Brewing Loyalty: The Mediating Role of Customer Retention between Experience, Product Quality, and Sustainable Patronage in Premium Coffee Shops

This study investigates how customer experience and product quality shape sustainable patronage in the premium coffee shop industry, with a specific focus on the mediating effect of customer retention. Drawing on Relationship Marketing and Service-Dominant Logic, the research uses a quantitative approach and surveys 173 repeat customers from premium coffee shops in Makassar, Indonesia. Data analysis employing SEM-PLS demonstrates that both customer experience and product quality significantly influence customer retention, which in turn has a strong and significant impact on customer loyalty. Importantly, customer retention fully mediates the relationship between experience, product quality, and loyalty, revealing a unique pathway for sustainable competitive advantage. These findings offer actionable guidance for managers and contribute new theoretical insights for understanding loyalty formation in emerging market contexts.