Gen Y consumers' brand loyalty: a brand romance perspective

Abstract

Purpose

As Generation Y is considered to be a lucrative segment for emerging devices, this study investigates the effect of emotional brand attachment, from the brand romance perspective, on brand loyalty of Generation Y smartphone users. Furthermore, this study examines gender differences in the same relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a cross-sectional survey method and data was collected from 300 respondents. Data was analyzed using the structural equation modelling (SEM) approach and multi-group analysis was performed to examine gender differences in the model.

Findings

Results revealed that all three aspects of brand romance (pleasure, arousal and dominance) have a positive impact on smartphone brand loyalty. It further denotes that the relationship between brand romance and brand loyalty differs from males to females.

Originality/value

This study makes a significant contribution by examining emotional attachment and brand loyalty of Generation Y consumers, which has been less investigated. Furthermore, both attitudinal and behavioral brand loyalty has been considered in this study, which has largely been overlooked in similar studies. Examining the gender difference in the above relationship is an additional contribution.

Citation

Rathnayake, D.T. (2021), "Gen Y consumers' brand loyalty: a brand romance perspective", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 39 No. 6, pp. 761-776. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-09-2020-0421