Estimating consumer brand engagement with brand equity via brand trust for organic retail products on social media

This study examined the purpose of brand trust as a mediator in the connection between consumer brand engagement and brand equity for organic retail products on social media. The integration of cognitive-affective-conative (CAC) and Aaker's brand equity model forms a conceptual framework that connects with consumer brand engagement, brand trust, and brand equity. To collect the information, a structured online questionnaire was administered, and 472 sample units in total who are engaged in organic retail products were considered for the study. The responses came from all over India (Eastern, Western Northern, Southern, Central and North-Eastern Zone). The overall effect, the direct effect, and the indirect effect of the relationship between consumer brand engagement and brand equity have been evaluated. To analyse the structural model and hypotheses, we used Smart PLS 4. The results indicated that brand trust plays a supportive role in partially mediating the relationship between consumer brand engagement and brand equity. Future research will gain advantages from the study's conceptual approach in comprehending the relationship between consumer brand engagement and brand equity for organic retail products marketed via social media platforms. Two higher-order models, one lower-order model, and the potential for future research were included in our study.