Sensing Coffee: The Impact of Multisensory Branding on Customer Loyalty in Coffee Shops and the Mediating Role of Word of Mouth

Multisensory branding refers to the strategic integration of sensory stimuli: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, to shape consumer perceptions and foster emotional connections with brands. In service settings such as coffee shops, where customer experience is a key determinant of value creation, multisensory branding plays a pivotal role in persuading satisfaction, attachment, and loyalty formation. Despite the global advancement of sensory marketing scholarly work, empirical evidence from developing economies, particularly Sri Lanka’s emerging coffee shop sector, remains limited. Study examined the impact of multisensory branding on customer loyalty in coffee shops within the Colombo District, with positive word of mouth (WOM) as a mediating variable. A quantitative research design was adopted, based on survey data collected from 384 coffee shop customers. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) through SmartPLS 4, with emphasis on measurement reliability, validity, and the assessment of direct and indirect relationships among constructs. Findings confirm that although multisensory branding has a significant positive effect on customer loyalty, WOM shows a weak negative mediation. Therefore, sensory experiences enhance loyalty both directly and indirectly through customer advocacy behaviors. Findings underscore the importance of designing well-integrated multisensory environments in coffee shops to enhance customer experience and strengthen loyalty. Findings offer practical insights for coffee shop operators seeking to build a sustainable competitive advantage through sensory branding strategies.