Designing a purchase decision making model by explaining the role of brand prominence

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Management, Yasooj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasooj, Iran

2 Department of Management, Yasooj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasooj, Iran and Department of Management, Tehran University, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: In recent years, the issue of brand and its management has been considered by companies and marketers. Famous and prominent brands in the consumer's mind contain a set of distinct associations. From a consumer perspective, a brand can create value for a product and is, therefore, an important part of the product. Since consumer’s shopping behavior varies according to the product type, this study can help both producers and marketers to present products in accordance with the needs and demand of the customer. Brand prominence is one of the important factors that influence purchase decisions. What factors affect brand prominence is an important subject in the marketing science. The emergence of global luxury brands in Iran in the field of sports goods is quite evident, and consumerism and the tendency for luxury goods are increasing. People usually use luxury goods not just because they need them but because their goal is to show their higher social status. Since the market of luxury sports brands in Iran has many customers and competitors, companies in these competitive conditions must establish their brands in the minds of customers if they are to make sufficient profits and increase their market share. Also, customers' decision-making in sports goods is strongly influenced by the brand and its value created for the customer. It is important to pay attention to some elements of the brand, such as brand prominence and decision-making to buy. The purpose of this research is to develop a conceptual model of decision making to purchase by explaining the role of brand prominence and identifying its dimensions with a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Methodology: The present study aims to identify and construct a conceptual model of purchasing decision-making with the role of brand prominence. It has a developmental purpose and exploratory nature. The factors were identified by the grounded theory, and then a quantitative method and the research background were used to determine the relationships among the variables. Therefore, in terms of the data type, this research is a combination of qualitative and quantitative types. Since the concept of purchasing decision making does not have a comprehensive model to explaining the role of brand prominence and the factors affecting it, a broad source of information is needed to evaluate these factors. Indeed, the decision to buy is influenced by various factors. According to the grounded theory approach, discovering the main concepts of the data, analyzing and loading the data code to identify the concepts and creating a theoretical model were undertaken in this research. In the qualitative stage, the grounded theory method was used in modeling. The quantitative data were collected using a standard questionnaire derived from previous research. The quantitative data were analyzed through factor analysis by the Smart PLS 3 software. Questionnaires were distributed and analyzed. Random sampling was also conducted on the customers of sports luxury brands.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that quality (t = 2/521), brand awareness (t = 4/527) and brand image (t = 9.296) have significant effects on the brand prominence of luxury sport products. Brand's pricing (t = 0.349) and association (t = 0.705) are, however, unaffected by the prominence of the brand. Brand prominence also affects the purchase decision making for sports luxury goods both directly and through brand attitude (T = 28.9694) and brand loyalty (t = 10.55755). Considering the positive path coefficient in the first hypothesis and the significance of t-statistic, we can point to a positive and significant relationship between quality and brand prominence. Based on the second hypothesis, the effect of brand awareness on brand prominence was confirmed, which indicates that, with an increase in brand awareness, brand prominence increases too. The third hypothesis was not confirmed and showed that price has no significant effect on the prominence of luxury sports brands. The fourth hypothesis based on the effect of brand image on brand prominence was confirmed, which shows that, with an increase in brand image, brand prominence increases. The fifth hypothesis about the effect of brand association on brand prominence was not accepted. The sixth hypothesis on the effect of brand prominence on purchasing decision was confirmed, which means that, as the brand prominence increases in the mind of the consumer, the purchasing decision increases too. The seventh hypothesis about the effect of brand prominence on brand attitude was confirmed the eighth hypothesis that measures the effect of brand attitude on brand loyalty was confirmed as well.
Conclusion: This research is an empirical study of designing a purchase decision pattern with a brand prominence. Quality, brand awareness and brand image had effects on the prominence of the durable goods brand, but the variables of price and association did not affect the prominence of the brand. Brand prominence influenced purchasing decisions. Attitude towards the brand also had a positive impact on brand loyalty which, in turn, played an effective role in the decision to buy durable goods. According to the research findings, brands can find a high position with customers by the study of how their prominence affects the decision to buy and the factors that affect the prominence of a brand in the minds of consumers.

Keywords


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