Analysis of the Relationships Between Dimensions of Consumer Hope Toward Online Retail Brands Using the DEMATEL Technique

Abstract

In online shopping, unlike in-store purchasing, the concept of hope is important because hope enables customers to address purchasing problems with an appropriate mindset and action plan for a successful commercial experience. Therefore, the present study aims to identify the drivers of consumer hope toward online retail brands. Participants in the qualitative phase included 10 experts selected through the snowball sampling method until theoretical saturation was reached. The collected semi-structured interviews in the qualitative phase were analyzed using thematic analysis. In the quantitative phase, 25 experts were purposively selected to complete pairwise comparison questionnaires. In the qualitative phase, six dimensions were identified through interviews with experts, including: (1) perceived customer value (perceived brand quality value, perceived brand price value, perceived brand social value, perceived brand emotional value); (2) brand commitment; (3) brand love; (4) brand trust; (5) brand satisfaction; and (6) brand experience. In the quantitative phase, the relationships between the dimensions were analyzed using the DEMATEL method and MATLAB software. The results indicated that the brand satisfaction component had the highest ranking, while the brand commitment component had the lowest ranking. Moreover, the components, in order of priority, included brand satisfaction, brand experience, brand trust, perceived value, brand love, and brand commitment.