(The Effect of Online Brand Communities on Brand Trust and Brand Loyalty)

Abstract

Purpose – Turkey is one of the top ranked countries in the world in terms of social media usage rates. The number of consumers who wants to engage in brand communities are increasing day by day due to the benefits of the communities as rapid information diffusion and fulfilling the need of belongingness. However, there are limited studies concerning online brand community related experiences of customers, brand trust and brand loyalty, especially regarding Turkish customers. This study aims to investigate the effects of components and practices of online brand communities on brand trust and brand loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – Following the research objective, 347 face to face surveys conducted. Pearson Correlation analysis is used to investigate the relations. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is used to determine the effects of online brand communities on brand trust and brand loyalty. Findings – Results indicate that brand trust fully mediates the effects of brand use, impression management, social networking practices on brand loyalty. Brand trust has a positive significant effect on brand loyalty. The most important factor that effects brand trust is found to be brand use practices of social media brand communities. Discussion – Factors that affect brand trust and loyalty are related to get various information in an easy way, and product usage tips and suggestions. Enabling the consumers to share their ideas, creating a discussion atmosphere, and make consumers feel that they are different and unique in social media brand pages positively influence brand trust and thus brand loyalty.