The Influence Mechanism Of Company Micro Blog Interaction On Consumer Brand Loyalty And Purchase Intention

Micro blog becomes an important tool of communication between organizations and individuals. Many companies regard micrio blog as a new channel of branding and promomotion. Attributed to the unique self-media feature of micro blog, consumers have more discursive power in communication compared with before, consumers are more willing to interacting with companies. It becomes the focus of companies to utilize micro blog in enhancing consumers’ brand loyalty and purchase intention.Compared with the booming of micro blog, companies are exploring the methods of micro blog brand building and promotion. Extant literature shows that company-consumer social media interaction has a positive effect on consumers’ brand loyalty and purchase intention. However, the influence mechanism of different interaction types and different interaction quality features on consumers’brand loyalty and purchase intention is still unveiled. The main features of micro blog such as interaction based on interest, decentration, environmental intimacy are different with traditional online commercial environment. This paper intends to explore the influence mechanism of company micro blog interaction on consumers’brand loyalty and purchase intention from the perspective of interaction tactics and interaction quality features to guide company micro blog branding and promotion practice.Firstly, a preliminary study is conducted based on grounded theory,66representative companies’posts in Sina are collected, with1395company posts and5959following posts. An influence mechanism model of company micro blog interaction tactics on consumer-brand relationship is proposed following the steps of coding and categorization, then the saturation level of this mechanism is tested. Results show that1) Companies adopt two types of tactics in micro blog interaction:social interaction and task-oriented interaction;2) Micro blog interaction arises consumer emotional response and cognition toward specific brand and eventually influences consumer-brand relationship. Consumer emotional response includes pleasure and arousal, brand cognition includes perceived quality, perceived relatedness with companies and brand resonance;3) The influence mechanism differs among different consumer knowledge levels, industries and brand awareness.Secondly, based on use and gratification theory, organization support theory and union participation theory, an influence mechanism model is proposed to study the influence of company micro blog interaction on customer micro blog stickiness and brand loyalty. Results show that social interaction and commercial interaction are important micro blog branding tools. Social interaction positively influences consumers’ perceived socioemotional support and perceived information value. Commercial interaction positively influences perceived information support. Perceived socioemotional support and information support are positively related to consumer micro blog stickiness, which is positively related to brand loyalty. In addition, social interaction is more important in attracting sticky consumers and brand loyalty. Thus, social interaction should be the focus of company micro blog interaction, commercial interaction should be blended with social interaction. Micro blog stickiness can be used to enhance brand loyalty.Finally, based on consumer learning theory, information integration theory and attitude theory, an influence mechasim of company micro blog interaction on consumers’ purchase intention is proposed and tested empirically. Results show that playfulness, informativeness, situation-fit and responsiveness positively influence consumers’ purchase intention. Among different features, playfulness, informativeness, situation-fit indirectly influence consumers’ purchase intention via product attitude, responsiveness directly influences consumers’ purchase intention. Playfulness has the greatest influence on product attitude and responsiveness has the greatest influence on consumers’ purchase intention. Thus, playfulness and responsiveness should be the focus of micro blog promotion.