Consumer-Based Retailer Brand Equity Across Different Shopping Needs : Experimentally Analysing Sub-Brands

Abstract

The current research extends the consumer-based retailer brand equity literature by examining consumers' willingness-to-shop at various sub-brands during different types of shopping trips. We experimentally tested the predictive validity of a modified scale using sub-brands from two major retailer brands. Study 1 focused on United Kingdom consumers and examined sub-brands of Tesco. The findings revealed a strong correlation between the scale's index and consumers' willingness-to-shop for both major and minor shopping trip types, as well as at Tesco Express and Extra sub-brands. The scale's eight facets were nearly always significant across these conditions. Study 2 was conducted on consumers from the United States, and used Walmart's sub-brands: Neighborhood Markets and Supercenters. The findings replicated those of Study 1. However, in Study 2 all eight facets of the scale were significant across all conditions. The experimental data confirms the academic relevance of the scale as a single-factor measure across different consumer shopping goals, supporting its practical application as a standalone measurement for assessing retailer brand portfolio equity. Furthermore, all facets are essential and can provide meaningful insights for managers. The data also show that consumer-based retailer brand equity can mediate the effects of different shopping trip types when there is a large difference in willingness-to-shop at the retailer sub-brand level.