Effect of place attachment on consumers' place preference and repatronage intention toward coffee shops

Purpose: Because of the slow market growth of and intense competition among coffee shops, increasing brand preference and patronage intention is crucial in the coffee shop industry. Although place attachment theory (PAT) and social identity theory (SIT) stipulate that place attachment and social identity are key constructs of revisit intention, no studies have yet integrated the dimensions of SIT into PAT to predict place preference (PP) and repatronage intention (RI). In this study, the authors aimed to develop a theoretical model grounded in PAT and SIT to predict PP and RI. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 648 coffee shop customers participated in an online survey, and their data were analyzed through structural equation modeling. Findings: The results indicated that cognitive and affective place identity (PI) directly affected place dependence (PD) but did not directly affect PP. Cognitive PI also indirectly affected PD through affective PI. PD exerted a positive and significant effect on PP and thus affected RI. Originality/value: These findings provide insights into the importance of cognitive and affective PI in shaping PD, PP and RI. From a place attachment perspective, the theoretical model enables coffee shop managers to cultivate strong PP to increase customer RI.