SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT AND BRAND LOYALTY IN DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER BRANDS: A MODERATED MEDIATION MODEL

Abstract

Direct-to-Consumer brands are using social media as a vital avenue to connect, engage, and create enduring connections with customers in today's quickly changing digital marketplace. This research investigates how consumer’s attitude towards direct-to-consumer brands is shaped by social media engagement which therefore affects brand loyalty. Drawing upon, Theory of Planned Behavior this study tests an empirical model in which the relationship between social media engagement and brand loyalty is mediated by attitude towards direct-to-consumer brands, while the relationship between attitude towards direct-to-consumer brand and brand loyalty is moderated by brand trust. An online survey was used to collect primary data (N=337) in three waves from a sample of direct-to-consumer -versed Pakistani social media users. Time-1 respondents were asked to rate their attitude towards direct-to-consumer brands. Social media engagement (mediator) was tapped at time 2 while study’s moderator (brand trust) and dependent variable (brand loyalty) were measured at time 3. The PROCESS Macro in SPSS by Hayes was used to examine mediation and moderation effects. The results show that social media engagement influences the consumer's attitude towards direct-to-consumer brand, which results in brand loyalty over time. Furthermore, the relationship between brand trust and loyalty is qualified by brand trust, highlighting the importance of brand trust in sustaining customers' relationship in the direct-to-consumer market. By offering actual data on the behavioral and psychological processes via which social media interaction fosters brand loyalty, this research adds to the expanding corpus of expertise in digital marketing. The findings offer valuable insights for direct-to-consumer marketers aiming to improve customer relationships by targeting engagement strategies and building trust.