The Impact of Nostalgia Marketing on Consumer Trust and Longterm Retention: Evidence from Digital Markets

Abstract

In highly competitive digital markets, organizations increasingly rely on emotional branding strategies to build long-term relationships with consumers. Nostalgia marketing has emerged as a powerful tool that reconnects consumers with meaningful memories from the past, strengthening emotional attachment and trust toward brands. This study examines the impact of nostalgia marketing

perception on consumer trust, customer retention, and long-term loyalty. Drawing on emotional branding theory and the commitment–trust theory of relationship marketing, a conceptual framework was proposed in which nostalgia marketing influences consumer trust, which subsequently enhances customer retention and loyalty. Data were collected from 299 respondents using a structured questionnaire measured on a five-point Likert scale. Reliability and validity were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin test, and Principal Component Analysis.

Regression and mediation analyses revealed that nostalgia marketing significantly influences consumer trust (β = 0.313, p < 0.001) and customer retention (β = 0.313, p < 0.001). Consumer trust strongly predicts customer retention (β = 0.498, p < 0.001) and partially mediates the relationship, with the model explaining substantial variance (R² ≈ 0.57).