Journal of Internet Commerce

ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wico20

Relational Dynamics between Customer

Engagement, Brand Experience, and Customer
Loyalty: An Empirical Investigation

Aaleya Rasool, Farooq Ahmad Shah & Muhammad Tanveer

To cite this article: Aaleya Rasool, Farooq Ahmad Shah & Muhammad Tanveer (2021): Relational
Dynamics between Customer Engagement, Brand Experience, and Customer Loyalty: An Empirical
Investigation, Journal of Internet Commerce, DOI: 10.1080/15332861.2021.1889818

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2021.1889818

Published online: 07 Mar 2021.

Submit your article to this journal

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=wico20
JOURNAL OF INTERNET COMMERCE
https://doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2021.1889818

Relational Dynamics between Customer Engagement,

Brand Experience, and Customer Loyalty: An Empirical
Investigation
Aaleya Rasoola, Farooq Ahmad Shahb, and Muhammad Tanveerc
a
Department of Management studies, School of Business Studies, Central University of Kashmir,
Kashmir, India; bSchool of Business Studies, Central University of Kashmir, Kashmir, India; cPrince
Sultan University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
Despite the paramount importance of work on customer Banking; brand experience;
engagement and brand experience, there is a vital research customer engagement;
gap regarding inspecting the relational dynamics between customer loyalty
these constructs across the contexts, principally in the setting
of banking industry. This study, therefore, aims to foster the
understanding of engagement and experience in bettering
banks’ ties with their customers so that a sustained loyal cus-
tomer base is developed and managed over time. Toward the
end, this study also investigates gender’s moderating role on
the proposed relationships. This research work has empha-
sized various important customer engagement and brand
experience issues and their inferences, which may be very
supportive in formulating the strategies essential for the
growth of the retail banking sector.

Introduction
The international financial crises of 21st century radically changed the
competitive scenario across the contemporary banking system (Islam et al.
2020). Marinkovic and Obradovic (2015) relate these changes in the bank-
ing system to the changing needs and requirements of the modern, well
informed customers, aided by the development and application of ICT. The
attitudes and behaviors of banking customers are seriously affected because
of these new conditions (Levy and Hino 2016; Monferrer-Tirado et al.,
2016). Hence, the challenge lies in an exhaustive search of how banks can
retain and engage their customers in such a dynamic market environment
(Islam et al. 2020). According to the Marketing Science Institute (MSI)
report of 2016, one of the most obvious consequences of these changes is
the damage of trust in the financial institutions. Therefore, the most

CONTACT Aaleya Rasool aaleyarasool@ymail.com Department of Management studies, School of

Business Studies Central University of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir 191201, India.
ß 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
2 A. RASOOL ET AL.

stimulating job for banks now is to maintain their current relationship with
their customers (Marinkovic and Obradovic 2015).
Given that banking is a service, various studies suggest that, for banks to
strengthen their relationship with their customers and inculcate a positive
behavior in them, their marketing efforts need a push up, especially vis-a-
vis intangible variables, like customer relationship management (Moorthi
and Mohan 2017; Khan, Rahman, and Fatma 2016; Marinkovic and
Obradovic 2015). Consistent with the propositions of relationship market-
ing, the banking sector is now prioritizing its darning efforts by generating
a brand-based emotional attachment among its customers; thereby building
and maintaining sustainable bonds with them (Kosiba et al. 2018; Moliner,
Monferrer-Tirado, and Estrada-Guill
en 2018). Nevertheless, aiming at
building and maintaining lasting relations with the customers in the con-
temporary times, through management of relationship marketing, is an
extremely challenging job. One possible way of achieving this aim of rela-
tionship marketing, however, is to engage customers and provide them
favorable experiences at all possible touch points to such an extent that
while purchasing, customers choose the stimulated brand without a second
thought (Islam et al. 2019; Rasool, Shah, and Islam 2020). In this frame-
work, banks can channelize considerable efforts and economic resources
with the aim of fostering customer loyalty and maintaining lasting relation-
ships (by providing favorable experiences and a sense of unique value) with
their customers (Islam et al. 2020; Kosiba et al. 2018).
With the recent advances in the global business and economic environ-
ment, marketing, as a discipline, has undergone a complete transformation.
Marketing has evolved from being mainly about sales and delivery of prod-
ucts/services to the development and maintenance of long-term relation-
ships with the customers and other stakeholders including intermediaries
and employees; with a dominant focus on company-customer relationships.
The 1950s was the “mass-marketing era”, the 1970s the “market segmenta-
tion era”, the 21st century, however, represents the era of “relationship
marketing” – an era of non-transactional customer behavior with the soci-
eties being networked and customers being able to interact with the firms
as well as other customers via a diverse set of online media options such as
social networks. An important subject that has emerged in this recent area
of research on the non-transactional relationships of customer management
is “customer engagement” (CE) an area that has fascinated both marketers
across contexts and academicians (Islam and Rahman 2016; Rasool, Shah,
and Islam 2020). There is a powerful link between customer engagement
and key business outcomes (Gallup Research Report, 2014).
Parallel to the significance of CE, “brand experience” (BE) as well has
attained a pivotal place in the recent marketing research, primarily due to
 JOURNAL OF INTERNET COMMERCE 3

its crucial role in offering competitive advantage to business organizations

(Khan and Rahman 2015). For Lemon and Verhoef (2016), offering favor-
able brand experience serves as an influential driver of firm profitability.
Interestingly, firms are increasingly pursuing strategies to create experiences
so that customers interact with each other and with the firm. Companies
are also providing platforms through blogs, social network sites, and public
events to encourage customers to interact with one another and also with
the firm so much so that they get engaged with the focal object, thereby,
generating enhanced customer retention, trust, emotional bonding and loy-
alty outcomes. With such outcomes in view, organizations are willing to
embrace customer engagement and brand experience, thereby, attempting
to build a loyal customer base.
Nevertheless, there is a paucity of research, studying CE and BE and the
joint effect thereof on the customer loyalty (CL), in the service industry in
general and the banking industry in particular. The present study therefore
attempts to fill this vital research gap and develop a comprehensive model
of customer engagement in the banking services context. Toward this end,
the study empirically validates the proposed conceptual framework by con-
ducting a self-administered questionnaire survey on the customers of some
selected retail banks (both public and private), operating in Srinagar city of
India. The study aims at addressing the strategic apprehensions of banks by
advocating that, concentrating on the relational dynamics of CE and BE
would help the banks in building loyal customers who are their most valu-
able stakeholders. The present study is, therefore, expected to act as a guide
for practitioners and academics working in the field of managing customer
engagement and experiences.

