Investigating the Effect of Brand Gender and Consumer-Based Brand Equity on Loyalty with Respect to the Role of Satisfaction and Trust (Case Study: Instagram Social Network)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of brand gender and consumer-based brand equity on customers’ loyalty with a consideration of the role of satisfaction and trust in the Instagram social network.

This study is an applied-developmental research and in terms of data collection method, it is of survey type. The statistical population consisted of the users of Instagram in Tehran who were the followers of the Maral Leather brand and the samples were selected based on non-probability sampling method. In order to measure the variables, a standardized questionnaire was administered and the data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was also employed to test the hypotheses.

The results indicated that since in all hypotheses, the significance value is lower than .01 and the t value is higher than the critical value (1.96), all research hypotheses were confirmed. However, the impact level was not the same. The results of the study can offer some practical recommendations for the developmental goals of the businesses that are willing to use social media to increase customers’ brand loyalty and, as a result, ensure their trust.