Impact Of Brand Trust And Customer Satisfaction On Brand Loyalty

Importance of brand image in attracting customers

It is important for the brands present in the market to create an image that is positive in nature in the eyes of the customers so that they can be able to gain a competitive advantage over the rivals that are present (Ahmed et al. 2014). Globalization has helped most of the companies to advertise their brands in a better manner so that the customers can be attracted towards them. The success of the organization depends on the degree of attractiveness that they can create amongst the customers so that they are willing to purchase the products or the services (Lee et al. 2015).

The asset of most of the organizations is the brands that are made available by them in the market for the customers to purchase. It helps in interlinking the companies with the customers so that the trust and the loyalty of the customers can be built regarding the particular brand. The loyalty of the customers towards the brand will help the companies in gaining a fair share in the competitive market so that they can earn a better rate of return (Eggers et al. 2013). Therefore it can be stated that the brands of the companies can result in influencing the decision making capacity of the consumers in the market. The adoption of the various steps present in marketing by the companies helps them in influencing the customers so that they become loyal to their particular products or services (Becerra and Badrinarayanan 2013).

The aim of the research would be to understand the effect of brand trust by the customers so that it can lead to their satisfaction and increase their loyalty towards the particular brands. 

The research would be based on the following hypothesis:

H₀– The level of satisfaction and trust for the brand by the customers does not create an impact on brand loyalty

H₁– The level of satisfaction and trust for the brand by the customers creates an impact on brand loyalty

The objectives that will be present for this research process are as follows:

• To understand the effect of customers on trusting the brand that leads to brand loyalty among them
• To understand the satisfaction level of the customers so that it can help in increasing brand loyalty among them

The questions for the research will be as follows:

• How does the brand trust among customers lead to brand loyalty amongst them?
• What effect does customer satisfaction have on influencing the loyalty of customers towards the brand?

Most of the customers who are committed to a particular product or service tries to purchase it on a repeated manner. Brand loyalty among the customers is affected mainly due to the behavior of the customers towards a particular brand and the preference that they have over that particular brand. Most of the customers try to maintain a consistency in purchasing the product form a particular brand within a limited range of budget (Jung, Kim and Kim 2014). This helps the companies in analyzing the level of loyalty that the customers have towards the particular brands in the market. It is important for majority of the companies to understand the needs and preferences of the customers so that it can help in supplying those brands in the market. However, most of the companies are failing to do so that has led an increase in switching to other products by the customers on a constant manner (Hill and Alexander 2017).

Effect of brands on customer decision making

It is the commitment that is shown by the consumers towards a particular product that is available in the market irrespective of the competitive market that are being offered at a cheaper price. The measurement of brand loyalty takes place through word of mouth, level of satisfaction that the customers are achieving by using the product and their sensitivity towards the prices of those brands (Hill and Brierley 2017). Most of the customers in the modern world have a better knowledge of understanding regarding the brands that they want to purchase from the market so that their needs and demands can be fulfilled in a proper manner. They are also able to understand the price, quality and the characteristics of the product before they make the purchase so that they can maximize the utilization of the product for the price that they are paying for it. They look for the brands that have a better quality and are available at a cheaper price than the other brands, which helps them to be loyal towards that particular brand or product (Orel and Kara 2014).

It can be defined as the promise that the brand makes to the customers in fulfilling their expectations when the products are being used by them. It is an important tool that helps in increasing the loyalty of the customers towards a particular brand (Rego, Morgan and Fornell 2013). If there is no trust by the customers on the particular brand, then it would not lead to increase the loyalty of the customers towards that particular brand. The trust of the customers can be built only when the companies are able to assess the product information that is being made available in the market (Laroche, Habibi and Richard 2013). The trust towards a particular brand can only be built by retaining the relationship on a constant manner between the consumers and the organization.

It can be defined as the level of happiness that the customers get by using the particular products that are being provided by the organization sin the market. The level of satisfaction of the customers can only be met when the needs and demands of the customers can be understood by the companies in a proper manner. This understanding by the companies will help them in gaining a upper hand in the market, as it will result in reducing the level of competition as well (Severi and Ling 2013). Most of the customers try to increase their perceptions and expectations regarding the product of the brand through effective word of mouth from their families or relatives. They also get the information from the promotional activities that are undertaken by the companies in the market (Kuo and Feng 2013). The level of satisfaction regarding a particular product or service by the customers can be enhanced by informing them regarding the features that are available in the products by the companies. The loyalty of the customers towards a particular product can be increased that will help in purchasing the products on a repeated manner (Rego, Morgan and Fornell 2013).

Factors affecting brand loyalty

The research philosophy enables the researcher in highlighting the knowledge development that will help them in gathering the data in a proper manner. The philosophies are mainly of three types that is realism, pragmatism and positivism. The positivism philosophy is mainly used in the researches that are based on primary data where the size of the sample is large and the process of research is structured highly (Mackey and Gass 2015). The realism philosophy uses a less number of sample and the objectives taken up in the research are answered through the theoretical approach. The pragmatism philosophy is a mixture of the other types of philosophies that is it is based on realism and positivism (Taylor, Bogdan and DeVault 2015).

