The influence of store environment on brand trust, brand satisfaction and brand loyalty among the black middle class

With the rapid evolution of marketing from product to service to experience, marketers are challenged to incorporate experiential marketing into their strategies (Maklan & Klaus, 2011). This is especially relevant for retailers creating an experience-based store environment to increase sales and profit margins. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the store environment's influence on brand loyalty, with brand trust and brand satisfaction as mediators. Although a number of similar studies have been conducted, there is still a lack of research on this topic in fashion retail, especially among black middle class women in Johannesburg. This study undertakes a quantitative approach in that 501 online surveys were distributed among black middle class women to explore the influence of store environment on brand loyalty in relation to fashion brands. The findings support all five hypotheses. In other words, store environment has a positive influence on brand trust, brand satisfaction, and brand loyalty. This study is of significant importance to retailers who wish to influence consumers' buying behaviour through the manipulation of in-store environmental cues. By achieving this, practitioners are able to increase consumers' trust in a brand, their satisfaction with the brand, and ultimately increase brand loyalty. The present study contributes to the growing body of knowledge in experiential marketing, retail management, and branding. Furthermore, it contributes to literature in South Africa, which, as an emerging market, is often overlooked.