Impact of Interactivity on Brand Loyalty in Virtual Brand Communities: A Case of iPhone Communities in Henan Province -WeiPhone Communities
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Abstract
This study examines how interactivity within online brand communities influences brand loyalty, with community identity and customer engagement serving as dual mediators. Grounded in relationship marketing theory, a conceptual framework is developed wherein interactivity drives loyalty through pathways of psychological identification and deep participation. Analyzing data from 567 users of the “WeiPhone Forum” using Structural Equation Modeling, the results reveal that interactivity not only exerts a direct positive effect on brand loyalty but also indirectly enhances it via both mediators, forming a compound mediation mechanism wherein customer engagement plays a stronger mediating role. These findings extend relationship marketing theory from a consumer–brand dyad to a consumer–community–brand triadic framework. Practically, cultivating user loyalty requires strengthening community belonging through interactivity while designing deep-contact scenarios to elevate engagement.
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