From experience to loyalty: A conceptual framework for building customer–brand relationships in retailing

Brand loyalty has emerged as a critical factor amid intensifying competition in the retail sector. It serves as a key driver of brand equity, as loyal customers are more likely to engage in repeat purchase behaviour and promote the brand through positive word-of-mouth. Consequently, brand loyalty contributes significantly to customer retention and long-term business profitability. Sustaining brand loyalty has become increasingly challenging, as consumers are exposed to a growing number of competing brands and alternatives. Previous studies have examined the individual effects of retail brand experience (RBE), brand satisfaction, brand trust, and brand love on brand loyalty. However, limited research attention has been given to how these constructs interrelate and jointly influence brand loyalty within the retail context. This conceptual paper has thus developed an integrated framework comprising 11 formal propositions, grounded in the Stimulus–Organism–Response Theory and Expectancy-Disconfirmation Theory. The model conceptualises RBE as the stimulus; brand satisfaction, brand trust, and brand love as the cognitive, relational, and emotional states representing the organism; and brand loyalty as the consumer response, encompassing attitudinal and behavioural aspects. The proposed conceptual model will serve as a foundation for future empirical research and contribute to both academic knowledge and managerial understanding of brand management and consumer behaviour.