Social exchange theory as the theoretical background

This study employs social exchange theory (Blau 1964) to describe the rela-
tional dynamics of customer engagement and brand experience on cus-
tomer loyalty. The theory believes that in a social relational setting, as the
exchange occurs, individuals (performing as social beings) rely on a relative
reward and cost analysis (i.e., what is being received vs. given) related to a
particular exchange. The theory necessitates a latent compulsion on cus-
tomers to give in return the favor done by the firm/brand to stabilize the
relationship. Customers receive favors in the form of a quality service, swift
query handling, customer-oriented interactions, and other programs to
engage customers at every possible touch point as well as offering unique
brand experiences (Hollebeek 2011). Reciprocally, specific favors done by
customers to the firm may include showing loyalty, spreading positive
4 A. RASOOL ET AL.

Gender
Customer
Engagement H4c

H4a
H4b
H3
H1

Brand Customer
Experience Loyalty

H2
Figure 1. Proposed conceptual model.

word-of-mouth and customers’ organizational citizenship behaviors (Bove

et al. 2009).
Social exchange theory acknowledges customers’ underlying motivation
for being loyal to the firm/brand in a way that customer loyalty could also
be a way of reciprocating the favor to the firm/brand that offers unique
engagement opportunities as well as favorable brand experiences. As a
response to these experiences, customers develop loyalty intentions to
maintain the social relationships and relational bonds. In the context of
banking service, the proposed relationships between CE, BE, and CL are,
therefore, strengthened and justified by the propositions of social exchange
theory (Islam et al. 2020).

Conceptual model and hypothesis development

To give a proper direction to the study toward the realization of the enum-
erated study objectives, four hypotheses, as discussed below, were formu-
lated to propose the conceptual model (see Figure 1).

Influence of CE on CL
A consistent need highlighted by researchers over the past decade is related
to developing and testing models that investigate the relational mechanisms
between CE and other relevant concepts (Kaur et al. 2020). Particularly, the
effect of CE on CL represents a vital verification of engagement’s factual
marketing impact (Khan et al. 2019; Thakur 2018). Customer loyalty is
defined as “a deeply held commitment to re-buy or re-patronize preferred
products/services consistently in the future” (Oliver 1999), and denotes “a
consumer’s favorable attitude toward a product/website/brand, along with
repeat purchase behavior” (Liu et al. 2012; Anderson and Srinivasan 2003).
Whereas multiple theoretical models suggest CE’s positive effect on
CL (France, Merrilees, & Miller, 2015; Kaur et al. 2020), empirical confirm-
ation of this association remains understudied in the banking context
 JOURNAL OF INTERNET COMMERCE 5

(Islam et al. 2020; Khan, Rahman, and Fatma 2016). To stay ahead on the
competition curve, banks make different tactical and strategic attempts to
build sustainable relationships with their customers so that a loyal customer
base is developed (Rather, Hollebeek, and Islam 2019; Islam et al. 2020).
Given that customers are rational beings, CL does not transpire automat-
ically rather it involves some processes over a period of time. This study
argues CE can serve as one of the courses in the banking sector to shape
up CL as an individual’s engagement with the brand is likely to intensify
the interactivity, thereby reinforcing CL (Kaur et al. 2020). Besides, CE
may cultivate resilient emotional bonds among customers which expedite
increased CL to preferred banks (Kosiba et al. 2018; Khan, Rahman, and
Fatma 2016). CE, as posited by previous research, acts as a catalyst in
enhancing a customers’ loyalty toward a particular brand, as positively
engaged customers bind with a brand through psychological and experien-
tial processes that last much beyond mere purchases (Islam, Rahman, and
Hollebeek 2018; Kaur et al. 2020). Hence, the link between CE and CL is
hypothesized as under:
H1: CE has a positive effect on CL.

Influence of BE on CL
To stay ahead of the competition and to differentiate their brands more
uniquely, service providers need to look for measures very different and
efficient than those of the competitors (Khan et al. 2019). For that purpose,
BE acts as a persuasive tool to service providers who need to include both
the intrinsic and extrinsic aspects of BE for customers to have unique expe-
riences at all possible touch point (Islam et al. 2019). As defined by Brakus,
Schmitt, and Zarantonello (2009) BE is “a customer’s sensations, feelings,
cognitions and behavioral responses evoked by brand-related stimuli that
are part of a brands design and identity, packaging, communications, and
environments.” (53). Previous studies unveil that offering unique experien-
ces to customers results in them making repeat visits, and hence becoming
loyal (Li, Teng, and Chen 2020).
For banking services, Sikdar, Kumar, and Makkad (2015) stated that “if
the experience is positive it creates a desire for repeat usage.” The positive
effect of BE on CL is further backed up by the social exchange theory,
which propounds that the better the experience articulated by customers
the more revisits are expected from them which eventually leads to loyalty
from customers (Harrigan et al. 2018). The responsiveness and problem
handling by the service staff of an organization, in this case a bank, hugely
influences a customer’s decision making process of weather to continue
using the same bank’s services or not. The above arguments clearly
6 A. RASOOL ET AL.

implicate that BE will positively affect CL. Therefore, this study hypothe-
sizes as under:
H2: BE has a positive effect on CL.

Influence of CE on BE
Brakus, Schmitt, and Zarantonello (2009) assert that “BE … differs from
motivational concepts, such as involvement,” hence showing that BE differs
from the motivational aspect of CE (Hollebeek, Islam, and Macky 2019).
However this does not imply that there is no relationship between BE and
CE. Both CE and BE help maximize the interaction between firms and
their customers (Boulding et al. 2005). Previous research implores that cus-
tomers’ positive word of mouth and brand reviews greatly impact other
customers’ BE and ultimately their purchase decisions as customers per-
ceive these peer reviews as trustworthy which tends to minimize their pur-
chase risk (Islam et al. 2020). Literature also confirms that peer reviews
and social interactions greatly affect purchase and re-visit decisions of cus-
tomers (Khan et al. 2019).
Additionally, entertaining CE activities provided by a service firms serve
as prominent drivers of ensuing customers’ overall BE (Abbasi et al. 2020;
Islam et al. 2019). Thus, despite the existence of the conceptual claims of
CE’s impact on BE, this association is underexplored especially in the
Indian banking context. In order to fill this research gap, this study
explores the effect of CE on BE, in consonance with Nysveen and
Pedersen’s (2014) assertion that “to create positive sensory BEs, [customers
need to be] engaged in the brand.”
With the advancement of technology, a customer’s experience related to
a purchase or a service is not the only trigger of BE, customers’ brand-
related interactions at all possible touch points also play an important role
in the overall BE of a customer (Hamzah, Alwi, and Othman 2014;
Hollebeek, Srivastava, and Chen 2019a). Islam et al. (2019) also believe that
consumer’s prior interaction and engagement play a central role in the for-
mation of favorable BE. Therefore, this study hypothesizes as under:
H3: CE has a positive effect on BE.

