Beyond Loyalty as an Outcome: A Fuzzy DEMATEL Analysis of Brand-Related Constructs in Online FMCG Retailing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jmrr/V2E9/2026-06Keywords:
Brand-Related Factors, Customer–Brand Relationships, Online FMCG Retailing, Fuzzy DEMATEL, Influence StructureAbstract
This study aims to identify the influence structure among brand-related factors on retail platforms, with a focus on Snapp Market. In the digital environment, brand constructs—including Brand Awareness, Brand Equity, Customer Satisfaction, Relationship Commitment, Brand Trust, and Brand Loyalty—form an interconnected network, and understanding their driving and influenced roles requires systemic analysis. Despite extensive research on relationships among these factors, a theoretical gap remains regarding their influence structure and the differentiation of driving from effect variables in online FMCG retailing in Iran. The study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey in terms of data collection. Data were collected through a Pairwise-Comparison Questionnaire completed by 16 experts in digital marketing and branding at Snapp Market. The relationships among the variables were analyzed using Fuzzy DEMATEL. The results showed that Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty, with positive D−R values, were classified as Cause/Driving Variables. In contrast, Brand Awareness, Brand Equity, Relationship Commitment, and Brand Trust, with negative D−R values, were classified as Effect Variables. Customer Satisfaction emerged as the strongest driving factor, while Brand Equity exhibited the most negative D−R value and was therefore the most strongly influenced factor. Brand Trust was positioned close to the cause–effect boundary. The findings indicate that brand development on online retail platforms is better understood as an interconnected influence system rather than a linear sequence. The driving role of Customer Satisfaction and the active position of Brand Loyalty suggest that managerial attention should extend beyond treating loyalty solely as an end outcome. By providing an influence map, this study helps platform managers prioritize branding actions and allocate resources.
References
1) Abadar, I., & Omidi, F. (2026). Identifying the influential dimensions of branding based on the creation of competitive advantage in food industry companies. Journal of Management and Business Solutions, 4(4), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.61838/jmbs.262
2) Adarok, H. (2025). Customer loyalty in the digital era: Toward an integrated conceptual framework of engagement, trust, and relationship quality. International Journal of Economic and Management Decisions, 3(5), 54–62. https://doi.org/10.62241/ijemd.0305.5462.05
3) Alagarsamy, S., Mehrolia, S., & Singh, B. (2021). Mediating effect of brand relationship quality on relational bonds and online grocery retailer loyalty. Journal of Internet Commerce, 20(2), 246-272. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2020.1868213
4) Alam, S. S. (2026). Effect of brand equity on halal e-tailers brand loyalty: Mediating role of brand association and moderating role of consumer experience. Journal of Islamic Mar grocery retailer loyalty. Journal of Internet Commerce, 20(2), 246-272.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-08-2025-0537
5) Amoroso, D. L., & Ackaradejruangsri, P. (2024). Brand commitment as predecessor to the factors of continuance intention. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 14, 158–172. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-024-00333-y
6) Basu, B., Chakraborty, D., & Kumar Kar, A. (2024). How can we improve buyer experiences for the operations of e-grocery platforms? Towards a unified framework for digital service operations. International Journal of Production Economics, 278, 109417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2024.109417
7) Casidy, R., & Mohan, M. (2025). Re-examining B2B calculative commitment and its impact on willingness-to-pay a premium price. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 40(12), 2310-2324. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-10-2024-0785
8) Castaldo, S., Ciacci, A., Penco, L., & Testa, G. (2026). Balancing human and digital aspects in the retailers’ loyalty measurement. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 102539. 10.1016/j.seps.2026.102539
9) Chawla, P., Chawla, M., & Jain, A. (2025). Omni-channel strategies integrating digital and physical experiences: The role of omni-channel strategies in integrating physical and digital touchpoints. In Retail innovations in business models (pp. 279-292). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-7620-1.ch013
10) Diaz-Soloaga, P., Carcelén-García, S., & Ventisca, M. D. B. (2023). Perceived brand value and brand co-creation attitudes through eWOM: A typology of co-creator digital users. Revista de Comunicación, 22(1), 89-107. https://doi.org/10.26441/RC22.1-2023-3075
11) Fluhrer, P., & Brahm, T. (2025). How small businesses build their brands in a digital world: A systematic review. Review of Managerial Science, 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-025-00931-9
12) Hamidi,H and Madani,S S . (2024). Analysis of a Framework for E-Commerce Consumer Behavior before and During Covid-19. International Journal of Engineering, 37(10), 1970-1978. https://doi.org/10.5829/ije.2024.37.10a.09
13) Hardini, M., Aini, Q., Oganda, F. P., Anjani, S. A., & Sunarjo, R. A. (2026). The influence of brand awareness and social media marketing on purchase intention through brand trust. IAIC Transactions on Sustainable Digital Innovation (ITSDI), 7(2), 162-172. https://doi.org/10.34306/itsdi.v7i2.719
14) Hassan, N., Abdelraouf, M., & El-Shihy, D. (2025). The moderating role of personalized recommendations in the trust–satisfaction–loyalty relationship: An empirical study of AI-driven e-commerce. Future Business Journal, 11, 66. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-025-00476-z
15) Iqbal, M., Tanveer, A., Ul Haq, H. B., Baig, M. D., & Kosar, A. (2023). Enhancing customer satisfaction in e-commerce: The role of service quality and brand trust. Forum for Economic and Financial Studies, 1(1), 287. https://doi.org/10.59400/fefs.v1i1.287
16) Juanli L, Lei H, Yubo W, Ye L, Sleiman KAA, Suliman MAE. An empirical investigation of E-loyalty formation for online shopping in China. Acta Psychol (Amst). 2025 Aug;258:105135. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105135. Epub 2025 Jun 18. PMID: 40532540.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105135
