The Mediating Role of Brand Trust in the Influence of Promotion, Electronic Word of Mouth, and Price on Hangry Culinery Consumer Loyalty

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the role of brand trust as a mediating variable in the relationship between promotion, electronic word-of-mouth (E-WOM), and price regarding consumer loyalty toward Hangry culinary products. A quantitative approach was employed, utilizing primary data collected via questionnaires distributed to 100 Hangry consumers in Lenteng Agung who had made purchases through digital platforms. Purposive sampling was used as the sampling technique. Data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) with SmartPLS software, involving the assessment of measurement and structural models, as well as bootstrapping to test for direct and indirect effects. The results indicate that promotion has a positive but statistically insignificant effect on brand trust. Conversely, both E-WOM and price have positive and significant effects on brand trust. Furthermore, brand trust was found to have no significant effect on consumer loyalty. Regarding indirect effects, brand trust did not mediate the influence of promotion, E-WOM, or price on consumer loyalty; this was evidenced by p-values ​​of 0.676, 0.645, and 0.578, respectively. These findings suggest that enhancing promotion, E-WOM, and price perceptions does not automatically foster consumer loyalty through brand trust. Therefore, Hangry needs to strengthen other aspects that build consumer loyalty, specifically customer experience, product and service quality, and the consistency of the value delivered to consumers.