Engaging customers through satisfaction; does social media marketing and perceived innovativeness really matter? A time-lagged study in the hospitality industry

Purpose The purpose of this study is to address the issue of customer engagement faced by the hospitality industry. By employing the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model and engagement theory, this study investigates the influence of social media marketing (SMM) and consumers' perceived innovativeness on customer engagement. Additionally, it explores the mediating role of customer satisfaction. Lastly, it examines the moderating effect of service convenience between customer satisfaction and customer engagement. Design/methodology/approach This study is quantitative in nature. Data were collected through surveys using a three-wave time-lagged design from 564 consumers of various restaurants. Findings The findings reveal that SMM did not directly impact customer engagement; however, it showed a full mediation through customer satisfaction. Perceived innovativeness showed a significant relationship with customer engagement both directly and indirectly. Service convenience also showed significant moderation. Practical implications The study is useful for the hospitality managers and the restaurant industry as a whole in facilitating memorable customer experiences in order engage them for longer time periods. This study would also help give other firms in the service sector a direction to better engage with their customers. Originality/value This study by investigating the unique framework produces the useful information for hospitality managers, policy makers and contributes to the body of knowledge from a developing country's perspective. Testification of S-O-R model and engagement theory are also significant theoretical contributions.