Digital Service Recovery on Social Media and Brand Loyalty: A Quantitative Study of Gen Z Students in Chandigarh

The study extends digital service recovery research by empirically assessing the comparative effects of response timeliness, empathetic communication, transparency, and perceived fairness on Gen Z brand loyalty in the Indian social media context. It identifies empathetic communication as the strongest determinant of loyalty and provides evidence from an underexplored emerging-market setting.The analysis examines the impact of digital service recovery practices on social media on brand loyalty among Generation Z (Gen Z) students. Specifically, it investigates the influence of response timeliness, empathetic communication, transparency, and perceived fairness in shaping brand loyalty following service failures in digital environments.A quantitative cross-sectional research design was adopted. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale from 327 Gen Z students (aged 18-25 years) studying in universities and colleges across Chandigarh, India. The constructs were measured using validated scales adapted from prior studies. Data were analyzed using SPSS 27 through descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The measurement model demonstrated strong reliability, with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.876 to 0.928. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between all service recovery dimensions and brand loyalty (r = 0.701-0.782, p < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis indicated that the model explained 69.1% of the variance in brand loyalty(R² = 0.691; Adjusted R² = 0.687; F = 179.224,p < 0.001).All four hypotheses were supported.Empathetic communication emerged as the strongest predictor of brand loyalty (β = 0.294, p < 0.001), followed by perceived fairness (β = 0.278, p < 0.001), response timeliness (β = 0.209, p < 0.001), and transparency (β = 0.125, p = 0. 011). The findings suggest that emotionally intelligent and fair recovery efforts exert a greater influence on loyalty than operational factors alone. Findings suggest that organizations should prioritize empathetic and timely responses, maintain transparency, and ensure fairness when addressing customer complaints on social media. Effective digital service recovery can transform service failures into opportunities for strengthening customer trust, engagement, and long-term loyalty. The study extends service recovery theory to social media environments and provides empirical evidence from the Indian context. It identifies the relative importance of specific recovery dimensions in influencing Gen Z brand loyalty, offering a framework for developing effective digital customer relationship strategies.