Asian Journal of Marketing Management

Editorial Note

Prof. (Mrs) P. G. S. Amila Jayarathne — 2023-01-17

Editorial Note

Editor-in-Chief for Asian Journal of Marketing Management (AJMM), Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, are delighted to issue Volume 1, Issue II of the Journal. This issue of AJMM disseminates new knowledge through selected six scholarly papers that comprehensively investigate current and critical real marketing scenarios.

The first paper is for investigates the impact of experiential marketing on customer loyalty with the mediating role of customer satisfaction in supermarkets in the western province of Sri Lanka. 375 respondents have been used in the modern trade context and disclosed that the indirect impact created through the mediation effect of customer satisfaction is higher than the direct impact of experiential marketing on customer loyalty by further emphasising the power of customer satisfaction in the modern trade.

The second paper offers insight into the post-pandemic of Covid-19 context in Sri Lanka in terms of investigating factors that influence consumers’ online grocery purchase intention. The use of the SEM model revealed that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness positively and significantly impact the online purchase intention of consumers. Further, it disclosed that hedonic motivation did not affect the online purchase intention of consumers in this context.

Thirdly, the role of interpersonal trust in the relationship between employee innovative behaviour and customer participation is examined with special reference to the hospitality industry in Sri Lanka. Using both customers’ and employees’ perspectives, the study reveals that increasing the level of interpersonal trust between customers and employees may boost employee innovative capacity.

The fourth paper is focused on a textual analysis of a commercial and its contribution to Sri Lankan society amid Covid-19. “ITUKAMA’, the “Hero” and the Nation has been studied as the commercial. The textual analysis used here provides a close perception of the commercial and the campaign in relation to the social theories.

Factors that influence the usage of e-wallets among millennials in the Sri Lankan context are the focus of the fifth paper. The findings revealed that there are significant strong relationships between the perceived usefulness of e-wallets, perceived ease of use, privacy, and security of e-wallets. Furthermore, it emphasized that the behaviour intention to use e-wallets is the most important aspect that millennials perceive when it comes to e-wallet usage.

The sixth paper is to perform a comprehensive study on the impact of social media influencers’ credibility on the purchase intention for beauty care products in Sri Lanka. It discloses that credibility has a positive strong influence towards purchase intention while exploring trustworthiness as the most impactful credibility factor towards purchase intention in this context.

Finally, we extend our sincere gratitude to all the authors for their valuable contribution through research articles and for their patience in reviewing process; to reviewers for their constructive comments that bring the papers to a publishable level; to language editors for their service rendered for the Journal; and to the editorial assistant as well as web assistants for the smooth operation of the Journal.

Impact of experiential marketing on customer loyalty: the mediating role of customer satisfaction in the modern trade supermarkets in the Western Province of Sri Lanka

W. D. Sehani — 2023-01-17

Purpose: Marketers need to be agile and differentiate the offer from the competition in order to attract customers in the dynamic marketplace. Due to the intense competition, businesses should concentrate on acquiring and keeping customers by using creative marketing strategies like Experiential Marketing (EM). This is the same for the retailing sector, where it is critical for retailers to be more creative by redefining themselves as experienced producers rather than service providers. In a country with a diverse culture like Sri Lanka, the current study fills an empirical gap that exists in the literature.

Design/methodology/approach: With special reference to the modern trade supermarkets in the Western Province in Sri Lanka, this study aims to evaluate the impact of EM on Customer Loyalty (CL) through the mediating impact of Customer Satisfaction (CS). The study follows a deductive approach and a sample of 375 respondents was selected from the population to participate in the survey based on the convenience sampling technique. Through the use of a self-administered questionnaire, data were gathered and a regression model and Sobel test were carried out in SPSS to test the hypotheses.

Findings: Finally, the results demonstrated that there is a significant direct impact from EM to CL. Further, it indicates the indirect impact created through the mediation effect of CS is higher than the direct impact which indicates CS mediates the relationship between EM and CL.

Originality: This study fills the empirical gap that exists in the literature.

Implications: The findings of the study can be utilized to create plans for raising customers’ CL level in the modern trade retail sector through assessed CS, which will ultimately increase the competitiveness of modern trade retail businesses.

