Understanding How the Dimensions of Brand Choice Influence Customer Loyalty Among Ghanaian University Students: The Trust-Commitment Theory Perspective

Abstract

The study examines how the dimensions of brand choice (emotional connection, brand attributes, brand image, and price) influence customer loyalty among selected Ghanaian university students as the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the importance of laptops in higher learning institutions. The study further examined the mediating roles of trust and commitment between brand choice dimensions and customer loyalty. The study adopted Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using AMOS 24 to analyze responses from 310 Ghanaian university students selected purposely from two Universities in Ghana. Findings reveal that brand image and price are the main dimensions of brand choice that directly influence customer loyalty. Thus, brand image and price were the only constructs with a significant relationship with loyalty. Trust and commitment show diverse mediation effects on brand choice dimensions and brand loyalty. The study offers empirical findings to support the assumption that trust and commitment are significant in brand choice dimensions and customer loyalty when selecting laptop brands. The results provide practitioners and scholars with valuable information to understand the role of trust and commitment theory in designing brand choice dimensions to influence loyalty toward laptop brands