Brand loyalty among tile consumers in Sri Lanka: the role of brand equity and customer satisfaction
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Abstract
This research investigates how customer satisfaction acts as a bridge between brand equity and brand loyalty, contributing meaningful implications for branding strategies. Grounded in Expectation-Confirmation Theory (ECT) and guided by Baron and Kenny’s (1986) mediation framework, the research analyzes data from a structured survey of 252 respondents using regression analysis and the Sobel test. Findings reveal that brand equity positively influences both customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, while customer satisfaction significantly enhances brand loyalty. Mediation analysis confirms a partial mediating effect, indicating that customer satisfaction strengthens the impact of brand equity on brand loyalty. These results underscore the importance of aligning brand equity elements with customer expectations to foster long-term loyalty. The study contributes to branding literature by highlighting customer satisfaction as a key mechanism in brand-consumer relationships and offers practical implications for marketers. Future research is encouraged to validate these findings across different industries and geographic settings for broader applicability.
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