Chapter 5
5.1 Discussion:
This study conduct to investigate the relationship of design perception and consumer based
brand equity. This study have three stages; high design perception increase the experiential value
which leads towards consumer based brand equity (Mishra, 2016), and investing the importance
of openness to experience in altering the relationship between design perception and experiential
value. Brands using product design as a strategy tool these days to strengthen the customer-brand
relationship, improve their brands worth and also get a competitive advantage in the market,
because if the product design is good and novel then brands can differentiate their brand very
well from other brands and also make positive impression on the customers (Jung et al., 2014).
Design oriented strategy has two vital advantages. Firstly, fulfilling the customer needs and
demand; secondly, positive brand image and outcomes which leads towards consumer based
brand equity (Chen and Venkatesh, 2013). It is necessary for the brand’s product manufacturers
to produce that kind of design of the product from which they can provide value to the customers
and also profitability for the brands (Brakus et al., 2014). Brand’s designers can strengthen their
brand’s image by creating a good and effective product design. With this they can better usage
experience to the customers which can build a strong consumer-brand relationship (Noble and
Kumar, 2010). New direction of making brand successful is now brands give more attention to
design to make a competitive advantage and to build a strong customer-brand relationship (Ahn
et al., 2012). As per previous findings and literature design perception has a significant impact
on consumer based brand equity (Mishra, 2016; Mishra and Dash, 2015; Mishra et al., 2015;
Mishra et al., 2014); which is also defined in this study. In this research direct relationship
between design perception and consumer based brand equity is significant which indicates
design perception has a significant impact on consumer based brand equity. Whenever customers
interact with the product, they evaluate the product from their design and the quality of
experience which they perceived. If the interaction is positive with the design of the product this
will lead toward satisfy the experience and satisfied experience will provide great experiential
value (Luchs and Swan, 2011). A good design oriented strategy not just only fulfilled the
customer’s need but also give a great and quality consumption value to the customers (Vankatesh
et al., 2012). In daily product consumption circumstances, consumers use lots of product and
then evaluating the quality and efficiency of their designs according their affective usage
experience of that product (Ravasi and Stigliani, 2012). Product design is associated with
product attributes and product attributes related to the positive and quality usage experience of
the particular product (Kumar and Noble, 2016). Good product design is very important for
strategic and competitive advantage with other competing brands in the marketplace, also very
important to provide a good usage experience and also very important to generate the social and
usage pleasure value for the customers (Jung et al., 2014). Customer oriented product design is
very important factor for new product development. Good design getting attention from the
customers and also gives emotions, fantasy and pleasure to the customers (Petison et al., 2012).
Good design can generate experiential values to the customers (Brakus et al., 2014). Experiential
values like usability, social value, social status, self-image, self-accomplishment, self-esteem
pleasure, happiness and comfort (Sheng and Teo, 2012). When customer goes to purchase
anything than the customer values become a main element in purchasing decision. When a
customer choices a product than he saw many things in the products. He sees its utilitarian
benefits and hedonic benefits. He thinks that how much this product gives pleasure to me. How
much this product helps me to see acceptable in my social group or society (Kim et al., 2011).
Positive emotions which come from inside of customer through effective design lead towards
experiential value (Seva et al., 2007). In this study the relationship of design perception and
experiential value is also significant which suggest that design perception increases experiential
value for the customers. For example if the product design perception is good in the mind of the
customers than consumption experience will be positive for the customers. These positive
experiences with the product enhance the usage pleasure and social value for the customers.
Usage pleasure values consist on joy, happiness and amusement; while social values consist on
social status, self-esteem and self-enhancement. Relationship between experiential value and
consumer based brand equity is also significant in this study which indicates that good
experience value helps to strengthen consumer-brand relationship because positive experience
and perceived values can be major source of effective consumer-brand relationship (Park et al.,
2013). Product usage experience have direct effect on consumer based brand equity; because
when user’s usage experience is positive with the particular brand or its product, this will
generate the positive perceptions in the mind of the customer which increases experiential value
which lead towards consumer based brand equity (Sheng and Teo, 2012). Literature of luxury
and well-known brand suggest that reputation of that high profile and famous are the major
source of illustrative consumption, attracting those customers who want to increase their social
status, self-esteem and self-expressive. Such value provided high profile brands generate the
strong consumer based brand equity (Baek et al., 2010). Consumer emotions is very important
predictor of customer based brand equity because if the product usage experience is good for the
customer it will generate emotional values for the customers and these emotional values makes
customer strong emotional attachment with that particular brand (Biedenbach and Marrel, 2010).
Previous study suggests that experiential value as a mediating variable plays a very important
role between the relationship of design perception and consumer based brand equity (Mishra,
2016). Result shows that direct relationship of design perception and consumer based brand
equity become stronger through mediation effect of experiential value; because good design
perception helps to provide good experiential value which leads towards consumer based brand
equity (Mishra et al., 2015). This study also investigates the influence of openness to experience
personality trait on the relationship between design perception and experiential value. Openness
to experience individuals likes to play with unusual ideas and they prefer to experience new
things with any hesitation (Agyemang et al., 2016). Different researchers suggests that those
people who have personality trait of openness to experience have more positive response towards
new experiences which can help them to increase their experiential value (Kurtz et al., 2012). In
the field of marketing research, personality traits are the key predictor to observe the customer’s
responses, emotions and individual experiences; Openness to experience is the major predictor
for emotions and experience (Wu and Hu, 2013). Result shows that openness to experience
personality trait has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between design perception
and experiential value. Individual who scores high in openness to experience personality trait; his
design perception will be high; when design perception of openness individual is high than his
experiential value will be increase (Figure 4.1), they give better response to perceive social and
usage pleasure experiential values and show better attitude towards brand’s product consumption
experience (Lin, 2010).
