Affect transfer from national brands to store brands in multi-brand stores

The competition between national brands (NBs) and store brands (SBs) has evolved from the mere imitation of physical characteristics to what we call affect-based competition. We propose a model of moderated mediation empirically validated on 350 participants in a field study conducted in a multi-brand store. The results show the existence of a positive affect transfer from NBs to SBs through store image, in addition to the existence of a negative direct relationship between NBs and SBs (affect polarization) that can be neutralized if consumers have a positive perception of the retailer, which itself arises from promotional activity and the shelf placement of the SB.