Generating customer engagement in electronic-brand communities: a stimulus–organism–response perspective

PurposeThis article investigates the factors in customer engagement with electronic brand (e-brand) communities and the mechanism behind their effects. The aim is to investigate the influence of various characteristics of e-brand communities on customer engagement, satisfaction through brand loyalty, and Recommendation.Design/methodology/approachA survey questionnaire was administered to 320 Facebook users in Pakistan. The aim is to investigate the influence of various characteristics of e-brand communities on customer engagement, satisfaction through brand loyalty and recommendation. The data were analyzed using PLS-SEM to test a model developed under the stimulus–organism–response perspective.FindingsEach community attribute significantly affected customer engagement, which was further found to mediate the relationship from these attributes through to customer satisfaction and then to brand loyalty and recommendation.Originality/valueAn original model hypothesized from the stimulus–organism–response framework was validated among an emerging market sample, highlighting the role of customer engagement with e-brand communities in mediating the effects of information and service quality on customer satisfaction.