THE INFLUENCE OF BRAND EQUITY ON CUSTOMERS’ LOYALTY THE MEDIATING ROLE OF SATISFACTION (THE CASE OF LEBANESE SMES: CONFECTIONARY TRADE)

Abstract

As competition between market players intensifies, customer satisfaction and loyalty are significant organizational concerns. This research aims to study the influence of antecedent variables influencing consumer loyalty. It aims to inspect the effect of brand equity on consumer loyalty, taking consumer satisfaction as a mediating variable. Consumer satisfaction and loyalty are imperative for Lebanese SMEs. The research is an explanatory, descriptive study presenting a theoretical and analytical framework. This research adopted the survey as a research strategy in a cross-sectional time horizon. It adopts the logic of positivism with a quantitative approach based on a questionnaire. The latter supports quantifiable results and statistical analysis. 384 valid questionnaires were collected online from Lebanese consumers of confectionery brands as a field of study. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the influence of brand equity on consumer loyalty through consumer satisfaction as a mediating variable. This study was conducted on Lebanese consumers taking Lebanese confectionary brands as a field of study. The study highlighted that consumer loyalty is highly influenced by brand equity dimensions and consumer satisfaction, respectively. Therefore, Perceived quality, Brand awareness, Brand association, Brand Trust, and Staff behavior affect customer satisfaction on consumers' satisfaction (R2=0.656). Thus, a 65% variation in customer satisfaction is explained by a unit change in these retained dimensions of brand equity.