Key words: Customer Loyalty, Customer Satisfaction, Experiential Marketing, Modern Trade Super Markets

Consumer intention toward online grocery shopping during the post-pandemic (Covid-19)

D.U.S. Wijeratne — 2023-01-17

Purpose: The study investigates the factors that influence consumers’ online grocery purchase intention during the post-pandemic of Covid-19 in Sri Lanka.

Design/methodology/approach: Primary data was collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Data was gathered based on 5 variables and the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were applied to analyze the empirical data of 200 respondents. And twenty-five indicators were used to measure the five variables. Further, the study uses Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 25) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS 26) to conduct the analysis.

Findings: The study found significant factors that affect consumers’ online grocery purchase intention. The results revealed that Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness have a positive and significant impact on the online Purchase Intention of consumers while Perceived Risk represents a negative and insignificant effect on the online grocery purchase intention of consumers. Further, Hedonic Motivation did not affect the online purchase intention of consumers.

Originality: This study represents the online grocery purchase intention among consumers by investigating consumer behavior during and after the Covid-19 pandemic by using the technology acceptance model as a guiding theory.

Implications: The research is based on the expansion of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Besides, the variable “perceived risk” is added to identify the factors that affect consumers’ online shopping intentions. The study confirmed the significant influence of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and hedonic motivation on the continuance usage of online grocery purchasing during the post-pandemic of Covid-19. Moreover, online retailers should improve their online platforms to address the consumers’ increasing demand for online grocery purchasing.

Keywords: Online grocery shopping, Post pandemic, Structural equation modeling, Technology acceptance model

Role of Interpersonal Trust on the Relationship Between Employee Innovative Behaviour and Customer Participation: Evidence from The Hospitality Industry in Sri Lanka

N. Veerappan — 2023-01-17

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess how the customers’ contribution impels employee innovative behavior in hospitality services with respect to the mediating role of interpersonal trust in selected hotels in Sri Lanka.

Design/methodology/approach: Based on the existing literature, conceptual model is created with the dependent variable of employee innovative behavior, independent variable of customer participation and the mediating variable of interpersonal trust. A total of 391 acceptable questionnaires were obtained out of 500 questionnaires distributed comprisesing 198 and 193 frontline employees and customers respectively (convenient sampling was used) in three to five star hotels in Sri Lanka. The collected data were analyzed using inferential statistics.

Findings: The quantitative survey divulges that there is a significant positive effect between customer participation and employee innovative behavior and interpersonal trust. In addition, a study reveals that increasing the level of interpersonal trust between customers and employees may boost employee innovative capacity. Hence it is proved that customer participation has an indirect significant effect on employee innovative behavior through interpersonal trust.

Originality: This study contributes to fill out the existing knowledge gap and it helps to improve the innovations in the service sector with the appropriate climate of information exchange.

Implications: According to the results, increasing consumer involvement in service design and delivery improves employee novelty. Meanwhile developing trust between the parties enhances the relationship as well as it will enhance the creative power of employees in hospitality services. This study contributed to the hospitality industry on innovative ideas which makes customer participation as a tool for their novelty in the Sri Lankan context.

Keywords: Customer Participation, Interpersonal Trust, Employee Innovative Behavior, Services, Hotels, Tourism

“ITUKAMA,” the “Hero” and the Nation: A specific textual analysis of a commercial and its contribution to Sri Lankan society amid Covid-19

S.V.W. Udugahapattuwa — 2023-01-17

Purpose: This study focuses on the Itukama commercial launched by the Itukama project under the Presidential Secretariat. The commercial was a campaign to raise funds for the Itukama COVID-19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund. The campaign was considered a success. The commercial appealed to a sense of duty and responsibility in the Nation's people by carefully narrating the building of a new hero of sorts, placing them side by side with existing heroes. The study aims to analyse the commercial elements of the campaign in order to identify the process of the creation of the/a hero(s), the necessity therein at the time, how it aided in the national agenda, and the choices of inclusion and exclusion by virtue of the use of theories of nation-building.

