The Effects of Portal Website Attitude and E-Services on Branding of E-Stores

Abstract

Purpose Increasingly the company websites, along with the intermediary websites such as portal sites have become an integral component of the firms brand strategy. This study emphasises the importance of website service elements within portal sites and the impact on e-retailer brand attitudes and brand identity in an ever more competitive digital market-space. Design/methodology/approach The research employs structural equation modeling technique to capture the relationship among website attitude, e-service quality, brand attitude and brand identity. Findings The results from the study indicate consumer attitude perceptions toward portal website and e-service elements combine to increase brand attitude and also brand identity for e-retailers. Originality/value Although there has been a plethora of studies evaluating corporate websites and branding interactions there is limited comprehension of the impact of intermediary portal sites. Moreover, the literature is limited in validating the link between e-services with brand attitude and brand identity within a portal website context. This study develops a framework that highlights the important influence of e-services within portal websites and the impact on the firm's brand.

Branding in a multichannel retail environment

“…The use of multiple channels remains an important element of firm strategy and the multichannel discussion has expanded to include not only physical distribution but also the channels' consumers utilized to collect product information (Rapp et al, 2015). Channels such as interactive channels play a key role in consumer attitudes toward the brand; therefore, it is imperative to better understand these environments such as the effect of changing marketing channels like multimedia/digital retail channels and their impacts on the brand (Chen and Mathews, 2013). Retailers apply in-store brand experiences to establish branding strategy, increase brand awareness, enhance their brand image, and distinguish themselves from their competitors (Dolbec and Chebat, 2013).…”

“…The roles of brands are substantial in today's competitive setting and they are the main assets for a prolonged competitive advantage (Manzur et al, 2011). The development of online brands are based on a new, changed business model that can create a different level of interaction between consumer and company, giving the possibility for enhanced consumer experience (Chen and Mathews, 2013); therefore, the cannibalization of current channels will not be divided out equally (Pauwels and Neslin, 2015;Gong et al, 2015).…”

“…Managers speculate the use of new retail channels as a good strategy for increasing the revenue, but researchers raised questions about the possible effect of extra channels on firm revenues (Pauwels and Neslin, 2015). Brands are obliged to integrate consumer experience and their expectations of performance; therefore, establishing an online brand requires establishing a good record of experience for the consumer (Chen and Mathews, 2013).…”

“…Brand attitude is a significant factor in appraising brand equity and it refers to the consumer's own impression about a brand (Liu et al, 2012). Online consumer attitude is affected by the experience features of the website that are associated with the outcomes of the company's brand like loyalty (Chen and Mathews, 2013;Zheng et al, 2015). Website attitudes by consumers have been shown to positively impact the brand attitude of that consumer (Chen and Mathews, 2013).…”

“…Online consumer attitude is affected by the experience features of the website that are associated with the outcomes of the company's brand like loyalty (Chen and Mathews, 2013;Zheng et al, 2015). Website attitudes by consumers have been shown to positively impact the brand attitude of that consumer (Chen and Mathews, 2013). Christodoulides et al (2006) stated that a brand is highly appraised when the consumer responds positively to the marketing of goods with well-known brands in contrast to similar unbranded goods.…”