Mediating effect of BE
Banks across the world recognize that they need to interact more with their
customers so as to build their trust and loyalty (Skvarciany and Jurevicien_e
2018; Khan, Rahman, and Fatma 2016). Studies advocate that one way to
enhance CL is to have positive conversations (an expression of CE) and
reliable information sharing with customers (see Islam and Rahman 2016a;
 JOURNAL OF INTERNET COMMERCE 7

Kaabachi, Mrad, and Fiedler, 2019). Previous research also reveals that
unique experiences provided by service organizations in the form of various
engagement tools and interactions helps in making customers emotionally
attached to the brand and eventually they become loyal (Kaur et al. 2020;
Pansari and Kumar 2017). Such experiences, when engaging, make cus-
tomer act further based on the inputs shared (Nadeem et al. 2015; Bianchi
and Andrews 2012). Therefore, when customers engage in interactions that
are highly relevant, it offers customers enhanced BEs, which eventually ups
their confidence that the bank is able enough to deliver the services as
promised. This in turn enhances CL with the bank (Khan, Rahman, and
Fatma 2016; Ha and Perks 2005). All these findings highlight the mediating
role of BE in a way that it acts as an outcome of CE, and consequently,
influences CL. Based on these assertions, this study hypothesizes:
H3a: BE mediates the effect of CE on CL.

Moderating role of gender

As stated by Gender socialization theory, men and women tend to have
sex-specific personalities in addition to sex-specific skills. This gender spe-
cific self-concept makes them define themselves as masculine or feminine,
which is further attributed to specific cultures (Barry, Bacon, and Child
1957). Subsequently, the ethical choices also differ in males and females
(Mason and Mudrack 1996). There are two thought perspectives regarding
gender differences, biological sex research and gender identity research
(Chang 2006; Gould and Weil 1991; Kahle and Homer 1985). Biological
sex perspective identifies gender from biological sex, reflecting males and
females (Kolyesnikova, Dodd, and Wilcox 2009), while the gender identity
perspective identifies gender in terms of ‘gender identity’ reflecting psycho-
logical sex (Gould and Weil 1991), which is based on male female personal-
ity traits (Islam et al. 2019). There are some studies that support the
impact of gender in shaping the consumer behavior (e.g., Islam et al.
2019), while others oppose this supposition (Kolyesnikova, Dodd, and
Wilcox 2009). However there are some other studies that support this prep-
osition of gender playing a significant role in the prediction of consumer
behavior (Gould and Weil 1991). Keeping this in view, this study takes
gender as biological sex (male and female).
Literature has stressed upon gender as a significant demographic variable
that can predict customer behavior (Grewal et al. 2017). Studies have
shown gender as a moderator, but very few studies exist that explain the
role of gender on CE and other related constructs, leaving a considerable
scope for more research (Islam, Rahman, and Hollebeek 2018). The above
preposition is further strengthened by the gender schema theory, that
8 A. RASOOL ET AL.

states, males and females present different decision-making styles which is

rooted in the development of varying vale sets. (Mason and Mudrack
1996). Furthermore, studies found that men tend to grow with task-ori-
ented and utilitarian personalities, while women tend to grow up more
social and relationship oriented personalities (Sharma, Chen, and
Luk 2012).
In the light of above arguments, it is expected that women are more
prone to be affected by the behavior of front line employees of the service
providers. Men on the other hand, will be more influenced by the tangible
and intangible variables like money, effort, time (Sharma, Chen, and Luk
2012; Danaher 1998). Drawing more light on the fact that, compared to
men, women are very good at comprehending non-verbal communications
(Ganesan-Lim, Russell-Bennett, and Dagger 2008; Mason & Mudrack,
1996), also women possess the trait of processing information more system-
atically. Men on the other hand are more selective while approaching
others (Darley and Smith 1995). The above propositions provide consider-
able cues that gender (male and female) is likely to moderate the proposed
relationships between CE, BE, and CL; hence the following hypotheses:
H4a: The relationship between CE and CL is stronger for women than men.
H4b: The relationship between BE and CL is stronger for women than men.
H4c: The relationship between CE and BE is stronger for women than men.

Methodology
Sample and data collection
Most of the empirical studies on CE have used the questionnaire survey
method to collect data (see for example; Rather, Hollebeek, and Islam 2019;
Islam et al. 2020; Kaur et al. 2020). To empirically examine and validate
the proposed research model, this study, therefore, used a self-administered
questionnaire survey among 322 customers of various (public and private)
retail banks in the Srinagar city of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Hair et al.
(2010) suggest that 10–15 participants should be taken for each variable
and their corresponding items. Going by this theoretical argument, since
the present study comprises of 21 items for three distinct constructs, a
sample size of 210 (21  10) or above is acceptable as it fulfills the recom-
mended criteria. Some researchers like Tabachnick and Fidell (2006) and
Green (1991) recommend the following formula to configure a sample size:
N  50 þ 8 m (Where, N ¼ minimum sample size required, and
m ¼ number of items included). Considering the minimum requirement as
per the formula: N  50 þ 8 m, the minimum required sample size for this
study must be anything greater than 218 (N  50 þ (821) ¼ 218).
 JOURNAL OF INTERNET COMMERCE 9

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of respondents.

Demographic variable Frequency Percentage
Age (years):
18–25 76 23.60
26–35 113 35.10
36–50 84 26.08
51& above 49 15.22
Gender:
Male 187 58.07
Female 135 41.93
Others -
Income INR (monthly):
20,000 or less 21 06.53
20,001–40,000 88 27.33
40,001 60,000 101 31.36
60,001 80,000 63 19.56
80,001 100,000 30 09.32
100,000 and above 19 05.90
Qualification:
High school and below 28 08.70
10 þ 2/Intermediate 55 17.08
Bachelor’s 98 30.43
Master’s 83 25.77
Doctoral 38 11.80
Others 20 06.21