5.2 Managerial implications:
For marketers and managers our research framework offers guidelines for them. Our results
suggest that managers should use design strategy to build strong consumer-brand relationship.
Product design is a critical factor for brand success. Managers should know how the product-
brand domain work, they should be able to make those designs which is according to the
customer needs to build positive design perception in the mind of the customers. Product design
always known as a cost center which is not enter directly into the profit. This framework will
help managers to increase their brand values through producing effective product design. Our
framework also suggests the importance of consumption experience value which is consist on
usage pleasure and social experiential value of the customer. Brands cannot become successful
through manufacture just usable products or favorable economic prices products. Brand should
adopt design oriented strategy. Designers should know that only usable products in not enough to
create strong consumer-brand relationship. Designers should design the product in that way
which able to derive social and pleasure experiential value for the consumers from the
consumption experience. To making this happened they have to design the products which style
looks elegant, the appearance of the products must be eye catching, the clothes have to be
visually appealing which helps customers to increase pleasure and social status in front of their
social group. Our study will encourage managers to adopt design oriented strategy which helps
to generate the usage pleasure and social experiential value from the product usage and this way
brands able to build strong consumer-brand relationship. Our framework provides another
direction for the designers. Effective product design just not only able to create positive brand
image: but also increase the brand value, perceived quality, brand trust and brand loyalty. In
short good design can generate satisfying experience from the product consumption and this
satisfying experience can increase the pleasure and social experiential value for the customers
which generates the positive brand image in the mind of customers which will leads toward
consumer based brand equity. Our framework also suggests that individual personality difference
also does matter while experiencing new products. Openness to experience individuals is one of
those individuals who always ready to experience new things in better manner. So in this case
marketers and managers should make profiles of those kinds of potential individuals and develop
their design and positioning them according their target individuals. Hence managers can build
consumer based brand equity through positive consumption experience which is come from
effective product design.
5.3 Limitations and future recommendation:
This research work has several limitations along with some future research directions. Our
work consists on relationship of design perception and consumer based brand equity through
experiential value. One of the key limitations is the generalizability of the data and results
because convenience sampling was used in this study which limits the potential of
generalizability of the findings; because through convenience sampling the sample and
conclusion is not representative of whole population and also the possibility of being biased in
sample group. Some groups can over represent and some groups can be under represented. So in
future research work other sampling techniques can be used for findings generalizability. This
conceptual framework is well established in product context but applicability of this framework
in service domain can face some difficulties. To making this framework adaptable in service
context, empirical validation needs to be done. Population and sample for this study was the
people of Faisalabad city which may not be good representation of whole country of Pakistan. So
in the future research other major cities sample can be used for more effective representation of
the population of whole country. This study conducts on specific industry of textile apparels. In
this case other industries were excluded in this study so that person who is the part of other
industries was not able to take part in this study. So for future studies other industries of Pakistan
can be used. This study was used quantitative technique using self-administrated questionnaires
for interact with respondents to get their valuable responses. For future studies other qualitative
techniques like interviews and detail investigation can be used. As we was not able to collect
longitudinal data due to some constraints like time, cost and accessibility so in further studies
longitudinal research design can be used. Future studies might use price as moderator between
the relationship of design perception and experiential value. Products with superior or luxury
look with low and affordable prices can lead different personal and social experience for user
which can increase their experiential values is well. So this can be a potential and favorable area
of exploration in future studies.
5.4 Conclusion:
This study is conducted in textile apparel industry to see how design perception increases
or decreases the consumer-brand relationship through usage pleasure and social consumption
experience which is known as experiential value. This research found that positive design
perception can generates meaningful consumption experience for the user which increases
experiential value that leads towards strengthening the consumer-brand relationship which is
known as consumer based brand equity. Findings suggest that positive design perception has a
significant impact on user experience. This framework and findings suggest that user experience
is the key source of quality consumer and brand relationship. The finding shows that openness to
experience personality has a moderating effect on the relationship between design perception and
experiential value. This research theory represents the novel contribution in this literature with
two diverse fields of research: one is design and other is brand equity. This framework also
represents the modern concept of design thinking philosophy which combined the design and
marketing outcomes together. As a designer they have to be focused on customers and providing
meaningful user experience to the consumers which is the key source of success for the brands in
the marketplace. Become successful and achieve competitive advantage in the market: brands
have to produce products with effective design. It is important for brands that not only fulfill the
customer needs through usability of the product but they also have to make those designs that
make the customers happy and thrilled with pleasure and social value. Designers have to
consider two things: one is how consumer perceived this design and second is how this design
effect on user experience and consumer brand relationship. Good design derives the meaningful
user consumption experience and experiential value leads towards consumer based brand equity.
Hence there is clear need for brands to adopt design oriented strategy with putting design and
marketing efforts together to fulfill the customer needs and provide positive usage experience to
strengthening the consumer-brand association.