Business Perspective Review

Implications of Brand Awareness on Repeat Purchases in the Refined Palm Oil Sector in Cameroon

Akwo Kelvin Ndofor — 2025-05-09

Purpose: In highly competitive commodity markets like Cameroon’s refined palm oil industry, brand awareness is often assumed to drive customer retention. However, empirical evidence remains inconclusive. This study investigates whether brand awareness significantly influences repeat purchases in such homogeneous markets, addressing a critical gap in the literature while offering practical insights for marketers.

Methods: Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, data were collected via an online survey from 423 consumers, selected through convenience sampling. Brand awareness was measured through recall, image, association, and trust, while repeat purchases were assessed via frequency, loyalty intention, switching resistance, and advocacy. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression and Maximum Likelihood Structural Equation Modeling (ML-SEM) were employed to analyze the relationships, controlling for demographic variables like age, income, and education.

Results: The study reveals a strong positive relationship (β = 0.649, p < 0.001) between brand awareness and repeat purchases, with brand association and image emerging as the most influential drivers. Price sensitivity also significantly impacted repeat purchase behavior, while demographic factors showed negligible effects.

Implications: The findings validate the role of brand awareness in commoditized markets, suggesting that marketers should prioritize cognitive brand awareness, particularly through consistent messaging and trust-building, despite product homogeneity. Policymakers can leverage these insights to support local brands through quality certifications and consumer education.

Limitations: The cross-sectional design limits causal inferences, and convenience sampling may affect generalizability. Future longitudinal or experimental studies could strengthen these findings.

Performance of Domestic Airlines in Kenya

Georgina Shiboko Ichingwa — 2025-03-15

Purpose: The study sought to examine the effect of strategic management practices on the performance of domestic airlines in Kenya. This comes when the domestic airlines in Kenya face tremendous challenges orchestrated by dynamics in the operating environment and disruptions in the global markets. Domestic airlines have seen a surge in customer shuns rates due to low customer satisfaction. Moreover, most domestic airline players have faced a steady decline in sales revenues and overall market share. This raises the question of what could be the remedy to upscale organizational performance of domestic airlines. The study specifically addressed the effect of environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategy evaluation on the performance of domestic airlines in Kenya.

Methodology: The study employed a causal research approach and targeted 129 employees from 43 domestic Kenyan airlines. A questionnaire was used to collect primary data, which was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The findings revealed that strategic management practices (environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategy evaluation) significantly influenced the performance of domestic airlines in Kenya.

Implications: Domestic airlines should expand and continue performing in the competitive market. Managers have the duty to integrate strategic management practices through vigorous environmental scanning, formulation of strategies that respond to market demands, effective implementation of developed strategies, and evaluation of implemented strategies to ensure they align with the external operating market for enhanced performance.

Exploring the Virtual Reality in Tourism Marketing for Improving Efficiency and Better Consumer Experience

Raghib Abid — 2025-03-15

Purpose: This study examines the transformative potential of Virtual Reality (VR) in tourism marketing, emphasizing its role in enhancing efficiency and sustainability. It aims to bridge the gap between theoretical advancements and practical applications of VR in tourism.

Methods: A PRISMA-based systematic literature review was conducted, analyzing studies from 2021 onwards. The study explores various VR applications in tourism marketing, such as dynamic pricing, customer segmentation, and real-time personalization, while addressing challenges like data privacy and algorithmic bias.

Results and Discussion: Findings indicate that VR enhances consumer engagement, improves travel decision-making, and fosters immersive destination branding. VR-driven marketing strategies, including virtual tours, interactive campaigns, and personalized experiences, have significantly influenced consumer behavior and increased booking conversion rates. However, challenges remain, such as accessibility barriers, high implementation costs, and potential discrepancies between virtual and real-world experiences.

Implications: VR presents a strategic advantage for tourism marketers by offering immersive previews, enhancing customer trust, and supporting sustainability initiatives. Policymakers and industry leaders must address infrastructure and ethical concerns to maximize VR’s potential.

Originality: This study provides a comprehensive overview of VR’s role in tourism marketing, integrating insights into its technological applications and market impact, which remain underexplored in current literature.