ABSTRACT
Branding on the web is by far one of the most important aspects of any successful online marketing strategy. With endless choices of products and services online, having a recognisable brand that stands out not only attracts customers but also makes them stay with the brand. The brand is the face of the e-retailer and reveals the characteristics – a certain personality or identity – that dierentiate it from competitors. A brand provides a ‘promise’ to the customer that what it oers is reliable and trustworthy. While a brand can be a logo, URL, name, trademark and other external symbols, it is also an evolving entity that brings added value, emotional benets, associations and assists in the development of a customer’s self-expression. For example, many e-retailers now provide a social value as a means to represent a consumer’s identity via social status and group membership. With the rise of social media, brands have ample opportunities to develop brand communities, for example, on Facebook pages, in which videos, messages, posts and other activities are innovatively promoted to their consumers. Online interactivity between a brand and its customers has increased substantially and in return, e-retailers are now learning more and more about their consumers’ proles and behavior (Nguyen et al., 2015).
