Examining the moderating role of personality traits in the relationship between brand trust and brand loyalty
| Published date | 18 September 2017 |
| Date | 18 September 2017 |
| Pages | 631-649 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-05-2016-1163 |
| Author | Choukri Menidjel,Abderrezzak Benhabib,Anil Bilgihan |
| Subject Matter | Marketing,Product management,Brand management/equity |
Examining the moderating role of personality
traits in the relationship between brand trust
and brand loyalty
Choukri Menidjel
Abou Bekr Belkaid, Tlemcen, Algeria
Abderrezzak Benhabib
Department of Economics, Laboratory MECAS Tlemcen University, Tlemcan, Algeria, and
Anil Bilgihan
Department of Marketing, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this empirical study is to investigate both the relationships among brand satisfaction, trust and loyalty and the moderating
effects of personality traits, namely, consumer innovativeness, variety-seeking and relationship proneness, in the context of fast-moving consumer
goods.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using a survey of 443 consumers. Structural equation modeling, specifically partial least
squares regression, was used to test the theoretical model.
Findings – The findings indicate that brand loyalty is the most affected (both directly and indirectly) by satisfaction through the mediation of brand
trust in both product categories studied. Moreover, variety-seeking behavior negatively moderates the relationship between brand trust and brand
loyalty for fruit juices.
Research limitations/implications – This research was conducted in the context of fast-moving consumer goods within a limited geographical
region. Future research could apply this model to different contexts and countries.
Practical implications – Companies that produce fast-moving consumer goods are advised to consider the important role of satisfaction in the
generation of trust, which leads to brand loyalty.
Originality/value – This study proposes and tests a theoretical model that is more comprehensive than the models used in previous studies because
it investigates the relationships among satisfaction, trust, loyalty and personality traits. It is the first attempt to examine the moderating effects of
consumer innovativeness, variety-seeking and relationship proneness on the relationship between brand trust and loyalty.
Keywords Partial least squares, Trust, Brand loyalty, Personality traits, Consumer satisfaction
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The key objective of marketers is not only to satisfy customers
(Hess and Story, 2005) but also to develop and maintain
enduring relationships with them (Elbedweihy et al., 2016).
Customer loyalty, which is central to marketing scholarship
(Kandampully et al., 2015;Toufaily et al., 2013), is among the
most important assets for a brand. The creation and
maintenance of customer loyalty help brands develop
long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with their
customers (Pan et al., 2012). Loyal customers exhibit brand
attachment and commitment and are not attracted to
competitors’ offerings; they are also willing to pay more. Thus,
it is important for brands to have loyal customers
(Kandampully et al., 2015).
Trust is essential to building and maintaining long-term
relationships (Rousseau et al., 1998). As one of the most
relevant antecedents of stable and collaborative relationships,
trust is a significant factor in determining customer loyalty and
is highly correlated with customer satisfaction (Lin and Wang,
2006). Previous research emphasizes the importance of
understanding the nature of the relationship between
consumers and brands (Fournier, 1998). Similar to
interpersonal relationships, specific characteristics of the two
parties involved are important determinants of the nature of
the relationship. Several notable studies indicate that
customer characteristics moderate the relationship between
satisfaction and behavioral outcomes (Baumann et al., 2005;
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on
Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
26/6 (2017) 631–649
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-05-2016-1163]
The authors would like to thank the editor and the three anonymous
reviewers for providing constructive comments. Choukri Menidjel would
like to thank Mourad Benabadji for providing help and inspiration.
No external funding was received for this work.
Received 3 May 2016
Revised 11 October 2016
19 March 2017
23 March 2017
Accepted 9 April 2017
631
Cooil et al., 2007;Henrique and de Matos, 2015;Homburg
and Giering, 2001;Mägi, 2003). Even if customers are
satisfied with a product’s performance and implicitly trust the
brand, relationships do not always form (Hess and Story,
2005). Relationship formation is moderated by customer
attributes. In particular, personality traits are expected to
influence the relationship between brand trust and brand
loyalty because evidence indicates a nonlinear relationship
between personality characteristics and behavior (Perrewé and
Spector, 2002). Interestingly, Bove and Mitzifiris (2007)
suggest that personality traits do not directly affect trust and
commitment; they call for future research to investigate the
potential interactive effects.
Personality traits have been investigated as antecedents of
trust and loyalty (Bove and Mitzifiris, 2007;Lin, 2010).
However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no research
has investigated personality traits as moderators of the
relationship between these two constructs. Based on the
identification of this research gap, the present study aims to
investigate both the relationships between brand satisfaction,
brand trust and brand loyalty and the moderating role of
personality traits. The moderating effects of personality traits
have been empirically tested and validated by Adjei and Clark
(2010), who suggest that the effect of relationship quality (i.e.
relationship satisfaction, trust and commitment) on behavioral
loyalty is moderated by personality traits (i.e. consumer
innovativeness, variety-seeking and relationship proneness).
