Store personality and behavioral intentions of customers: A comparative study of retail industry in the Czech Republic and Sri Lanka

Abstract

Brand personality is recognized as a key platform for developing a loyal customer base for service organizations. When it comes to the modern retail sector, self-service supermarkets are highly concerned about branding strategies for attracting customers to their stores. However, the impacts of brand personality of supermarkets can vary in different cross-cultural contexts. Hence, in this study, researchers examined this issue by selecting two samples: from Sri Lanka and from the Czech Republic, with the purpose of comparing the impact of brand personality on customer behavioral intentions in two different cultural contexts. For the first sample, 150 regular shoppers were randomly selected in Colombo (Sri Lanka), and data was collected from a researcher administrated questionnaire. The second sample was drawn from Zlin, (the Czech Republic) where data was collected from 120 customers via using a self-administrated questionnaire. Principle component analysis and multiple regressions were used for data analysis and for testing hypotheses. This paper concludes by explaining the implications for modern retailers in designing their branding strategies, and by comparing which aspects of brand personalities of supermarkets are important in two different contexts.