Considering the above diverse opinions and criteria along with the
researcher’s convenience, this study targeted a sample of 500 respondents
from 13 selected branches with an equal representation of 39 (approx.)
respondents from each branch. However, out of a total 500 questionnaires
administered, only 365 were received back out of which a total of 322 were
found as valid and were taken for the statistical analysis to achieve the
study results. Needless to mention that a sample size of 322 meets all the
criteria as suggested above.
The researcher approached people entering and leaving the banks and
enquired if they were the customers of the same bank/branch. Those who
response was a ‘Yes’ were requested to take part in the survey. To ensure
respondent eligibility, two screening questions were first asked (verbally) to
rule out those who had a bank account active for less than a year and who
were below the age of 18 years. After briefing the respondents about the
survey purpose, they were requested to complete the survey. The respond-
ents were also assured of maintaining the anonymity and confidentiality.
Since all the respondents were not comfortable with language of the ques-
tionnaire (English), they were assisted in the local vernacular.
The demographic profile of respondents is available in Table 1. Of the
322 respondents, 193 (54.21%) were male and 163 (45.79%) female. 76
(23.60%) respondents were in the age group of 18–25 years, while as 113
(35.10%); 84 (26.08%); and 49 (15.22%) respondents were in the age groups
of 26–35 years, 26–50 years, and 51 years or above respectively. Likewise,
the sample represented respondents with diverse range of academic
10 A. RASOOL ET AL.

qualifications. 28 (8.70%) respondents had high school or below; 55

(17.08%) intermediate; 98 (30.43%) bachelors; 83 (25.77%) masters; 38
(11.80%) doctoral; and 20 (6.21%) had other qualifications.

Measures
The questionnaire for this study was developed by incorporating items
from various established scales already used in some previous studies.
Before finalizing the questionnaire, a pretest survey (pilot survey) was done
on 50 respondents belonging to higher educational institute, all having an
active personal bank account. A sample size of 50 was considered adequate
for the pilot survey as Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill (2012) suggest that
sample size for a pilot test should not be less than ten. The central con-
struct of the study i,e., CE was measured through Hollebeek, Glynn, and
Brodie (2014) scale. The sample item includes; “Using my bank gets me to
think about the bank.” BE was measured by adopting items from Brakus,
Schmitt, and Zarantonello (2009) scale, with a sample item reading; “The
promptness of my bank often creates positive vibes in me.” To measure
CL, five items were adopted from Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Malhotra
(2005), and Nysveen and Pedersen (2014) scales. The sample item includes;
“I intend to stay loyal to my bank in the future.” All the items used in the
survey instrument of this study have been measured using a “5-point Likert
scale” ranging from 1 (for; “strongly disagree”) to 5 (for; “strongly agree”).

Data analysis
A multi-step data analysis procedure was adopted using SPSS 20.0 and
AMOS 20.0. Initially, data screening was done to check for missing data,
unusual observations and non-normal items (potential outliers). Later, this
study conducted various reliability and validity tests to analyze and validate
both the measurement and structural models. Descriptive statistics were
employed by calculating mean and standard deviations in order to get an
overview of the sample (Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill 2012). Next, an
examination of the reliability and validity of the variables was undertaken.
The Cronbach alpha values of all the factors ranged between 0.844 and
0.901 (i.e., greater than the minimum acceptable value of 0.70) which indi-
cates good internal consistency among all the items, thereby confirming the
reliability of all the constructs (Anderson and Gerbing 1988). After examin-
ing the reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of constructs was
evaluated. All the factor loadings were above the suggested minimum value
of 0.5, thereby confirming the convergent validity criteria (Hair et al.
2010). Composite reliability (CR) values ranged from 0.891 to 0.982 and
the values of AVE ranged between 0.565 and 0.620; thus signifying the
 JOURNAL OF INTERNET COMMERCE 11

Table 2. Reliability and validity of the constructs.

Construct Items Factor Loadings Cronbach a Composite Reliability Average Variance Extracted
Customer engagement 0.901 0.904 0.576
CE1 0.863
CE2 0.808
CE3 0.811
CE4 0.760
CE5 0.791
CE6 0.750
CE7 0.720
Brand experience 0.854 0.855 0.565
BE1 0.752
BE2 0.739
BE3 0.731
BE4 0.700
BE5 0.698
BE6 0.690
BE7 0.641
BE8 0.608
Customer loyalty 0.822 0.764 0.620
CL1 0.804
CL2 0.745
CL3 0.620
CL4 0.553

Table 3. Mean, standard deviation, and correlation values.

N ¼ 356 Mean SD CE BE CL
Customer engagement (CE) 3.854 1.032 0.759
Brand experience (BE) 3.032 0.892 0.281 0.752
Customer loyalty (CL) 3.685 0.987 0.233 0.232 0.788
Note. SD depicts standard deviation. The bold numbers in the diagonal line are the square root of AVEs. All val-
ues are significant at p < .001.

acceptable values (Fornell and Larcker 1981). The results related to the reli-
ability and validity of the constructs are presented in Table 2.
Besides, Table 3 below indicates that each construct’s squared AVE was
above the corresponding inter-construct correlations, reflecting an accept-
able level of discriminant validity (Fornell and Larcker 1981).”

Results of structural model

After confirming the measurement model, the structural model was esti-
mated to test the proposed hypotheses. “To check the model’s goodness-of-
fit, this study used v2 and key fit indices viz. CFI, GFI, IFI, NFI, TLI, and
RMSEA (Nazir and Islam 2020; Nazir, Islam, and Rahman 2021). The
model fit indices for structural model fall within the acceptable limits
(v2 ¼ 188.371, df ¼ 141, p < .001; CMIN/DF¼ 1.336, RMSEA ¼ 0.032,
CFI ¼ 0.980, GFI ¼ 0.944, and AGFI ¼ 0.924, IFI ¼ 0.981, NFI ¼ 0.927,
TLI ¼ 0.976), confirming that the structural model fits well (Bentler 1990).
As evident from Table 4, the study findings suggest that all the
12 A. RASOOL ET AL.

Table 4. Results of the structural model.

S.No. Hypotheses Path coefficient (b) p-values Test results
H1 Customer engagement- customer loyalty 0.20 .000 Supported
H2 Brand experience- customer loyalty 0.17 .000 Supported
H3 Customer engagement- brand experience 0.22 .000 Supported

Table 5. Result of mediation hypothesis.

Hypotheses Relationship Direct Effect Indirect Effect p-value
H3a: The effect of CE on CL loyalty is mediated by BE CE ! BE ! CL 0.20 .18 < .001

relationships hypothesized in the research model were significant and sup-

ported. CE positively affects CL (ß ¼ 0.20, t ¼ 4.021), supporting
Hypothesis 1. Hypothesis 2 posited the positive effect of BE on CL; which
is also supported by the results of this study (ß ¼ 0.17, t ¼ 2.186).
Hypothesis 3 hypothesized a positive relationship between CE and BE,
which was also supported by the results (ß ¼ 0.22, t ¼ 4.858), consequently
accepting Hypothesis 3.

