brand relationship and loyalty among household consumers of laundry detergents in nairobi city county, kenya

Description

Over the past two decades, several empirical studies have reported a decline in loyalty for fast moving consumer products which has been caused by proliferation of brands and entry of more companies enter into an increasingly competitive, saturated and globalised market. Among the different product categories which have shown a decline in loyalty in studies is laundry detergent. This decline has also been experienced in Kenya as the laundry detergent market has become increasingly saturated with brands and competitors, with the entry of both local and foreign companies. To address this challenge, brand relationships have been identified as a way of increasing loyalty through the development of strong consumer-brand bonds. Therefore, this study sought to determine the influence of brand relationship on loyalty among household consumers of laundry detergents in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The specific study objectives were: determine the influence of brand trust, brand communication and emotional connection on loyalty; establish the mediating influence consumer satisfaction has on the relationship between brand relationship and loyalty; and determine the moderating effect of demographic characteristics on the relationship between brand relationship and loyalty. This study was anchored on the social exchange theory which was supported by the attachment theory, expectation-confirmation theory and Lavidge and Steiner’s hierarchy of effects theory which explained the role brand relationship in building loyalty. Positivistic philosophy and explanatory research design were adopted in conducting the study. A population of 607,212 households in 11 sub-counties in Nairobi City County constituted the target population. Two-stage cluster sampling was used in sample selection, where 11 sub-counties were randomly selected from the 17 sub-counties in Nairobi City County using the probability proportional to size sampling method, and then 400 households were selected from the 11 sub-counties using simple random sampling from basic household lists developed in the study. At the household level, the KISH grid was utilised in selecting one consumer per household. Primary data was gathered through the use of self-administered questionnaires and interview schedules. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires was established before they were administered on the respondents. Descriptive statistics consisting of means and percentages summarised the sampled data’s properties, while inferential statistics involved the use of regression analysis in testing the research hypotheses and drawing conclusions. The quantitative data analysis was done using SPSS 25.0 and the results presented in tables, while qualitative data was analysed through content analysis and the results presented in terms of themes. The study determined that brand trust, brand communication and emotional attachment have a significant influence on loyalty; customer satisfaction has a partial mediating effect on the relationship between brand relationship and loyalty; and demographic characteristics have no moderating effect on the hypothesised relationship. Thus, the study concluded that brand trust, brand communication and emotional attachment have a significant effect on the loyalty; customer satisfaction and demographic characteristics have a partial mediating effect and no moderating effect on the brand relationship-loyalty link, respectively. On the basis of these conclusions, this study recommends that manufacturers of laundry detergents can increase loyalty by, enhancing trust and emotional bonds through enabling memorable experiences and feelings of affection and fulfilment; increasing consumer-brand communication exchanges that are informative, relevant and up to date; and exceeding customers’ brand expectations. Finally, the study recommends longitudinal studies be undertaken to track loyalty in the FMGC industry be done from a Kenyan context and Africa in general.