Measuring brand loyalty of farmers in the Free State Province towards their agricultural businesses

Abstract

Brand loyalty is often regarded as one of the most important drivers for ensuring the long-term sustainability of any business. Some of the foremost advantages of having a brand loyal customer base include: increased customer profitability, lower brand switching intentions, lower sensitivity to price increases and a high level of customer word-of-mouth marketing exposure. The central focus of this study is therefore aimed at measuring the level of brand loyalty in the Free State agribusiness environment using a validated model as measuring instrument. This study uses a validated model to measure brand loyalty in the fast-moving consumer goods in the agribusiness industry. The model measures twelve of the most important factors influencing brand loyalty, antecedents namely brand trust, brand affect, brand commitment, switching cost, customer satisfaction, culture, perceived value, brand performance, relationship proneness, brand relevance, repeat purchase and involvement. This allows for identification of the most important antecedents influencing brand loyalty in the agricultural business sector. An empirical study was conducted amongst 67 farmers in the Free State province of South Africa using a convenience sample to collect data via a structured questionnaire. The sample showed adequacy, had low sphericity and proved to be reliable as measured by Cronbach Alpha coefficients. The results confirm the importance of each brand loyalty antecedent in the agricultural business environment. The study provides a practical guideline to agricultural businesses regarding the most important brand loyalty antecedents on which they should focus on the implementation of their customer loyalty marketing strategies.