Mediation analysis
To test the mediating effect of BE in the relationship between CE and CL,
this study used “Baron and Kenny’s (1986)” approach. Successively, boot-
strapping was used. In full mediation, the predictor (CE) affects the result-
ant variable (CL) only via its effect on the mediating variables (BE).
Otherwise, in partial mediation, the antecedent (CE) affects the criterion
variable (CL) directly as well as indirectly via its effect on the mediating
variables (BE) (see, for example; Baron and Kenny 1986; Kaur et al. 2020;
Nazir and Islam 2020a). As depicted in Table 5, CE has a direct positive
effect on CL (c ¼ 0.20, p < .001) and also an indirect effect via BE
(b ¼ 0.18, p < .001). These results demonstrate that the effect of CE on CL
is partially mediated by BE, thereby supporting H3a.

Moderation analysis
To examine gender’s moderating role as hypothesized in H4a, H4b, and
H4c, we used multi-group causal analysis in SEM (Zhou, Jin, and Fang
2014). For that, the entire sample was divided into two (gender) groups:
male ¼ 174 and female ¼148.” Results of the multi-group analysis revealed
a reasonable overall fit being exhibited by structural multi-group model:
v2¼ 1695.316, df¼ 1007, p ¼ .000; v2/df¼ 1.684; CFI ¼ 0.936, GFI ¼ 0.903,
AGFI ¼ 0. 892, NFI ¼ 0.923, IFI ¼ 0.942, TLI ¼ 0.939, and RMSEA ¼
0.047. To test the significant difference between the two standardized esti-
mates, the researcher conducted moderation analysis with ‘critical ratios for
 JOURNAL OF INTERNET COMMERCE 13

Table 6. Path comparison results across gender.

Male Female
S.No. Hypotheses B p-values B p-values Test results
H4a Customer engagement- customer loyalty 0.14 0.000 0.23 .000 Supported
H4b Brand experience- customer loyalty 0.11 0.000 0.19 .000 Supported
H4c Customer engagement- brand experience 0.12 0.000 0.22 .000 Supported

differences’ option available in AMOS 20.0. Table 6 indicates that the sig-
nificant effects of CE and BE on CL vary across male and female samples,
thereby supporting H4a and H4b. The results also revealed that the signifi-
cant effect of CE on BE also vary across the two sample groups, thereby
not supporting H4c.

Discussion
This study was motivated by the need for deeper insights regarding the
interplay between CE, BE, and CL vis-a-vis examining the gender’s moder-
ating role. The results of this study supported that CE may facilitate the
development of increased CL to particular bank. When customers are
engaged with various touch points of a bank, they begin to understand the
bank and at the same time form emotions that create a positive attitude
toward their preferred bank brand. The results of H1 contradict with Li,
Teng, and Chen (2020), whose empirical study revealed that CE had no
influence on CL. However, the results of this finding are in sync with prior
studies in diverse contexts (e.g., Kosiba et al. 2018; Khan, Rahman, and
Fatma 2016; Kaur et al. 2020) who argue that CE creates a supporting
atmosphere for the people to interact and build a long-term relationship
that eventually facilitates CL with the bank.
Hypothesis 2 proposed a positive effect of BE on CL. The results sup-
ported this proposition and it was found that the overall brand experience
with a bank positively influences customer loyalty. When consumers per-
ceive a bank to be responsive and reciprocates to customer inquiries, it
facilitates the overall banking experience of customers making them loyal
to that bank. These results are in sync with the prior studies that place
brand experience as an important antecedent to customer loyalty (e.g.,
Khan et al. 2019; Nysveen and Pedersen 2014). The present findings, there-
fore, suggest the implementation of CE and BE approaches at the strategic
level to build and maintain customer loyalty.
Hypothesis 3 suggested a positive association between CE and BE. The
results of this study also supported this proposition. When customers inter-
act and engage with a brand, they feel they are being listened to, which is a
favorable experience as perceived by the customers. The results of this
study empirically validate the claims of prior studies that customers
14 A. RASOOL ET AL.

demand marketing communications which deliver favorable BEs (Islam

et al. 2019). For example, in a study surveying 395 luxury hotel guests,
Islam et al. (2019) found that CE consequently exerts a favorable impact
on BE. However, the results of the current study contradict with Ahn and
Back (2018) who conducted their study in the integrated resort context
among customers in the USA using a qualitative methodology, suggest that
BE leads to CE. Therefore, they propose a reverse causal relationship
between CE and BE, which is opposed to the findings of this study. The
arguments supporting the findings of this study are that marketers in the
banking sector should focus on providing pleasurable interactions rather
than concentrating only on the functional attributes of the services. Such
engaging interactions strengthen the attachment of a customer with the
bank brand, facilitating the attainment of a more favorable BE with focal
bank brand (Islam et al. 2019; Khan, Rahman, and Fatma 2016).
Our results further delineate that the effect of CE on CL is partially
mediated by BE, thereby supporting H3a. A probable reason for this find-
ing is that customer engagement aims to satisfy customer’s interactive
motivations. These interactions serve as a favorable experience to custom-
ers, thereby developing a sense of familiarity and closeness with the bank
and its offerings, eventually making them loyal. Banks are, therefore,
advised to develop CE as part of their experiential marketing approach
(Hollebeek and Solem 2017).
Lastly, the results revealed that gender moderates the proposed relations
in the inclusive customer engagement model. These results contradict with
an empirical study on 430 Facebook users by Islam and Rahman (2017),
who found that gender has no moderating effect on customer engagement.
However, the results of the current study support the basic argument that
customers show a varying behavior in observing, appraising, and respond-
ing to CE and BEs. These findings are in sync with prior studies that also
revealed the moderating effect of gender on CE-specific relationships (e.g.,
Kamboj and Rahman 2016), thus suggesting that gender-based strategies
for bank customers are expected to optimize CL.

Theoretical implications
The present study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on CE by
providing direction to both academics and practitioners toward engaging
customers with banks and eventually enhancing customer loyalty.
Firstly, in today’s cut-throat competition, having a loyal consumer base
offers a real competitive advantage to firms. This study suggests the adop-
tion of a customer engagement and brand experience orientation as a key
strategy to build and maintain customer loyalty. The present study has,
 JOURNAL OF INTERNET COMMERCE 15

therefore, offered a fresh understanding of the role of CE and BE in the

banking industry. The findings of the study can, to a great extent, be gener-
alized to different service contexts such as retail, hospitality, tourism etc.
Secondly, empirical examination confirming gender’s potential role on
CE related relationships is under-explored (Cambra-Fierro, Melero-Polo,
and Sese 2015; Kaur et al. 2020). Hence, by examining the gender’s moder-
ating role in the relational dynamics of CE, this study enriches the litera-
ture on CE and fills in a vital gap in the existing research.
Lastly, over the past few years, CE studies have predominantly been
tested in the context of online environment, leaving a wide gap in the body
of CE research in the services context. This study, therefore, addresses this
research gap by identifying and empirically validating a model of CE in the
banking service sector and thus, exemplifies a valuable contribution to
the literature.

