Effect of apparel brands’ sustainability efforts on consumers’ brand loyalty

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe goal of this research was to test to what extent sustainability efforts (vs. lack of sustainability efforts) moderate the relationships among consumers’ brand attractiveness, customer-brand (C-B) identification, brand attitude, and brand loyalty. In addition, we examined the impact of apparel brands’ sustainability efforts on consumers’ brand loyalty with three different brand types. A 3 × 2 between subjects experiment with three levels of apparel brand (luxury, fast fashion, moderate) and two levels of sustainability efforts (present, absent) was conducted. A sample of 1297 adults was used to test the model. In the proposed model, consumers’ perception of an apparel brand’s sustainability efforts played an important role in the positive effect of C-B identification on brand loyalty. Apparel brand type did not moderate the relationships between sustainability efforts and brand loyalty. Significant findings could inform apparel brands’ decision making in the development of effective and profitable sustainable strategies.