Keywords
Brand interaction
Behavioral intentions
Perceived value
Brand attachment
Submitted : 2026-05-04
Accepted : 2026-05-19
Published : 2026-06-03
Abstract
To elucidate how time-honored food brands may maintain long-lasting consumer relationships in the current market by identifying the mechanism by which brand interaction results in behavioral intention. Four latent constructs, consumer brand interaction (CBI), perceived value (PV; functional, emotional, and social), brand attachment (BA), and behavioral intention (BI), were the foundation of a consumer survey based on S-O-R and social-exchange theories. 274 valid responses were obtained using an online survey; the measurement and structural models were estimated using structural equation modeling (SEM), and the mediating and chain mediating effects were tested using PROCESS bootstrap. The results show that consumers’ behavioral intentions are positively impacted by brand interaction between time-honored food brands and customers, with perceived value and brand attachment acting as chain mediators between the two. In order to turn interactive experiences into repurchase, word-of-mouth recommendation, and premium purchase intentions, time-honored food companies should develop interaction tactics that simultaneously promote traditional craftsmanship and culture and improve perceived value and emotional attachment. In the context of Chinese time-honored food, this study is one of the first to confirm that perceived value and brand attachment chain mediation affect the relationship between brand interaction and behavioral intention. This study gives established Chinese time-honored food companies the theoretical foundation they need to create successful brand interaction strategies.
References
Carlson J, Rahman M, Voola R, et al., 2018, Customer Engagement Behaviours in Social Media: Capturing Innovation Opportunities. Journal of Services Marketing, 32(1): 83–94.
Cho C, Leckenby J, 1999, Interactivity as a Measure of Advertising Effectiveness: Antecedents and Consequences of Interactivity in Web Advertising, Proceedings of the 1999 Conference of the American Academy of Advertising, American Academy of Advertising, 162–179.
Nelson M, 2005, Exploring Consumer Response to ‘Advergaming’, Online Consumer Psychology: Understanding and Influencing Consumer Behavior in the Virtual World, Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ, 167–194.
Beukeboom C, Kerkhof P, de Vries M, 2015, Does a Virtual like Cause Actual Liking? How Following a Brand’s Facebook Updates Enhances Brand Evaluations and Purchase Intention. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 32(1): 26–36.
Mehrabian A, Russell J, 1974, An Approach to Environmental Psychology, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 26(4): 37–44.
Yu Z, Klongthong W, Thavorn J, 2021, Understanding Rural Chinese Consumers’ Behavior: A Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) Perspective On Huawei’s Brand Loyalty In China. Cogent Business & Management, 8(1): 1880679.
Sivasothey J, Yeo S, Tan C, 2024, Assessing the Applicability and Reliability of the SOR Theory in the Healthcare Sector: A Comprehensive Review of Recent Research. PaperASIA, 40(1b): 1–12.
Aslam W, Luna I, 2021, The Relationship between Brand Facebook Page Characteristics, Perceived Value, and Customer Engagement Behavior: An Application of Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR). Revista Brasileira de Gestão de Negócios, 23(1): 43–62.
Mim K, Jai T, Lee S, 2022, The Influence of Sustainable Positioning on Ewom and Brand Loyalty: Analysis of Credible Sources and Transparency Practices based on the SOR Model. Sustainability, 14(19): 12461.
Yang B, 2014, Empirical Study on Factors Influencing Customer Brand Trust based on Hui Ethnic Time-Honored Brands. Journal of Lanzhou University of Commerce, 30(6): 115–120.
Blau P, 1964, Justice in Social Exchange. Sociological Inquiry, 34(2): 193–206.
Homans G, 1958, Social-Behavior As Exchange. American Journal of Sociology, 63(6): 597–606.
Fournier S, 1998, Consumers and their Brands: Developing Relationship Theory in Consumer Research. Journal of Consumer Research, 24(4): 343–373.
Su W, 2024, The Impact Mechanism of Destination Perceived Trust on Tourist Citizen Behavior, thesis, Shandong University.
Paul M, Hennig-Thurau T, Gremler D, et al., 2009, Toward a Theory of Repeat Purchase Drivers for Consumer Services. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 37(2): 215–237.
Brown S, Kozinets R, Sherry J, 2003, Sell Me the Old, Old Story: Retromarketing Management and the Art of Brand Revival. Journal of Customer Behaviour, 2(2): 133–147.
Wang X, Yang L, Ma X, 2017, Regulating Effect of Nostalgia Proneness on Relationship between Authenticity of Time-Honored Brand, Brand Commitment And Purchase Intention. Journal of Shenyang University of Technology (Social Sciences Edition), 10(1): 50–57.
Foster J, 2010, Conceptualizing the Consumer-Brand Relationship as a Truly Dyadic Process, thesis, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College.
Paramita W, Nhu H, Ngo L, et al., 2021, Brand Experience and Consumers’ Social Interactive Engagement With Brand Page: An Integrated-Marketing Perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2021(62): 102611.
Li M, Hua Y, Zhu J, 2021, From Interactivity to Brand Preference: The Role of Social Comparison and Perceived Value in a Virtual Brand Community. Sustainability, 13(2): 625.
Qing C, Jin S, 2022, What Drives Consumer Purchasing Intention in Live Streaming E-Commerce? Frontiers in Psychology, 2022(13): 938726.
Yulianto E, 2022, The Mediating Role of Perceived Value between Product Description and Repurchase Intention. Journal of Southwest Jiaotong University, 57(4): 156–173.
Song X, 2015, The Impact of Perceived Quality on Purchase Intention for Retailer’s Own Brands: The Mediating Role of Perceived Value, Proceedings of the 10th (2015) Chinese Management Annual Conference, 638–648.
Zheng Q, 2020, Research on Purchase Intention of E-Commerce Own Brands, thesis, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.
Diallo M, Moulins J, Roux E, 2021, Unpacking Brand Loyalty in Retailing: A Three-Dimensional Approach to Customer-Brand Relationships. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 49(2): 204–222.
Kumar J, Nayak J, 2019, Brand Engagement Without Brand Ownership: A Case of Non-Brand Owner Community Members. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 28(2): 216–230.
Liu Y, 2016, An Empirical Study on the Impact of Mobile Music Application User Social Experience on Purchase Intention: The Mediating Effect of Brand Attachment, thesis, Jinan University.
Bahri-Ammari N, Van Nieker M, Ben Khelil H, et al., 2016, The Effects of Brand Attachment on Behavioral Loyalty in the Luxury Restaurant Sector. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(3): 559–585.
Liu Y, Kou Y, Guan Z, 2019, Research on Mechanism of Perceived Value on Hotel Brand Attachment: A Moderated Mediating Model. Tourism Tribune, 34(4): 29–39.
Petravičiūtė K, Šeinauskienė B, Rūtelionė A, et al., 2021, Linking Luxury Brand Perceived Value, Brand Attachment, and Purchase Intention: The Role of Consumer Vanity. Sustainability, 13(12): 6912.
Park C, MacInnis D, Priester J, et al., 2010, Brand Attachment and Brand Attitude Strength: Conceptual and Empirical Differentiation of Two Critical Brand Equity Drivers. Journal of Marketing, 74(6): 1–17.