Cultures Effect on Brand and Store Loyalty: A Research in Turkey
Mehmet Ozer Demir Elmali M.Y.O., Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey E-mail: mozerdemir@akdeniz.edu.tr Tel: +90-242-3102023; Fax: +90-242-73102023 Nedim Yuzbasioglu Tourism and Hotel Management School, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey E-mail: nedimy@akdeniz.edu.tr Tel: +90-242-3102023; Fax: +90-242-73102023 Abstract The study suggests, and tests that culture has an influence on consumers’ loyalty intentions. This study argues that culture may overshadow marketing efforts as consumers are culturally brand and store loyal. Considering consumers are culturally or genetically loyal means marketing efforts are meaningless at some degree. Brand loyalty is a very complex structure, and this study proposes that consumers may tend to be loyal culturally. We are aware that culture does not explain all loyalty intentions, but has influence on consumers’ tendency to be loyal. Studies have shown that culture has a strong influence on consumers’ values, perceptions and actions that shape consumers’ attitudes and behavior. There have been numerous studies on the effects of culture on the marketing mix, this paper examines the influence of culture on consumer brand and store loyalty. Hofstede’s typology is operationalized in this study to empirically examine the cultural effects on consumers loyalty itentions. In this study is used Structural Equation Modelling.
Keywords: Culture studies, Brand Loyalty, Store Loyalty, Hofstede, Structural Equation Modelling.
1. Introduction
Marketing practices in general are shaped under marketing environment conditions, specifically culture. Researchers has shown that culture has a strong influence on the values, perceptions and actions of the consumers (Trompenaars, 1994; Chow, Deng and Ho 2000; Chaplin and John 2005; Escalas and Bettman 2005; Fournier 1998; Muñiz and O’Guinn 2001), and that culture can
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