Practical implications
Apart from its theoretical significance, this study offers some key sugges-
tions to marketing practitioners. With an ever-escalating growth and com-
petition in the banking industry, it has become crucial for practitioners at
different managerial levels to recognize how to develop and maintain loyal
customers with their offerings (Islam, Rahman, and Hollebeek 2019a;
Khan, Rahman, and Fatma 2016). In this direction, CE and BE, therefore,
hold paramount significance on the managerial agenda. In pursuit to this,
the present study suggests the banks to realize the importance of stimulat-
ing CE by offering better service quality, real time and customized cus-
tomer solutions, and customer-friendly service failure recovery mechanisms
to enhance customers’ brand experience and long-term CL.
The study suggests that marketers need to focus their investments on
engaging customers and providing them favorable BEs at all possible
touch-points to optimize CL. With the help of highly customized, inter-
active, and engaging experiences, customers can develop a sense of famil-
iarity and closeness with the bank and its offerings. In this direction, the
banks can focus on their websites, in the absence of any direct human per-
sonnel, which can enhance the relationship between the customer and the
firm (Islam et al. 2020). The specific website attributes can result in cus-
tomers’ long-term relationship with the firm, thereby making them loyal.
Lastly, considering the fact that the advent of Web 2.0 has brought about
revolutionary speech equalization between companies and consumers
(Rasool, Shah, and Islam 2020); while incorporating the positive-valenced
expressions of CE, the decision makers of banking organizations should
not sideline the notions of negatively valenced expressions of CE. Regular
16 A. RASOOL ET AL.

customer feedback should be collected before any negative word is spread

among their customers. Overall, this study offers some insightful implica-
tions and suggestions to both practitioners and academia.

Research limitations
This study acknowledges certain limitations. First, the present study
investigated the relationship between CE, BE, and CL, while as a num-
ber of other related constructs exist (e.g., co-creation, agility, service
innovation etc.), that may be used in future research to check for their
potential mediating/moderating effects. Second, while this study consid-
ered only gender’s moderating role, further studies may choose other
psychographic and demographic variables to explicitly demonstrate vary-
ing engagement-related needs of dissimilar audiences. Likewise, some
other demographic factors (e.g., age, income, bank type) as well as per-
sonality factors (e.g., Big-5 personality traits) may better describe the
dynamics of CE. Lastly, we only considered the positive valence of CE,
investigating the negative expressions of CE across contexts could serve
as another fertile research area.

Acknowledgement
The third author would like to acknowledge Prince Sultan University, Saudi Arabia for
their support.

References
Abbasi, A. Z., M. Asif, L. D. Hollebeek, J. U. Islam, D. H. Ting, and U. Rehman. 2020. The
effects of consumer esports videogame engagement on consumption behaviors. Journal
of Product & Brand Management. doi: 10.1108/JPBM-04-2020-2839.
Ahn, J., and K. J. Back. 2018. Antecedents and consequences of customer brand engage-
ment in integrated resorts. International Journal of Hospitality Management 75 (1):
144–152. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.05.020.
Anderson, J. C., and D. W. Gerbing. 1988. Structural equation modeling in practice: A
review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin 103 (3):411–423. doi:
10.1037/0033-2909.103.3.411.
Anderson, R. E., and S. S. Srinivasan. 2003. E-satisfaction and e-loyalty: A contingency
framework. Psychology and Marketing 20 (2):123–138. doi: 10.1002/mar.10063.
Barry, H., M. K. Bacon, and I. L. Child. 1957. A cross-cultural survey of some sex differen-
ces in socialization. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 55 (3):327–332. doi:
10.1037/h0041178.
Baron, R. M., and D. A. Kenny. 1986. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in
social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology 51 (6):1173–1182. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173.
 JOURNAL OF INTERNET COMMERCE 17

Bentler, P. M. 1990. Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin

107 (2):238–246. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.238.
Bianchi, C., and L. Andrews. 2012. Risk, trust, and consumer online purchasing behaviour:
A Chilean perspective. International Marketing Review 29 (3):253–275. doi: 10.1108/
02651331211229750.
Blau, P. 1964. Exchange and power in social life. New York: Wiley.
Boulding, W., R. Staelin, M. Ehret, and W. J. Johnston. 2005. A customer relationship man-
agement roadmap: What is known, potential pitfalls, and where to go. Journal of
Marketing 69 (4):155–166. doi: 10.1509/jmkg.2005.69.4.155.
Bove, L. L., S. J. Pervan, S. E. Beatty, and E. Shiu. 2009. Service worker role in encouraging
customer organizational citizenship behaviors. Journal of Business Research 62 (7):
698–705. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.07.003.
Brakus, J. J., B. H. Schmitt, and L. Zarantonello. 2009. Brand experience: What is it? How
is it measured? Does it affect loyalty? Journal of Marketing 73 (3):52–68. doi: 10.1509/
jmkg.73.3.052.
Cambra-Fierro, J. J., I. Melero-Polo, and F. J. Sese. 2015. Can complaint-handling efforts
promote customer engagement? Service Science 10 (4):847–866. doi: 10.1007/s11628-015-
0295-9.
Chang, C. 2006. The influence of masculinity and femininity in different advertising proc-
essing contexts: An accessibility perspective. Sex Roles 55 (5–6):345–356. doi: 10.1007/
s11199-006-9088-x.
Danaher, P. J. 1998. Customer heterogeneity in service management. Journal of Service
Research 1 (2):129–139. doi: 10.1177/109467059800100203.
Darley, W. K., and R. E. Smith. 1995. Gender differences in information processing strat-
egies: An empirical test of the selectivity model in advertising response. Journal of
Advertising 24 (1):41–56. doi: 10.1080/00913367.1995.10673467.
Fornell, C., and D. F. Larcker. 1981. Evaluating structural equation models with unobserv-
able variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research 18 (1):39–50. doi:
10.1177/002224378101800104.
France, C., B., & Merrilees, D. Miller. 2015. Customer brand co-creation: A conceptual
model. Marketing Intelligence & Planning 33 (6):848–864. doi: 10.1108/MIP-06-2014-
0105.
Ganesan-Lim, C., R. Russell-Bennett, and T. Dagger. 2008. The impact of service contact
type and demographic characteristics on service quality perceptions. Journal of Services
Marketing 22 (7):550–561. doi: 10.1108/08876040810909677.
Grewal, D., A. L. Roggeveen, R. Sisodia, and J. Nordf€alt. 2017. Enhancing customer engage-
ment through consciousness. Journal of Retailing 93 (1):55–64. doi: 10.1016/j.jretai.2016.
12.001.
Gallup Research Report. 2014. State of the American Consumer: Insights for Business
Leaders. http://products.gallup.com/171722/state-americanconsumer.Aspx (accessed April
2019).
Gould, S. J., and C. E. Weil. 1991. Gift-giving roles and gender self-concepts. Sex Roles 24
(9–10):617–637. doi: 10.1007/BF00288418.
Green, S. B. 1991. How many subjects does it take to do a regression analysis. Multivariate
Behavioral Research 26 (3):499–510. doi: 10.1207/s15327906mbr2603_7.
Ha, H. Y., and H. Perks. 2005. Effects of consumer perceptions of brand experience on the
web: Brand familiarity, satisfaction and brand trust. Journal of Consumer Behaviour 4
(6):438–452. doi: 10.1002/cb.29.
18 A. RASOOL ET AL.

