Short answer
Focus marketing efforts on creating a strong emotional and psychological connection with your brand, as this is the most effective path to building lasting customer loyalty.
- Field
- Innovation & Markets
- Source
- Acta Commercii (2026)
- Method
- Quantitative survey research
- Sample
- 481 participants
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Building strong brand resonance, through awareness and association, is a key driver of customer loyalty for small and medium food and beverage enterprises. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2026 study published in Acta Commercii. Using Quantitative survey research with 481 participants, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Focus marketing efforts on creating a strong emotional and psychological connection with your brand, as this is the most effective path to building lasting customer loyalty.
Brand Resonance Drives Customer Loyalty in Food & Beverage SMEs
Building strong brand resonance, through awareness and association, is a key driver of customer loyalty for small and medium food and beverage enterprises.
Acta Commercii · 2026
Key Findings
- 01Brand awareness and brand association positively and significantly influence brand resonance.
- 02Brand resonance has a significant positive effect on customer loyalty.
- 03Brand resonance mediates the relationship between brand awareness and brand association with customer loyalty.
Application
Design takeaway
Focus marketing efforts on creating a strong emotional and psychological connection with your brand, as this is the most effective path to building lasting customer loyalty.
How to apply
Develop marketing campaigns that tell a compelling brand story, highlight shared values, and encourage customer interaction to build a sense of connection and belonging.
Project actions
- 01When researching customer loyalty, consider how customers emotionally connect with a product or service.
- 02Explore how brand awareness and associations can be strategically used to build deeper customer relationships.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Empirically positions brand resonance as a central pathway to loyalty.
- +Provides clear managerial implications for SMEs.
Limitations
The study's findings on the direct effect of brand association on loyalty were mixed, suggesting that simply associating a brand with positive attributes might not be enough without fostering deeper resonance.
Reliability & validity
The study utilized a quantitative survey with a large sample size and statistical analysis (SmartPLS3), which generally supports reliability and validity. However, self-reported data can be subject to biases.
Think critically
To what extent can brand resonance be intentionally designed, and what are the ethical considerations in aiming to create strong emotional connections with consumers?
Design Principles
"Customer loyalty is best cultivated through fostering brand resonance, which acts as a bridge between brand cognition and sustained customer relationships."
In competitive and uncertain markets, fostering customer loyalty is crucial for the survival and growth of SMEs. This research highlights that focusing on how customers connect with and feel about a brand (resonance) is more effective than solely relying on brand awareness or association to build lasting relationships.
What This Means for Your Design
For small food and drink businesses, making customers feel connected to the brand is the best way to keep them coming back. This connection is built by making sure people know about the brand and have good things to say about it.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this research to justify focusing on brand experience and emotional connection in your design process, rather than just functional aspects.
- 2.Cite this study when discussing how brand perception influences user behaviour and loyalty.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research indicates that for food and beverage SMEs, building brand resonance is paramount for fostering customer loyalty. By enhancing brand awareness and positive brand associations, businesses can cultivate a deeper connection with consumers, leading to sustained engagement and repeat patronage. This underscores the importance of designing brand experiences that resonate emotionally and psychologically with the target audience.
Source
Acta Commercii
Building brand resonance to enhance the performance of sustainable food and beverage small and medium enterprises
journal · 2026
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about brand resonance drives customer loyalty in food & beverage smes?
- Focus marketing efforts on creating a strong emotional and psychological connection with your brand, as this is the most effective path to building lasting customer loyalty. Evidence: Acta Commercii (2026).
- Why does "Brand Resonance Drives Customer Loyalty in Food & Beverage SMEs" matter for design?
- In competitive and uncertain markets, fostering customer loyalty is crucial for the survival and growth of SMEs. This research highlights that focusing on how customers connect with and feel about a brand (resonance) is more effective than solely relying on brand awareness or association to build lasting relationships.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Focus marketing efforts on creating a strong emotional and psychological connection with your brand, as this is the most effective path to building lasting customer loyalty.
- What were the main findings?
- Brand awareness and brand association positively and significantly influence brand resonance.. Brand resonance has a significant positive effect on customer loyalty.. Brand resonance mediates the relationship between brand awareness and brand association with customer loyalty.
- What research method was used?
- Quantitative survey research with 481 participants.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2026 journal from Acta Commercii.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- Develop marketing campaigns that tell a compelling brand story, highlight shared values, and encourage customer interaction to build a sense of connection and belonging.
- What are the limitations?
- The study focused on Indonesian food and beverage SMEs, so findings may not be directly generalizable to other industries or geographical regions. The direct effect of brand association on customer loyalty was found to be negative and insignificant.