Factors making up word of mouth and brand equity: a study among fashion clothing stores’ customers.

Abstract

The major objective of the study is to examine the contribution of fashion clothing stores attractiveness and service quality factors to the word of mouth. The second objective is to investigate the contribution of word of mouth to the brand equity of these fashion clothing stores. To achieve these objectives, a survey was conducted using questionnaires among 559 customers of fashion clothing stores. Data were analyzed using SMARTPLS3. Findings suggest that store attractiveness of the fashion clothing stores does not support significantly due to the cultural settings of the business location. However, the service quality of fashion clothing stores significantly contributes to the generation of brand equity. Further, the generated word of mouth positively contributes to the brand equity of fashion clothing stores.