Thus, the current study attempts to bridge this research gap
and contribute to the existing literature by examining the
moderating effects of personality traits – that is consumer
innovativeness, variety-seeking and relationship proneness –
on the relationship between brand trust and brand loyalty.
If the findings indicate that personality traits exert an
important impact on this relationship, then marketers and
practitioners may need to segment their customers based on
personality traits and offer them different benefits. In
summary, given the importance of customer loyalty,
developing a brand marketing strategy that creates loyalty is
important. Satisfaction (Sharifi and Esfidani, 2014) and trust
(Rousseau et al., 1998) are the key components of this
relationship. However, it is important to consider that trust
and satisfaction are related to customer perceptions of value
(Alejandro et al., 2011), which are moderated by personality
traits. For example, variety-seeking behaviors cause
consumers to try different brands even though they may be
satisfied with a certain brand (Homburg and Giering, 2001).
Variety-seeking is not only a psychological trait but also a
relevant market characteristic that affects brand performance
(Berné et al., 2001). Furthermore, relationship proneness, a
personality trait that reflects a consumer’s relatively stable and
conscious tendency to engage in relationships with brands
(Bloemer et al., 2003), is another personality trait relevant to
marketing research. Finally, consumer innovativeness, which
is the tendency to buy new products more often and more
quickly than other individuals (Midgley and Dowling, 1978),
is expected to moderate customer loyalty. To date, the
moderating effects of the previously described personality
traits have not been tested in a comprehensive model that also
includes trust as a potential mediator. Against this backdrop,
developing a model that integrates potential moderators is
important to better explain the relationships between brand
satisfaction, brand trust and brand loyalty.
The contribution of this study is threefold. First, this work
introduces and tests a model that investigates the nature of the
relationship among satisfaction, trust, loyalty and personality
traits; this model is more comprehensive than the models used
in previous studies. Second, this study is considered the first
attempt to examine the moderating effects of consumer
innovativeness, variety-seeking and relationship proneness on
the relationship between brand trust and brand loyalty; thus,
this study contributes to the existing literature by addressing
an important phenomenon. Third, this study empirically tests
the research model across two product categories, soft drinks
and fruit juices, and the findings may be applied to other
product categories. Previous research has tested potential
moderators in the durable goods context (Homburg and
Giering, 2001). The current research investigates a
comprehensive loyalty model in the fast-moving consumer
goods context. Fast-moving consumer goods are rapidly sold
at relatively low cost. Because they are purchased more
frequently, customer loyalty is important in this context
(Dupre and Gruen, 2004). The subsequent section of this
study presents the theoretical framework and hypotheses,
followed by a description of the research methods and results.
The paper concludes with a general discussion, managerial
implications, limitations and directions for future research.
Theoretical framework and hypothesis
development
Brand loyalty
A substantial number of studies in the consumer–brand
relationship literature have addressed brand loyalty (Dwivedi
et al., 2015;Ferreira and Coelho, 2015;Fetscherin et al.,
2014;Lin et al., 2017;Lu and Xu, 2015;Marticotte et al.,
2016;Molinillo et al., 2017;Odoom, 2016;Ruane and
Wallace, 2015;Rubio et al., 2015;Su and Tong, 2015).
Brands attempt to meet customer needs by providing special
and competitive benefits, which increase their loyalty (Quester
and Lim, 2003). Brand loyalty is conceptualized and
measured through two perspectives, that is, attitudinal and
behavioral loyalty (Jacoby and Kyner, 1973). Behavioral
loyalty refers to repeated purchases of the same brand,
whereas attitudinal loyalty refers to consumer intentions to
continue to purchase the same brand (Pappu et al., 2005).
These two perspectives have been widely used by many
researchers in the marketing literature (Hemsley-Brown and
Alnawas, 2016). Thus, this study incorporates both attitudinal
and behavioral aspects to measure brand loyalty.
Relationship between brand satisfaction and brand
loyalty
Brand satisfaction, which is determined by comparing what
the consumer needs and expects from a brand and what he/she
actually receives from the brand, is considered a key factor in
the development and maintenance of brand loyalty (Eskafi
et al., 2013;Wu et al., 2012). Consumers are satisfied when
their perceptions of products or services meet their
expectations (Bloemer and Odekerken-Schroder, 2002;
Fandos-Roig et al., 2009).
Relationship between brand trust and brand loyalty
Choukri Menidjel, Abderrezzak Benhabib and Anil Bilgihan
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Volume 26 · Number 6 · 2017 · 631–649
632
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