Abstract
The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of the characteristics of second-hand goods platforms on brand loyalty intentions with the mediating role of customer satisfaction (the case study of Divar and Shipour platform in Iran). In terms of the goal, the current research is a developmental and applicable type, and in terms of the research method, it is descriptive-correlative based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the present research is the sellers of second-hand goods on the platforms of Divar and Sheipour, and considering the large number of people, 5 thousand people were considered as the research population, among which 357 people were selected as the sample size using simple random sampling, according to the Morgan table. The collection tool in the current research is Abs et al.'s (2020) questionnaire. In order to analyze the data, the structural equation technique was used using Spss and pls statistical software. The findings of the research showed that ease of use has a positive and indirect effect on the intention of brand loyalty with the mediating role of customer satisfaction. Perceived usefulness has a positive and indirect effect on the intention of brand loyalty with the mediating role of customer satisfaction, and entertainment aspect has a positive and indirect effect on the intention of brand loyalty with the mediating role of customer satisfaction, and the sense of belonging to the society has a positive and indirect effect for a society on the intention of brand loyalty with the mediating role of customer satisfaction, and the credibility of the seller on the intention of brand loyalty has a positive and indirect effect with the mediating role of customer satisfaction, and knowing the third party has a positive and indirect effect on brand loyalty intentions with a mediator role of customer satisfaction.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Brand loyalty can be the driving force behind sales growth. Every consumer has an inner feeling towards a brand that draws him to that brand. Factors such as low price and reliable services are no longer effective in dealing with loyalty (Ghasemiyan Shagerdi et al, 2018). On the other hand, the emerging phenomenon of collaborative platforms has been widely welcomed globally in the last decade, and has had an increasing impact on the global economy. Considering the increasing growth of these platforms, investigating the factors affecting their growth in knowing and better understanding the performance of these platforms as a new form of enterprises is of great importance scientifically and for business owners in this field (Jafari Nezhad, 2018).
In Iran, in recent years, platforms for the sale of second-hand goods, such as Divar and Sheipuor, have grown and taken a large share of the non-oil economy, so that the sellers and buyers on these platforms can even buy the goods of well-known brands at a reasonable price but in the form of used goods. This factor has enabled many of these goods to be used again in the cycle of use for other strata of the society. For a long time, second-hand goods were thought to be a threat to brands and the equipment market in general because they deprive the brands of their transaction volume. However, the benefit they gain in terms of image value is undeniable (Dessart et al, 2015).
According to the mentioned materials, the main problem of the research is that the characteristics of the second-hand goods platforms have a significant effect on the intention of loyalty to the brand, emphasizing the mediating role of customer satisfaction.
Theoretical framework
Ease of use refers to the customer's perception that using a system will not require effort (Devis et al, 1989). It has been widely shown that ease of use is an important component of technology acceptance models and has a positive effect on behavioral intentions. It has been shown that this component is the behavioral and attitudinal intentions of people towards the system (Zimaneski & Haisi, 2000; Liyakono et al, 2002; Gafan et al, 2003), their satisfaction (Devis et al, 1989), their future intentions to reuse a technological system or tool (Liyakono et al, 2002; Venkatash & Deivis, 2000), and explains their loyalty to the website (Kim & Nim, 2009).
Perceived usefulness refers to the extent to which a person believes that using a tool will improve their performance. It is thought that it is very important for the customer to use a technology (Venkatash & Deivis, 2000).
Entertainment is the user's emotional response to the platform (Layokuno et al, 2002), and includes components such as visual appeal, innovations, visual content and web design (Kim & Stoll, 2004). Entertainment is highly dependent on website design and its ergonomics, which are important factors in explaining e-satisfaction and lead to e-loyalty (Wolfinbarger & Gili, 2003).
Third party recognition is a type of certification or recognition by a trusted organization or person (Jefen et al, 2003).
