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Sustainability Marketing: Customer Satisfaction and Brand Equity

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2023) | Viewed by 21417

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jaime Ortiz

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Guest Editor

Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA
Interests: global economies and markets
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Fei Li

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Guest Editor

School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China
Interests: digital globalization and emerging markets

Prof. Dr. Wenhai Chih

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Guest Editor

College of Management, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien 97401, Taiwan
Interests: digital and social media marketing; marketing management/research; consumer behavior; e-commerce

Prof. Dr. Haibo Wang

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Guest Editor

A.R. Sánchez Jr. School of Business, Texas A&M International University, Laredo, TX 78041, USA
Interests: business analytics; machine learning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue in Sustainability seeks to disseminate the latest findings in, and implications of, all areas specifically related to customer satisfaction and brand equity. Sustainability has become imperative for consumers, businesses, and governments around the world to function in a more transformational fashion to positively affect the well-being of future generations. It requires a holistic approach to the most compelling social, legal, economic, political, and technological dimensions to enhance our understanding of how to simultaneously meet consumers’ expectations while attaining corporate rent-seeking maximization and tackling environmental concerns.

Sustainability marketing brings to the forefront novel conceptual and empirical approaches with substantial managerial implications for pervasive customer satisfaction and brand equity regardless of the economic sectors, industries, and businesses and countries in which they are deployed. Topics of interest involving sustainability marketing in relation to customer satisfaction and brand equity include green electronic and non-electronic commerce; cross-cultural consumer attitudes, behaviour, and relationships; intentional behaviour in sustainable consumption: social network sites; word of mouth; marketing analytics; cutting-edge digital marketing infrastructures; and organizational frameworks for achieving sustainable customer satisfaction and brand equity.

In this Special Issue, original research articles that focus on challenging and debatable issues in the field are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Sustainable marketing;
Customer satisfaction;
Brand equity;
B2B, B2C, and C2C relationships;
Branding of organic foods;
Green purchase behaviour;
Social network environments;
e -commerce and non-e-commerce;
Cross-cultural marketing strategy;
Brand management of multinational enterprises;
Digitalization and customer value co-creation.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Jaime Ortiz
Dr. Fei Li
Prof. Dr. Wenhai Chih
Prof. Dr. Haibo Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainable marketing
customer satisfaction
brand equity
green purchase behaviour
social network environments
brand management of MNCs

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 1612 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Study on Korean Customers’ Intentions to Repurchase for the Sustainable Growth of the Athleisure Market

by Hong Joo Lee

Sustainability 2024, 16(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010069 - 20 Dec 2023

Viewed by 809

Abstract

The athleisure market has experienced significant growth in recent years, establishing itself as a mainstream trend in the fashion industry. Given the escalating demand for athleisure wear, businesses must secure sustainable growth by comprehending customer intentions to repurchase. This study conducted a survey to collect customer data in order to study customers’ intentions to repurchase athleisure wear. Additionally, survey questions were developed through a literature review and incorporated into the survey. To determine the suitable sample size for the analysis while considering statistical significance, the study took into account the current total population of South Korea, a confidence level of 95%, and a margin of error of 5%. This calculation determined that a sample size of 400 in this study was well-suited to the data analysis. In a study investigating customer intentions to repurchase athleisure wear, several influential factors were identified. Firstly, the purpose of product use (motivation for wearing) and functionality emerged as critical determinants affecting customer intentions to repurchase. Customers who perceived a clear purpose of use and functional excellence were more inclined to repurchase, underscoring the paramount importance of designing athleisure products with a strong focus on functionality. Nevertheless, it was observed that male and female customers exhibited distinctive levels of satisfaction with the product. Male customers placed greater emphasis on the product’s essential attributes, whereas female customers highlighted the importance of how athleisure wear fits into their everyday lives and its aesthetics. This divergence indicates that male and female customers possess varying preferences when it comes to product attributes. Consequently, it is imperative to devise tailored marketing strategies that align with the distinct priorities and interests of male and female consumers during the sale of athleisure wear products. In summary, this study underscores the significance of comprehending customer behavior and intentions to repurchase within the athleisure market. By prioritizing the articulation of the product’s purpose and enhancing its functionality, businesses operating in the athleisure sector can secure enduring growth and success. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Marketing: Customer Satisfaction and Brand Equity)

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14 pages, 457 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Service Quality on Customer Loyalty through Customer Satisfaction in Mobile Social Media

by Kyeongmin Yum and Byungjoon Yoo

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11214; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411214 - 18 Jul 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 11910

Abstract

In today’s emerging and competitive mobile social media market, companies continuously endeavor to improve service quality and customer satisfaction in order to gain a competitive advantage and ensure long-term sustainability. The objective of this study is to identify the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in mobile social media. Moreover, this study examines the role of customer satisfaction as a mediator. The proposed research model consists of four dimensions of mobile service quality (usefulness, convenience, design, and security/privacy) as well as customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The survey used the self-administrated method. A total of 256 responses were used in the data analysis. We estimated the hypothesized relationships of the research model using a structural equation modeling technique. The results are as follows: first, usefulness, convenience, design, and security/privacy significantly and positively affect customer satisfaction. Second, customer satisfaction has a significant and positive impact on customer loyalty. Third, customer satisfaction mediates the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty; in particular, convenience, design, and security/privacy are completely mediated while usefulness is partially mediated. These results can serve as a valuable reference for mobile social media providers to manage services and improve service quality and customer satisfaction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Marketing: Customer Satisfaction and Brand Equity)

