or not they agree with the brand’s stance. Moreover, this effect of (dis)agreeing with the brand’s stance on brand attitude is moderated by CBI. In case of a strong identification, an activist message does not affect brand attitude as CBI attenuates the activation of moral emotions – both in the positive case of agreement and in the negative case of disagreement. Finally, brand activism may counter the brand’s social goals, as it disproportionally motivates opponents of the brand’s stand to advocate their own contrary views on the contentious issue. In sum, these findings underscore both the emotional nature of consumer reactions to brand activism and the high level of social responsibility of companies that position themselves as political actors.

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The extent to which alternative measurement units affect consumer behaviour is the subject of a handful of studies, which, however, measure this effect at an aggregate level. This presents a gap in that it is of great importance for marketing practice to understand whether the observed effect applies to all consumers to a similar extent. Investigating the product category bottled beer and applying an importance-focused post hoc segmentation, it is discovered that no measurement-unit effect occurs for brand-oriented customers. The unit of measurement in which a unit price is indicated substantially influences the preference structure for only one in five respondents. Both strategic and operational decisions with regard to unit prices should therefore not be based on an averaged market view, but on a segment-specific perspective.

Being the customer’s friend is considered an advantageous position for a brand. To achieve this position, brand likeability, that is, the degree of perceived appeal a customer has for a brand, plays an important role. Research suggests that satisfaction and loyalty are outcomes of likeability. However, little is known about its influence on perceptions of objective brand attributes. The present study uncovers that brand likeability positively influences both product quality and price fairness. Moreover, likeability affects loyalty, both directly and mediated by the constructs of product quality, price fairness, and satisfaction. Thus, achieving likeability as a brand can be regarded as a key task of brand management. If a brand is perceived as likeable, the chances that customers will be willing to accept a price premium and overlook qualitative shortcomings of a product are higher.