Hair, J. F., W. C. Black, B. J. Babin, R. E. Anderson, and R. L. Tatham. 2010. Multivariate

data analysis: A global perspective (Vol. 7). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Hamzah, Z. L., S. S. Alwi, and M. N. Othman. 2014. Designing corporate brand experience
in an online context: A qualitative insight. Journal of Business Research 67 (11):
2299–2310. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.06.018.
Harrigan, P., U. Evers, M. P. Miles, and T. Daly. 2018. Customer engagement and the rela-
tionship between involvement, engagement, self-brand connection and brand usage
intent. Journal of Business Research 88:388–396. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.11.046.
Hollebeek, L., J. Islam, and K. Macky. 2019. Personality-based consumer engagement styles:
Conceptualization, research propositions & implications. In Handbook of customer
engagement research, 224–244. UK: Edward Elgar Publishers. doi: 10.4337/
9781788114899.00017.
Hollebeek, L., and B. Solem. 2017. The consumer engagement/return on social media
engagement interface: Development of a conceptual model. In Contemporary Issues in
Social Media Marketing, ed. Rishi, B., Bandyopadhyay, S., 220–233. New York, NY:
Routledge.
Hollebeek, L. D. 2011. Exploring customer brand engagement: Definition and themes.
Journal of Strategic Marketing 19 (7):555–573. doi: 10.1080/0965254X.2011.599493.
Hollebeek, L. D., M. S. Glynn, and R. J. Brodie. 2014. Consumer brand engagement in
social media: Conceptualization, scale development and validation. Journal of Interactive
Marketing 28 (2):149–165. doi: 10.1016/j.intmar.2013.12.002.
Hollebeek, L. D., R. K. Srivastava, and T. Chen. 2019a. SD logic–informed customer
engagement: Integrative framework, revised fundamental propositions, and application to
CRM. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 47 (1):161–185. doi: 10.1007/s11747-
016-0494-5.
Islam, J., and Z. Rahman. 2016. The transpiring journey of customer engagement research
in marketing: A systematic review of the past decade. Management Decision 54 (8):
2008–2034. doi: 10.1108/MD-01-2016-0028.
Islam, J., and Z. Rahman. 2017. The Impact of online brand community characteristics on
customer engagement: An application of stimulus-organism-response paradigm.
Telematics and Informatics 34 (4):96–109. doi: 10.1016/j.tele.2017.01.004.
Islam, J., and Z. Rahman. 2016a. Linking customer engagement to trust and word-of-mouth
on facebook brand communities: An empirical study. Journal of Internet Commerce 15
(1):40–58. doi: 10.1080/15332861.2015.1124008.
Islam, J., S. Shahid, A. Rasool, Z. Rahman, I. Khan, and R. Rather. 2020. Impact of website
attributes on customer engagement in banking: A solicitation of stimulus-organism-
response theory. International Journal of Bank Marketing 38 (6):1279–1303. doi: 10.1108/
IJBM-12-2019-0460.
Islam, J. U., L. D. Hollebeek, Z. Rahman, I. Khan, and A. Rasool. 2019. Customer engage-
ment in the service context: An empirical investigation of the construct, its antecedents
and consequences. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 50:277–285. doi: 10.1016/j.
jretconser.2019.05.018.
Islam, J. U., Z. Rahman, and L. D. Hollebeek. 2018. Consumer engagement in online brand
communities: A solicitation of congruity theory. Internet Research 28 (1):23–45. doi: 10.
1108/IntR-09-2016-0279.
Islam, J. U., Z. Rahman, and L. D. Hollebeek. 2019a. The role of consumer engagement in
recovering online service failures: An application of service-dominant logic. In Handbook
of Research on Customer Engagement. UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/
9781788114899.
 JOURNAL OF INTERNET COMMERCE 19

