Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-2003

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Human Ecology

Major Professor

Ann Fairhurst

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between consumer benefits (i.e., utilitarian and hedonic) and consumer satisfaction, loyalty, and word of mouth communication in a retail store branded product context. The independent variables examined were the utilitarian and hedonic consumer benefits associated· with a retail store branded product purchase. The dependent variables in the study included retail store brand satisfaction, attitudinal loyalty, behavioral loyalty (share of purchases), and word of mouth communication. A non-experimental survey research design was used to collect data from a college student sample at a major university in the southeast. The final sample consisted of 276 students. The survey included 34 items that measured the independent and dependent variables, as well as demographic questions. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to evaluate five hypotheses. The overall fit of the final structural equation model was supported by a comparative fit index (CFI) of 0.941. Significant positive relationships were found between retail store brand utilitarian/hedonic consumer benefits and satisfaction, satisfaction and attitudinal loyalty, and attitudinal loyalty and word of mouth communication. Non-significant relationships were found between retail store brand satisfaction and word of mouth communication, and between retail store brand satisfaction and share of purchases.

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