Lobel Trong ThuyTran et al, (2021) discussed in their article titled E-commerce Platforms Effectiveness Management in a pandemic. This study showed that pandemic fear positively moderates the relationships between e-commerce platforms, economic benefits, and sustainable consumption.
Liu et al, (2021) in their article titled Psychological distance from environmental pollution and willingness to participate in second-hand online transactions examined an empirical survey in China. The results show that the effect of consumers' psychological distance from environmental pollution on their willingness to participate in second-hand online transactions is greater than that of a loss frame. This suggests that the expected positive outcome of participating in second-hand online transactions leads to higher childbearing intentions than the unanticipated negative outcome of engaging in such transactions.
Research methodology
The current research is a developmental and applicable type of research in terms of its purpose, and descriptive-correlative in terms of research method. The statistical population of the present study is the sellers of second-hand goods on the platforms of Sheipour and Divar. Due to the large number of users, the researcher will consider only the number of sellers in Tehran in these two platforms. And according to the large number of the community, the number of 5 thousand people has been considered as the research community. Based on Morgan's table, 357 people will be selected as a sample in this research. The sampling method in this research will be simple random. In order to collect the data of the research variables, a questionnaire (Intissar Abbes et al, 2020) was used, which includes 36 questions, and the components include ease of use (EOU) four questions, perceived usefulness (PUSE) six questions, third party recognition (TPR) three questions, seller credibility (SR) three questions, sense of community belonging four questions, fun four questions, customer satisfaction (SAT) four questions, platform loyalty intentions (PLI) four questions, brand loyalty intentions (BLI) four questions; and it was analyzed based on the 5-factor Likert scale.
Research findings
SPSS and PLS software were used to investigate the research hypothesis and data analysis, and the results showed that ease of use has a positive and indirect effect on brand loyalty intention with the mediating role of customer satisfaction. Perceived usefulness has a positive and indirect effect on intention of brand loyalty with the mediating role of customer satisfaction, and the entertainment aspect has a positive and indirect effect on the intention of brand loyalty with the mediating role of customer satisfaction, and the sense of belonging to a community for that community has a positive and indirect effect on the intention of brand loyalty with the mediating role of customer satisfaction, and the credibility of the seller has a positive and indirect effect on the intention of brand loyalty with the mediating role of customer satisfaction, and the recognition of a third party has a positive and indirect effect on the intention of brand loyalty with the mediating role of customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
The current research was conducted with the aim of investigating the impact of the characteristics of second-hand goods platforms on brand loyalty intentions with the mediating role of customer satisfaction (the case study of Divar and Shipour platform in Iran). The results of this research are consistent with the findings of Abbes et al, (2020), Ghasemiyan et al, (2018), Saeid Niya et al, (2016), Abdolali Pour, (2020). Abdolali Pour, (2020) discussed the role of collaborative online distribution platforms and brand loyalty in his research. The purpose of this research is to identify the effects of collaborative online distribution platforms and to review the effect of their internal and external characteristics on brand loyalty. The results show that the most important factor influencing the success of online brands is the frequent interaction of users with the brand, because of a positive consumption experience of that online brand. Abbes et al, (2020) discussed the role of collaborative online redistribution platforms in the purchase of second-hand goods and brand loyalty in their research. The purpose of this research is to identify the effects of collaborative redistribution platforms for brands and to know the effect of their internal and external characteristics on behavioral intentions. A quantitative study was conducted among 214 people who had previously bought used goods online. The results show that loyalty intentions to collaborative redistribution platforms have an effect on brand loyalty intentions. Platform loyalty intentions play a mediating role in the effect of service experience satisfaction on platforms on brand loyalty intentions.
According to the present research, it is suggested that a section be placed on the platform to compare the products of different brands and to ensure the correctness of the information provided about the quality of the brands on the platform through verification and presentation of visual reports for customers, and a section of the platform page should be placed for customer suggestions specific to each brand and online response to them, and a section should be placed on the platform to record customer complaints about the brand.