Veloutsou, C. (2015) Brand evaluation, satisfaction and trust as predictors of brand loyalty: the mediator-moderator effect of brand relationships

Purpose – Research has established that trust, satisfaction and the attitude towards the brand contribute to the development of brand loyalty. However, consumers do not see brands only as transaction facilitators, but as relationship partners. The exploration of the role of brands in the development of bonds with consumers is still limited. This paper examines whether the strength of positive brand relationship can mediate between; trust, satisfaction, attitude towards the brand and loyalty or moderates the link between these variables. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 189 women who are using lipstick in Glasgow Scotland. Respondents were asked to answer a questionnaire having in mind their preferred brand. Findings – The findings revealed that the strength of the consumer brand relationship is a very strong predictor of brand loyalty. They also suggested that brand relationship does not moderate the relationship between brand trust, satisfaction and brand loyalty, but it mediates the link amongst these constructs. Research limitations/implications One product category was examined. The data were collected from females in a big city with non probabilistic sampling. Most of the respondents were younger consumers, who may have different behavior than older consumers. Practical implications – Managers who want to build loyal consumers need to appreciate the importance of consumer engagement with their brand through positive brand relationships. Therefore, they need to try to develop brand identities and project brand images that will make the brands look as appealing to the consumers as relationship partners. Originality/value – This paper is adding to the limited literature on brand engagement and brand relationships from a quantitative perspective and is contributing in theory building, since there is no clear theoretical view on whether the brand relationship has a direct effect, mediates or moderates the link between these variables.