17) Leone de Castris, A. (2025). Types of platform transparency: An analysis of discourse around transparency and global digital platforms. Public Integrity, 27(3), 340-354. https://doi.org/10.1080/10999922.2024.2304741
18) Liang, B. (2022). How brand experience, satisfaction, trust, and commitment affect loyalty: A reexamination and reconciliation. Italian Journal of Marketing, 2022(2), 203–231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43039-021-00042-9
19) Magdy, A. (2026). Antecedents and consequences of the creative food tourism experience: Brand equity insights. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 26(1), 61-78. https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584241276083
20) Makwana, J. (2026). A dual strategy for digital market integrity: Content credentials and consumer trust. Journal of International DBA Studies-GGU, 2(001). https://eaj.ebujournals.lu/index.php/JIDS/article/view/179/126
21) Mofokeng, T. E. (2023). Antecedents of trust and customer loyalty in online shopping: The moderating effects of online shopping experience and e-shopping spending. Heliyon, 9(5), e16182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16182
22) MohammadEbrahimzadeh, S., Khajeheian, D., Arbatani, T. R., Labafi, S., & Sepasgozar, S. (2025). Sustainable knowledge-based enterprise products using AI-powered social media for enhancing brand equity: A scientometric review. Sustainability, 17(18), 8427.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su17188427
23) Mohanty, S. S., & Swain, S. (2025). Search engine marketing and keyword optimisation method to increase online brand visibility. Siddhant-A Journal of Decision Making, 25(1), 69-76. https://doi.org/10.5958/2231-0657.2025.00018.0
24) Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20–38.
https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299405800302
25) Nugroho, A. P., Fauzan, N., Setiawan, A. D. B., & Pratiwi, A. (2025). Digital experience and reuse intention in online food delivery platforms. Journal of Digital Marketing and Halal Industry, 7(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.21580/jdmhi.2025.7.1.23885
26) Peña-García, N., & ter Horst, E. (2025). Loyalty beyond transactions: The role of perceived brand ethics in e-commerce. Frontiers in Communication, 10, 1605171. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1605171
27) Pillay, S. (2025). Investigating brand switching in same-day-grocery-delivery mobile sector: The moderating role of income in an emerging market. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), 2552920. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2552920
28) Radovilsky, Z., & Hegde, V. (2024). Analyzing consumer satisfaction of online grocery retailing process using consumer reviews. Journal of Supply Chain and Operations Management, 22(1), 1. https://www.csupom.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114895679/n22p1formatted.pdf
29) Ruokolainen, J. (2026). Consumer behavior in online food delivery platforms: Case study: Multi-brand cloud kitchen. https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/910726
30) Sang, V. M., & Cuong, M. C. (2025). The influence of brand experience on brand loyalty in the electronic commerce sector: The mediating effect of brand association and brand trust. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), 2440629.
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2440629
31) Shahzad, M. F., Xu, S., An, X., & Javed, I. (2024). Assessing the impact of AI-chatbot service quality on user e-brand loyalty through chatbot user trust, experience and electronic word of mouth. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 79, 103867. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103867
32) Sheykhan, S., Boozary, P., GhorbanTanhaei, H., Behzadi, S., Rahmani, F., & Rabiee, M. (2024). Creating a fuzzy DEMATEL-ISM-MICMAC-fuzzy BWM model for the organization’s sustainable competitive advantage, incorporating green marketing, social responsibility, brand equity and green brand image. Sustainable Futures, 8, 100280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2024.100280
33) Sohaib, M., & Han, H. (2023). Building value co-creation with social media marketing, brand trust, and brand loyalty. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 74, 103442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103442
34) Taheri, B., Yousaf, A., Gannon, M., & Mishra, A. (2024). E-commerce website customer engagement: Delineating the role of UTAUT, vividness, and compulsion. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 79, 103835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103835
35) Troiville, J. (2024). Connecting the dots between brand equity and brand loyalty for retailers: The mediating roles of brand attitudes and word-of-mouth communication. Journal of Business Research, 177, 114650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114650
36) Uzir, M. U. H., Bukari, Z., Wahab, S. N., Jerin, I., Rasul, T., & Amin, M. B. (2025). Investigation of customer satisfaction, brand trust and brand loyalty in electronics home appliances: CB-SEM Approach. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 12, 101943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101943
37) Wong, A. (2023). Understanding consumer brand love, brand commitment, and brand loyalty. Journal of Relationship Marketing, 22(2), 87–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332667.2023.2173937
38) Yan, S., Idris, S., & Ali, S. H. (2024). A model of online food delivery system services and restaurant performance: A case study of China. Global Business & Finance Review (GBFR), 29(3), 1-15. doi:10.17549/gbfr.2024.29.3.1
39) Yang, Q., Wang, Z. S., Feng, K., & Tang, Q. Y. (2024). Investigating the crucial role of logistics service quality in customer satisfaction for fresh e-commerce: A mutually validating method based on SERVQUAL and service encounter theory. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 81, 103940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103940
40) Zhou, S., & Salleh Hudin, N. (2025). How does in-store and online shopping experiences influence repurchase intentions in Shandong, China? Roles of perceived value, brand trust, and customer satisfaction. PLOS ONE, 20(8), e0321485.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Saeid Soleimani Shiv Yari, Fatemeh Shabestari (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
