The conception of the consumer–brand relationship has been receiving immense and escalating attention, and it is considered essential for capitalizing the performance of brands. The purpose of this study is twofold: Foremost part of the study comprehends valuable consumer–brand relationships and antecedents of brand equity. The second part is measuring the significant variations in hypothetical model under consumers’ gender and age perspective. The structural equation model is used for analyzing 425 questionnaires through SmartPLS3. Analysis has been conducted several times for combine data and data sets of gender and age groups to identify variations in model relationships. The findings of this study revealed the significant relationship among constructs of the hypothetical model. Brand love emerged as not only one of the significant antecedents of brand loyalty but also the strongest predictor of brand equity. Significant variations have been identified as male, and older consumers are transforming their love into loyalty and equity more than female and young consumers, respectively. The study has revealed guidelines for designing consumer–brand relationship and identified some significant variations that can be helpful in designing such relationship and marketing offers for multiple market segments.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on the retail industry around the globe, including in the vast market of India. The response to the pandemic required stores to close and develop new ways to approach shoppers more efficiently. The worldwide usage of social media enabled the growth of social commerce (s-commerce). Influencers on s-commerce platforms use live broadcasting on their channels to promote endorsed products. The features of s-commerce influencers enhance users' trust in the online community and s-commerce intention, impacting their online purchasing intentions. In this study, we collected data from 379 Indian consumers to test the measurement and structural model using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to verify our conceptual framework. We found that trust in the online community and s-commerce intention are antecedents of online purchase intentions. Additionally, the results demonstrate that trust in Indian social media influencers and s-commerce intentions are vital for boosting consumers' purchase intention, verifying the hypothesized mediating effect of these factors. Based on these results, we suggest several managerial actions that could enhance the value of s-commerce for franchises, executives, e-retailers, and e-marketplaces.

This research showcases the crucial role of platform trust in the relationship between website quality (system, information, service, familiarity) and platform loyalty of expatriates residing in foreign countries, taking into account the moderating effect of cultural intelligence. To test the hypothesized relationships, an online survey collected responses of 786 from foreign expatriates' travelers, and data was analyzed using SmartPLS3 software. Platform trust mediates the relationship between website quality, system, information, service, familiarity, and purchase loyalty. The results show that cultural intelligence seem to moderate this mediated relationship. This paper analyzes the importance of quality signals on expatriates' relationships with OTA website. This study contributes to the understanding the role of cultural intelligence in OTA sector.

The purpose of this research is to assess the relationship between Indian (non-muslims) consumers’ animosity toward halal products and their unwillingness to buy halal products. Moreover, we seek to investigate boycott attitudes, religiosity, ethnocentrism, and patriotism as drivers of consumer animosity and reluctance to purchase halal products. Consumer animosity toward halal products has received some attention in marketing research, and we aim to further explore animosity regarding the halal label. We collect online survey responses from 512 Indian consumers and analyze the data using SmartPLS3 software. Findings show a positive impact of boycott attitude, religiosity, and ethnocentrism on Indian consumers’ level of animosity and thus their unwillingness to purchase halal products. Furthermore, consumer animosity acts as a mediator of the relationship between boycott attitude, religiosity, ethnocentrism, patriotism, and reluctance to buy halal products. Notably, the findings provide a menu of potential managerial actions to reduce or enhance consumer animosity.

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