MODERATED MEDIATION MODEL: FACTORS THAT AFFECT BRAND LOYALTY IN MEDICAL AESTHETIC CLINICS IN THAILAND

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors that affect brand loyalty in medical aesthetic clinics in Thailand. The methodological approach used in this research is to demonstrate moderated mediation model concurrently investigated the effects of more than one moderating and mediating variable in a single model. Moreover, this study examined the mediating role of brand awareness, brand image, and brand trust to illustrate the effect of an online brand community on brand loyalty in the medical aesthetic clinic in Thailand and the model also examines the moderating effect of influencer marketing and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) on these mediated relationships. A survey was conducted with a total of 417 respondents who experienced aesthetic clinics and joined the online clinic brand community on the Meta platform in the last 3-6 months, and the collected data were analyzed through structural equation modeling techniques with the AMOS and PROCESS macro was applied. The empirical results concluded that the relationship between an online brand community variable on brand loyalty was partially mediated by brand awareness, brand image, and brand trust. Additionally, it showed that the interaction between brand awareness and eWOM has a significant positive impact on brand loyalty which suggests moderating effect of eWOM. In summary, the effect of brand loyalty in an online brand community demonstrated that brand awareness, brand image, and brand trust can be used as mediators in the medical aesthetic clinic market. Influencer marketing and eWOM can be used as a moderator in the emergence of a different environment and demographic segment.