Brand service quality, satisfaction, trust and preference as predictors of consumer brand loyalty in the retailing industry

Notwithstanding the increasing acknowledgement of the prominence of brand loyalty in business performance, research efforts directed at investigating the influence brand service quality, satisfaction and trust on brand loyalty in the context of South African retailing industry have largely been neglected. Therefore, the principal objective of this study is to fill this void. In particular, the current study seeks to explore the direct effects of brand service quality on consumer brand satisfaction and brand trust; and the mediating role of brand satisfaction and trust in brand service quality - brand loyalty relationship. To empirically test the six posited research hypotheses, data was collected from consumers in Vanderbijlpark city of Gauteng Province in South Africa. The collected data was analyzed using Smart PLS statistical software for structural equation modeling. Managerial implications of the research findings are discussed and limitations and future research directions are indicated.