From local to global: Domestic customer loyalty as a foundation for export-oriented branding in Vietnam’s agri-food sector

Building strong domestic brands is increasingly important for export-oriented agri-food firms in credence goods markets, where quality is difficult to verify. This study investigates the formation of domestic customer loyalty in Vietnam’s agri-food sector using Vinh Hoan Corporation (VHC), the country’s leading pangasius exporter, as an analytically relevant single-firm case. Survey data from 341 consumers were analyzed using a simultaneous mediation model to assess the roles of green innovation, brand trust, brand attachment, and relative attractiveness. Mediation and segmentation results indicate that relative attractiveness integrates cognitive and affective evaluations into loyalty, with heterogeneous effects across segments. These findings provide a contextual reinterpretation of the CBBE framework by suggesting that, in export-oriented goods markets, brand-building processes may operate through concurrent mechanisms rather than sequential stages. While focused on domestic loyalty, the study proposes it as a strategic reputational asset supporting export-oriented branding.