Digital Brand Equity as a Driver of Consumer Loyalty: An Empirical Study

Abstract

Today, in the modern business landscape, digital platforms like social media, ecommerce websites, mobile apps, or online communities have proved to be vital for fostering and maintaining brand value. Digital Brand Equity is the worth that the brand accrues through its digital footprint, digital engagement and consumer perception online. Establishing digital brand equity can help organisations gain a competitive edge, gain customer's trust, increase their brand awareness and ultimately customer loyalty. As per Loyalty Matters, there is a clear linkage of customer loyalty and successful businesses as loyal customers are more inclined on repeat purchase, recommending the brand and maintaining a long term relationship with the business. This study adopted a quantitative research approach to examine the influence of digital brand equity on consumer loyalty. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to consumers. A convenience sampling technique was employed to select respondents due to its ease of access and suitability for the study objectives. 128 valid and usable responses were retained for the final study. The collected data were coded and analyzed using statistical techniques. Descriptive statistics, including frequency and percentage analysis, were used to summarize respondent characteristics and satisfaction levels. Furthermore, the Chi-square test was employed to examine the association between demographic variables and digital brand equity as a driver of consumer loyalty. The findings were interpreted at a 5 percent level of significance.