The Influence Path of Virtual Brand Community Experience on Brand Loyalty: An Empirical Research

As the Internet develops, customers' brand loyalty is changing imperceptibly and unobtrusively, and the core of brand community has transited to virtual brand community from the traditional form of brand community. This paper starts from the virtual brand community experience, and emphatically analyzes the influence that the virtual brand community experience has on the brand loyalty, and digs the leverage of brand community relation between them. According to analysis above, the model of influence path is constructed and the empirical research is performed. The research shows that brand loyalty is not influenced directly by virtual brand community experience, but influenced indirectly through the leverage of brand community relation. Among them, brand community identity makes effect on brand loyalty through brand community promise, and brand community trust and brand community sense of belonging do not only make direct effect on brand loyalty, but also make indirect effect by brand community promise. This paper provides some practical suggestions to the contemporary enterprises on how to perform the construction of virtual brand community in the environment of Internet and improve the brand community experience so as to enhance the brand loyalty.