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Digital Marketing and Customer Loyalty: The Mediating Role of Brand Experience

Chinonye Emmanuel Akalazu, Udoka Stephen Otika, Chuks Evans Odunna, Oluchi Bethel Enyinna

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of digital marketing on customer loyalty, with emphasis on the mediating role of brand experience in South-East Nigeria. Despite the growing adoption of digital marketing, its ability to generate sustained customer loyalty remains uncertain. Grounded in the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework, the study proposes that brand experience serves as a key mechanism linking digital marketing efforts to customer loyalty. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted using 385 respondents who actively engage with digital platforms. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling to examine direct and indirect relationships among variables. The findings reveal that digital marketing significantly enhances brand experience, while brand experience strongly predicts customer loyalty. Although digital marketing also has a direct effect on loyalty, the effect is relatively weak compared to the indirect effect through brand experience. Mediation analysis confirms that brand experience partially mediates the relationship. The study concludes that customer loyalty is largely driven by experiential and emotional engagement rather than mere exposure to digital marketing activities. It recommends that firms adopt experience-driven digital strategies to enhance long-term customer relationships.

Keywords

Digital Marketing; Customer Loyalty; Brand Experience; Structural Equation Modeling ; Nigeria

References

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