This process of research will be based on positivism philosophy that will help in analyzing the data from a larger size of the sample so that the objectives taken up in the research can be answered in a proper manner. The use of this philosophy also allows the researcher in evaluating the results based on statistics and not on the social belief that is present regarding the topic chosen for the research.

The research approach is mainly of two types that are deductive and inductive. The inductive approach takes in to consideration the new ideas along with the questions taken up for the research so that theories can be established based on the data that has been collected (Glesne 2015). On the other hand, the deductive approach is based on collecting the data on the questions taken up in the research that are already defined. It also helps in testing the validity of the research by collecting the data from the chosen sample (Tarone, Gass and Cohen 2013).

This research will be based on the deductive approach, as the questions will be evaluated through the data that has been collected so that the validity of the questions can be judged in a proper manner.

There are mainly two types of research purposes such as the descriptive and exploratory that helps in conducting the research in a proper manner. The purpose of the research helps in highlighting the steps through which the objectives of the research can be addressed in an efficient manner (Bauer 2014). The exploratory purpose is used for developing new answers by investigating the topic of the research. It however does not provide a statement to conclude the result of the research. The descriptive purpose on the other hand is used to gain valuable insights that will result in defining the questions of research in a proper manner (Taylor, Bogdan and DeVault 2015).

Definition of brand trust

The deductive purpose helps in addressing the questions of the research in a proper manner, as it can be found easily that whether the loyalty of the customers are influenced based on brand trust and the level of satisfaction that they get by using a particular product of a company.

There are mainly two ways in which the data can be collected that is primary and the secondary method. The data that is collected from the research participants in a direct manner is known as the primary data. The data that is collected from the secondary sources such as books, magazines, journal articles and websites of the company is known as secondary data, as the information already exists in these places (Tuohy et al. 2013).

This process of the research will be done based on primary data, as it will help in assessing the outcome of the research in an efficient manner. The researcher will be selecting the customers and frame up the questions that will help in assessing the loyalty that they have towards as particular brand.

There are mainly two types of techniques that are used for analyzing the data that is quantitative and qualitative. The analysis that is done in a qualitative manner is based on analyzing the theories by the researcher so that the outcome of the research can be framed in a proper manner. The analysis done in the quantitative technique will help in taking in to consideration the numerical data so that it can be evaluated and the objectives of the research can be obtained in a proper manner (Smith 2015).

This particular process of research will be done based on quantitative analysis and the researcher will be using the Chi Square test to analyze the data that will be collected from the respondents. The Chi Square test will help in establishing a statistical association between the research variables, which is this case, is brand trust and customers satisfaction along with loyalty of the customers towards the brands.   

The techniques of sampling are mainly of two types that is non-probability and probability techniques. The probability technique of sampling is where the respondents that are considered in the research process have been selected on the same grounds and have an equal chance of being selected for the research. The non-probability technique is where the respondents do not have an equal chance to be selected in the process of research (Bauman, Cross and Walker 2013).

Role of customer satisfaction in brand loyalty

This process of research will be based probability technique of sampling, as the researcher will consider 100 customers for the survey so that their feedback can be recorded regarding the effect of brand trust and customer satisfaction have on increasing the brand loyalty amongst them. 

The researcher needs to abide by the ethics so that it does not harm the research process. The researcher will not harm any of the participants that are being taken up in the research process. He will also respect the dignity of the participants to a full extent so that they can provide the responses in a proper manner. Consent forms need to be provided to the participants so that they can willingly participate in the process (Ritchie et al. 2013). The respondents have to be made sure that the feedbacks given by them will be protected and will be used only for the research study after which it will be destroyed and not used in any commercial purpose. The names of the participants will not be disclosed in the research process and will be done in proper confidential manner. The participants need to volunteer for the research and no pressure or external force will be used on them by the researcher (Ponterotto 2013). The researcher will abide by the Data Protection Act (1998) that is present in the United Kingdom so that the research can be done in an efficient manner. Failing to abide by the Act, the researcher will be prosecuted under the rules and regulations that are laid in the act.  

The researcher will face many limitations in this process of the research. The size of the sample that has been taken up for this research process is very less, as a larger population would have helped in analyzing the research question in an efficient manner that would have influenced the outcome of the research in a better manner (Creswell and Creswell 2017). The time limit for the research is limited that will affect the researcher, as the work needs to be submitted within the deadline that has been set by the assessor. This has prohibited the researcher in analyzing various magazines and journals in an effective manner. The budget that is available to the researcher is also very limited that will hamper the quality of the research as well. An increase in the budget will help the researcher in accessing different information so that the secondary sources of data can be collected in a better manner (Lefcourt 2013).    

Research philosophy and approach

Activities	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3 & 4	Week 5	Week 6 & 7
Selection of topic
Literature review
Research methodology
Primary data collection
Analysis and findings
Conclusion
Final work submission

(Source: Created by Author)

The main finding of the research will be based on the effect that trust and satisfaction of the customer creates on influencing the loyalty of the brand amongst them. It is expected that the positive hypothesis that has been taken for the research will help in rejecting the null hypothesis. The Chi Square analysis will try to establish the relationship between the research variables that has been taken up for this research. It will also be expected that the customers who have been taken up as participants will provide a positive feedback regarding their loyalty towards a particular brand. 

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