This study explores the mediating role of customer imitation behaviour in the relationship between customer buying behaviour and determinants of effective celebrity endorsement advertisements. Along with major celebrity characteristics, the study has incorporated personal characteristics and characteristics of customers’ social environment as antecedents to imitation. The article shows that attractiveness and credibility of the celebrity affect the attitude towards advertisements through the mediating role of imitation behaviour, implying that celebrity advertisements can be created in ways that stimulate customer imitation. The article further demonstrates that celebrities for endorsements can be selected according to personal characteristics of the target audience. Finally, the study reinforces the role of attitude towards celebrity advertisement in shaping the purchase intentions of customers.

Negative emotions are the most displayed set of emotions experienced during service failure and when dealt carefully improves customer retention attitude with the organization. Anger (anger, frustration and irritation), Unhappiness (unhappiness, worry and nervousness) and Sadness (sadness, helplessness and depression) were identified as major sets of negative emotions through multidimensional scaling techniques. The proposed model is established on the basis of identified categories and its effect is examined for customer complaining intention followed by relationship strength. Results of structural equation modelling (SEM) indicate positive significant effect for unhappiness and anger on relationship strength when mediated by customer complaining intention. Category of sadness indicates negative influence explaining the weak relationship strength. However, such weak effect is diluted when it is examined in the presence of complaining intention. Analysis contributes in providing explanation for the importance of complaining intention that dilutes negative emotional effect among customers. Managerial implication of the study emphasizes for positive approach that motivates customers to complain when they experience negative emotions so as to facilitate the smooth flow of communication and increase customer retention intention. Vision 17(3) 201-211

Differentiating organization through service quality and engaging customer for long-term profit motive is a strategic adaptation for the complex competitive retail platform in India. Such approach incorporates the value of trust to ensure desired customer retention. The procedure further intensifies when an organizational approach emphasize effective complaint handling system within its service protocol. Based on this established relationship, this study explores the viability of the framework in the presence of customer complain intention categories with Indian context. Data for this descriptive study are collected using a structured questionnaire from 450 respondents. Out of the three types of complainants (consumer complaint intention), voice complaint intention appeared as the strongest determinant of consumer trust and retention as compared to private and third party complaint intention. On providing complaint handling, the strength of the relationship improved to the greatest extent for private complaint intention while there was no effect of complaint handling for voice complaint intention. Results of the study highlight as to what extent complaint handling matters for different types of complainants (voice, private and third party). Such practices can help the retailers distinguish and accordingly handle various types of complainants. Effective complaint handling practices can make the complainants more trustworthy and loyal than before.

PurposeThe purpose of this descriptive study is to focus on the salient features of perceived sociability and perceived usability that motivates the members to participate repeatedly on social networking online community web site. The paper proposes that each individual relegate different importance on the dimensions of usability and sociability in terms of the quest of knowledge versus causal knowledge.Design/methodology/approachA self‐designed questionnaire administered among 600 sample respondents (users of Facebook.com) through online survey method. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine and improve the usability of the measurement tool followed by structural equation modelling to test the proposed framework.FindingsThe findings indicate that ease of use, behaviour and interaction is been given an equal level of importance by both the groups, while satisfaction is given the least consideration.Research limitations/implicationsThe community used to study the flow of the information belongs to the single general purpose category. Also the target sample size is restricted to active online users belonging to the category of professionals from India.Practical implicationsThe results of this research work will provide a framework of user‐centric strategy for the online managers to maintain the dual directional flow of information, i.e. seeking and contributing, and achieve online success.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the existing knowledge of social networking process on online community web site promoting user participation through continuous flow of information.