Exploring the Mediating Effect of Conspicuous Consumption by Utilizing Mobile Phone Brands

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating effect of conspicuous brand usage between brand experience and brand loyalty in relational perspective, and to probe the difference between the positively experienced consumers and the negatives. Research design, data and methodology: Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, and other brands were suggested as consideration set to be selected from 223 Amazon Mechanical Turk respondents, and they answered the structured survey of 33 questions made by Qualtrics with 5-point Likert scale. Structural Equations Model (SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized model, and RStudio and SPSS 18 were used to analyze the dataset. Results: It was confirmed that the more consumers have positive brand experience, the more they are loyal to brand. Conspicuous brand usage can be positively mediated, and consumers who experienced high conspicuous brand usage are more likely to be loyal to the brand. Conclusions: It is noteworthy to find the mediating effect of conspicuous brand usage, and the hidden mechanism between brand experience and brand loyalty. Managers can promote positive conspicuous brand usage when consumers get in touch with product and service channels. By providing impressive conspicuous brand experience, the brand loyalty of the band can be enhanced.