Kaabachi, S., S. B. Mrad, and A. Fiedler. 2019. The moderating effect of e-bank structure
on French consumers’ trust. International Journal of Bank Marketing 38 (2):501–527.
doi: 10.1108/IJBM-04-2019-0119.
Kahle, L. R., and P. Homer. 1985. Androgyny and midday mastication: Do real men eat
quiche? Advances in Consumer Research 12 (1):242–246.
Kamboj, S., and Z. Rahman. 2016. The influence of user participation in social media based
brand communities on brand loyalty: Age and gender as moderators. Journal of Brand
Management 23 (6):679–700. doi: 10.1057/s41262-016-0002-8.
Kaur, H., M. Paruthi, J. Islam, and L. Hollebeek. 2020. The role of brand community iden-
tification and reward on consumer brand engagement and brand loyalty in virtual brand
communities. Telematics and Informatics 46:101321. doi: 10.1016/j.tele.2019.101321.
Khan, I., L. Hollebeek, M. Fatma, J. Islam, and Z. Rahman. 2019. Brand engagement and
experience in online services. Journal of Services Marketing 34 (2):163–175. doi: 10.1108/
JSM-03-2019-0106.
Khan, I., and Z. Rahman. 2015. Brand experience anatomy in retailing: An interpretive
structural modeling approach. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 24:60–69. doi:
10.1016/j.jretconser.2015.02.003.
Khan, I., Z. Rahman, and M. Fatma. 2016. The role of customer brand engagement and
brand experience in online banking. International Journal of Bank Marketing 34 (7):
1025–1041. doi: 10.1108/IJBM-07-2015-0110.
Kolyesnikova, N., T. H. Dodd, and J. B. Wilcox. 2009. Gender as a moderator of reciprocal
consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Marketing 26 (3):200–213. doi: 10.1108/
07363760910954136.
Kosiba, J. B., H. Boateng, A. F. Okoe Amartey, R. O. Boakye, and R. Hinson. 2018.
Examining customer engagement and brand loyalty in retail banking: The trustworthi-
ness influence. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management 46 (8):
764–779. doi: 10.1108/IJRDM-08-2017-0163.
Lemon, K. N., and P. C. Verhoef. 2016. Understanding customer experience throughout
the customer journey. Journal of Marketing 80 (6):69–96. doi: 10.1509/jm.15.0420.
Levy, S., and H. Hino. 2016. Emotional brand attachment: A factor in customer-bank rela-
tionships. International Journal of Bank Marketing 34 (2):136–150. doi: 10.1108/IJBM-06-
2015-0092.
Li, M. W., H. Y. Teng, and C. Y. Chen. 2020. Unlocking the customer engagement-brand
loyalty relationship in tourism social media: The roles of brand attachment and customer
trust. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 44:184–192. doi: 10.1016/j.jhtm.
2020.06.015.
Liu, F., J. Li, D. Mizerski, and H. Soh. 2012. Self-congruity, brand attitude, and brand loy-
alty: A study on luxury brands. European Journal of Marketing 46 (7/8):922–937. doi: 10.
1108/03090561211230098.
Marinkovic, V., and V. Obradovic. 2015. Customers’ emotional reactions in the banking
industry. International Journal of Bank Marketing 33 (3):243–260. doi: 10.1108/IJBM-09-
2013-0107.
Mason, E. S., and P. E. Mudrack. 1996. Gender and ethical orientation: A test of gender
and occupational socialization theories. Journal of Business Ethics 15 (6):599–604. doi:
10.1007/BF00411793.
Moliner, M. A.,
D. Monferrer-Tirado, and M. Estrada-Guill
en. 2018. Consequences of cus-
tomer engagement and customer self-brand connection. Journal of Services Marketing 32
(4):387–399. doi: 10.1108/JSM-08-2016-0320.
20 A. RASOOL ET AL.

Monferrer-Tirado, D., M. Estrada-Guill
en, J. C. Fandos-Roig, M. A.
Moliner-Tena, and J.

Sanchez Garcia. 2016. Service quality in bank during an economic crisis. International
Journal of Bank Marketing 34 (2):235–259. doi: 10.1108/IJBM-01-2015-0013.
Moorthi, Y. R., and B. C. Mohan. 2017. Brand value proposition for bank customers in
India. International Journal of Bank Marketing 35 (1):24–44. doi: 10.1108/IJBM-09-2015-
0132.
Nadeem, W., D. Andreini, J. S, and T. Laukkanen. 2015. Engaging consumers online
through websites and social media: A gender study of Italian generation Y clothing con-
sumers. International Journal of Information Management 35 (4):432–442. doi: 10.1016/j.
ijinfomgt.2015.04.008.
Nazir, O., and J. Islam. 2020. Influence of CSR-specific activities on work engagement and
employees’ innovative work behavior: An empirical investigation. Current Issues in
Tourism 23 (24):3054–3072. doi: 10.1080/13683500.2019.1678573.
Nazir, O., and J. Islam. 2020a. Effect of CSR activities on meaningfulness, compassion, and
employee engagement: A sense-making theoretical approach. International Journal of
Hospitality Management 90:102630. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102630.
Nazir, O., J. Islam, and Z. Rahman. 2021. Effect of CSR participation on employee sense of
purpose and experienced meaningfulness: A self-determination theory perspective. Journal
of Hospitality and Tourism Management 46:123–133. doi: 10.1016/j.jhtm.2020.12.002.
Nysveen, H., and P. E. Pedersen. 2014. Influences of co creation on brand experience.
International Journal of Marketing Research 56 (6):807–832. doi: 10.2501/IJMR-2014-016.
Oliver, R. L. 1999. Whence consumer loyalty? Journal of Marketing 63 (4_suppl1):33–44.
doi: 10.1177/00222429990634s105.
Pansari, A., and V. Kumar. 2017. Customer engagement: The construct, antecedents, and
consequences. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 45 (3):294–311. doi: 10.1007/
s11747-016-0485-6.
Parasuraman, A., V. A. Zeithaml, and A. Malhotra. 2005. ES-QUAL: A multiple-item scale
for assessing electronic service quality. Journal of Service Research 7 (3):213–233. doi: 10.
1177/1094670504271156.
Rasool, A., F. Shah, and J. Islam. 2020. Customer engagement in the digital age: A review
and research agenda. Current Opinion in Psychology 36:96–100. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.
2020.05.003.
Rather, R. A., L. D. Hollebeek, and J. U. Islam. 2019. Tourism-based customer engagement:
The construct, antecedents, and consequences. The Service Industries Journal 39 (7–8):
519–540. doi: 10.1080/02642069.2019.1570154.
Saunders, M., P. Lewis, and A. Thornhill. 2012. Research methods for business students, 6th
ed. London: Prentice Hall.
Sharma, P., I. S. Chen, and S. T. Luk. 2012. Gender and age as moderators in the service
evaluation process. Journal of Services Marketing 26 (2):102–114. doi: 10.1108/
08876041211215266.
Sikdar, P., A. Kumar, and M. Makkad. 2015. Online banking adoption: A factor validation
and satisfaction causation study in the context of Indian banking customers.
International Journal of Bank Marketing 33 (6):760–785. doi: 10.1108/IJBM-11-2014-
0161.
Skvarciany, V., and D. Jurevicien_e. 2018. Factors influencing individual customers trust in
internet banking: Case of baltic states. Sustainability 10 (12):4809. doi: 10.3390/
su10124809.
Tabachnick, B. G., and L. S. Fidell. 2006. Using multivariate statistics. New York: Pearson.
 JOURNAL OF INTERNET COMMERCE 21

Thakur, R. 2018. Customer engagement and online reviews. Journal of Retailing and
Consumer Services 41:48–59. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2017.11.002.
Zhou, Z.,. X. L. Jin, and Y. Fang. 2014. Moderating role of gender in the relationships
between perceived benefits and satisfaction in social virtual world continuance. Decision
Support Systems 65 (1):69–79. doi: 10.1016/j.dss.2014.05.004.