Impact of Content Value on Attitudinal Loyalty: The Mediating Role of Customer Stickiness Regarding Short Video Advertisements in Sri Lankan Online Shopping Industry

Abstract

When it comes to current vivid pictures of digital reality, short video advertisements become a crucial factor of marketing within the sphere of online shopping in Sri Lanka. In light of the purposefully developed and emerging social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels, SVAs (Short Video Advertisements) are commonly used for gaining consumers’ attention as their structure is brief and engaging. However, despite their popularity, a significant challenge persists: Although customers laugh at video completion rates, click-through rates (CTR) are still low by comparison. This brings forth a very important disconnect in translating viewership into tangible consumer transacted activity. Similarly, prior studies fail to provide a detailed account of how the content value of SVAs may lead to attitudinal loyalty in the digital context in detailing the ways consumer attitudinal loyalty happens in digital environments. Further complicating this formula is the role of customer stickiness, a variable that captures the consumer’s repeated participation in content. However, an attempt to compare customer stickiness analyzed in other contexts and its interaction with content value and attitudinal loyalty within the SVA domain is lacking. These discrepancies in empirical and practical knowledge underline the need for a focused investigation to identify factors that will help to maximize engagement and loyalty through the use of SVAs.

Therefore, this study aims to fill this variation by analyzing how content value influences attitudinal loyalty with the moderating effect of customer stickiness. Being a positivism paradigm study, this research selected a deductive research method to obtain data from 387 respondents of the age group of 18-60 of Colombo, Gampaha, and Kalutara districts conveniently. Questionnaires were constructed and administered containing several 5-point Likert Scale questions to understand the relationship between the content value of on the attitudinal loyalty of the customers. The hypotheses were tested using Regression analysis to provide a strong analysis of the assumed relations. The study result shows that there is a highly significant correlation between content value and attitudinal loyalty. Even dimensions of content value create favorable perception that leads to consumer attitudinal loyalty. Customer stickiness was found to moderate the relationship, this intensified the impacts of content value by resulting in the formation of bonds and frequent interactions with the customers. This study brings out evidence that the gap of engagement to action in SVAs can be closed by implementing the best strategies for content value optimization. However, none of these accomplishments are without flaws, and the same applies to this study as well. The emphasis of the three districts that are urban areas hampers the applicability of the results to rural or other demographic regions. However, the use of cross-sectional data poses a major limit on capturing panel data changes that reflect shifts in consumer sentiment or behavior. The specific focus on SVAs even further limits the field, which might result in potentially valuable information gathered within the context of other digital advertising formats like banners, or long videos. In conclusion this work has theoretical and practical contributions to knowledge. Conceptually, it contributes to digital advertising knowledge by dissecting how customer stickiness mediates the relationship between content value and loyalty. On an operational level, it offers implications and suggestions for marketers within the Sri Lankan online shopping market. Most of the annoyance stems from low-quality, repetitive content that brands should avoid publishing in an attempt to make the content more informative and entertaining. It is also important to use customization Standpoint strategies that will help address the needs and wants of different customers and thus help improve consumer participation and attitudinal loyalty. The scope of this line of investigation could be further extended in future work by using longitudinal methods and also by investigating various forms of advertisement across larger geographic areas.