Design/methodology/approach: The study uses the methodology of textual analysis thereby providing a close reading of the commercial and the campaign in relation to the said theories.

Findings: Through the analysis, it was made evident that while the commercial and the campaign that followed crafted a new definition for the concept of ‘hero’ and located it within the context of the ‘nation’ it was lacking in inclusivity.

Originality: Analysis of a COVID-19 commercial (campaign) in the Sri Lankan context is the pioneering study in Sri Lanka.

Implications: Language use in commercials and the concept of ‘hero’ and ‘nation’ provide a lesson for the relevant corporates.

Keywords: COVID-19, Hero, Nation, Representation, Sri Lankan Commercials, Visualisation

Factors influence on usage of e-wallets among millennials in the Sri Lankan context

S. Harishanthan — 2023-01-17

Purpose: Developments in financial technologies, new government efforts, and the worldwide unusual situation, it has resulted in a considerable increase in cashless transactions in recent years. The current empirical study sought to investigate the factors influencing behavioural intention of e-wallet usage.

Design/methodology/approach: The study's population comprised Millennials in Sri Lanka, and the convenience sample method has been employed. The current study employs a quantitative technique to collect the relevant data in the form of an online survey. There were 600 questionnaires distributed in total among the target population using a Google Form. Out of the total respondents, 558 with a response rate of 93%, 398 used e-wallets, and 162 were non-users. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive, correlation, and regression models.

Findings: According to the findings of the survey, the most compelling reason for using e-wallets is their Perceived Usefulness. It explored that there are significant strong relationships between the Perceived usefulness of e-wallet, Perceived ease of use, Privacy, and security of e-wallet study variables. Furthermore, the survey emphasized that the Behavior Intention to Use E-Wallets is the most important aspect that Millennials perceive when it comes to e-wallet usage.

Originality: This is one of the first studies in e-wallet literature, that explores the pivotal role of privacy and security in the usage of e-wallet services in the context of Sri Lanka where most studies considered the TAM model merely. In reality, this research will be useful to e-wallet providers who want to learn more about why consumers use e-wallets both during and following the COVID-19 epidemic. As a result, they're devising strategies to assist themselves to achieve their goal of replacing traditional methods of payment with e-wallets.

Implications: This study's findings have several ramifications for the advancement and improvement of e-wallet services in Sri Lanka. Based on its results, this study presents a few recommendations for the upcoming expansion of e-wallet service providers.

Keywords: Perceived usefulness of e-wallet, Perceived ease of use, Privacy and, security of e-wallet, Behavioural intention to use an e-wallet, e-wallet usage

Impact Of Social Media Influencers’ Credibility on The Purchase Intention: Reference to The Beauty Industry

R.A.S.D.Rathnayake — 2023-01-17

Purpose: The role of social media influencers is growing in importance, due to their ability to effectively influence. In addition, marketers have identified Instagram as the most important social media channel for influencer marketing, while the concept of credibility has always been significant in the field of influencer marketing. While a few studies have recently focused on how social media influencers influence consumer purchase behavior, research that specifically focuses on influencer credibility and its impact on purchase behavior is still scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of influencer credibility on the purchase intention of beauty products in Sri Lanka.

Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative study was conducted using the survey method. The sample consists of 150 Instagram users between the ages of 18 and 34 who live in Colombo, Sri Lanka. To empirically test the conceptual model, single and multiple regression analyses were used.

Findings: Results suggest that there’s a positive impact of credibility dimensions towards purchase intention and the most impactful credibility factor towards purchase intention is “trustworthiness”

Originality: This research contributed to the current debates about the credibility of social media influencers. Furthermore, this study focuses on the impact of Instagram influencer credibility dimensions, which is still scarce. So, the current paper fills a gap in the limited existing literature on the credibility of social media influencers on purchase intention, with a focus on the beauty industry in the Sri Lankan context.

Implications: The findings assist marketers and advertisers in the fashion industry in understanding how influencer marketing affects consumer purchase intent. Additionally, this provides important insights to influencers in order for them to be successful influencers.

Keywords: Social media influencers, Influencer Marketing, Instagram Influencers, Influencer Credibility, Beauty Industry.