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25 pages, 1150 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Does Digital Technology Innovation Affect the Internationalization Performance of Chinese Enterprises? The Moderating Effect of Sustainability Readiness

by Fei Li, Yang Zhao, Jaime Ortiz and Yan Chen

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11126; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411126 - 17 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1668

Abstract

The existing literature highlights the role of digital technology innovation in driving the international performance of enterprises. However, it has largely overlooked the nonlinear relationships that emerge from their quest for contributing towards global sustainable development goals. Our study explores the nonlinear influence of digital technology innovation on firms’ international performance, further investigating how this relationship may be moderated by sustainability readiness, as measured through sustainable technological capabilities and sustainable certification standards. Using a double fixed effects model on a sample of 269 Chinese listed digital enterprises from 2012 to 2019, our findings reveal a U-shaped relationship between digital technology innovation and internationalization performance, which is more pronounced for firms with superior sustainable technological capabilities. However, the influence of sustainable certification standards is less noticeable. We further identify notable differences between the digital service and digital manufacturing sectors, thereby enriching our comprehension of the complex relationships between digital innovation, sustainability readiness, and international performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Marketing: Customer Satisfaction and Brand Equity)

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21 pages, 296 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Internationalization Pace, Social Network Effect, and Performance among China’s Platform-Based Companies

by Jiayi Lyu and Wanxing Jiang

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 8252; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108252 - 18 May 2023

Viewed by 1231

Abstract

Platform-based companies are rapidly emerging and occupy major positions in the global market. In addition, the business model that relies on digital technology makes platform-based companies sustainable. This paper empirically examines the impact of internationalization breadth on corporate performance and explores the moderating role of the platform enterprise network effect and innovation investment. Annual panel data from listed Chinese platform-based companies between 2012 to 2020 were used to also verify the scale of overseas companies’ association and social networks and the moderating effect of centrality and innovation research and development (R&D) investment on these two factors. The results indicate that the irregular internationalization rhythm of platform-based companies was negatively correlated with corporate performance, and the association network and the social network centrality of overseas companies had a positive moderating effect. Innovative R&D investment could help platform-based companies expand overseas to improve their corporate performance, and its moderating effect was more significant for platform companies in the early stages of internationalization. In terms of the internationalization pace, overseas network construction, and innovative R&D investment strategies, this paper provides valuable suggestions for platform-based companies to expand internationally and improve their corporate performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Marketing: Customer Satisfaction and Brand Equity)

16 pages, 625 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Daily Sailing Tours Clients Experience Assessment—The Case of the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik”, Croatia

by Marija Dragičević, Zorica Krželj Čolović and Anamarija Pisarović

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7360; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097360 - 28 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 873

Abstract

This paper examines the customers’ experience assessment with the luxury daily sailing tours in the area of the Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik. For the purpose of this study, the influence of the entertainment opportunities, the educational opportunities, the aesthetics, and the escapism components on the customer’s experience is investigated, as well as the correlation between overall customer satisfaction and age groups of customers. The personal interview method was used for data collection. Tourists were interviewed on boats during the tours in the area of Dubrovnik Elaphite Islands, Croatia. The Pine and Gilmore experience model was used to define the main elements of their experience. The analytic hierarchy process model was used for the customers’ experience assessment. According to the results of this study, entertainment and aesthetics have greater influence than education and escapism on customer satisfaction in the age group up to 30 years. Entertainment and escapism have greater influence than education and aesthetics on customer satisfaction in the age group from 31 to 60. The interesting findings of this study are that education and aesthetics have a greater influence than entertainment and escapism for the elderly, e.g., for the customers in the age group older than 61. The highest overall satisfaction with the daily sailing tour was found among tourists in the age group up to 30 years, followed by tourists in the age group from 31 to 60 years, and the lowest satisfaction was shown by tourists who were older than 60 years. This study indicates that all the areas are important and that customer satisfaction with each component, e.g., with the entertainment, education, escapism, and aesthetic, varies according to the age group. This study also indicates that there is a correlation between the overall customer’s experience assessment of the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik” daily sailing tour and customer age group. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Marketing: Customer Satisfaction and Brand Equity)

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16 pages, 1449 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Sustainable Digital Ecosystem: Digital Servitization Transformation and Digital Infrastructure Support

by Yan Chen, Zijin Wang and Jaime Ortiz

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1530; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021530 - 12 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3342

Abstract

While the notion of digitalization and sustainability has become prominent in current research, more can be done to bridge these two concepts and explain the interaction between them. Plenty of literature has focused on the impact of digital technology applications and business model innovations on environmental performance but has not considered the counterforce of environmental performance on digitalization. We investigated this question from the perspective of digital ecosystem architects to explore more organic relationships. By analyzing data from 1083 listed firms from 2014 to 2019, we found various effective paths for architects to participate in the digital ecosystem and determined that improved environmental performance has led to more efficient convergence. Digital servitization adopted by private architects contributes to financial performance, whereas the addition of digital infrastructure enables public architects to play a greater role. This is reflected in the discovery that firms with “high” environmental performance can improve their financial performance far more significantly with the help of digital servitization compared to other firms. However, digital infrastructure development can benefit all firms almost indiscriminately. We encourage firms and governments to work together to strengthen digital infrastructure, build digital ecosystems, and focus on environmental performance while transitioning to digital servitization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Marketing: Customer Satisfaction and Brand Equity)

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