How Self-Identity and Social Identity Grow Environmentally Sustainable Restaurants’ Brand Communities Via Social Rewards

Abstract

This study proposes a model that can be used to understand customers’ attitudes to restaurants’ sustainability initiatives on brand communities. The study incorporates identity theories and suggests a theoretical model for customer engagement that represents associations among self-identity and social identity constructs, customer engagement, and customers’ sustainable behavioral changes. Members of restaurants’ brand communities participated in the survey. Structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis were used to test hypothesized relationships. The findings confirm the positive and strong effects of self-identity and social identity on customer engagement, which appear to significantly influence customers’ commitment to brands and their sustainable behavioral changes. Interestingly, the effects of self-identity on customer engagement and of customer engagement on sustainable behavioral changes are significantly greater in the high social reward group than in the low social reward group, indicating the moderating role of social rewards. Finally, several meaningful implications arise from the study.