Impact of Brand Equity on Consumer Purchasing Behavior: Examining the Mediating Effect of Brand Love of Smart Mobile Phone Brands in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Brand Equity is regarded as a significant and essential concept for any company or industry. Specially, brand equity plays a vital role in smart mobile phone brands to survive in the industry. Many researchers had examined brand equity of brands including mobile phone category to investigate how it does impact on buying behaviors. As it highlights in empirical investigations, concept like brand love plays a significant role in brand related behaviors. However, there are research gaps claimed to further examine the interlinks of brand equity, buying behavior and brand love in different product scope including mobile phones. Alongside, this study aims to investigate the impact of brand equity on purchase behavior whilst brand love is studies as a mediating effect supported by research gaps. As this study is quantitative in nature, primary data has been gathered through a structured questionnaire. Study population is unknown, and it was tested by collecting data from 271 respondents through convenient sampling method under non-probability sampling technique. The data analysis was assisted by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26. Hypotheses were tested by using inferential statistical tools in line with the assumptions. The results indicated that there is a positive and significant impact of brand equity on consumer purchasing behavior while brand love mediates the impact of brand equity on consumer purchasing behavior. Thus, brand equity plays a crucial influence on how people consume and purchase a smart mobile phone brand. The conclusion of this study will greatly assist companies in the smartphones market to develop brand equity related strategies including marketing promotion methods. Paper has recommended managerial implications considering emotional branding strategies described in brand love.