Examining the effects of brand perception, trust, awareness, and quality on purchase decision making: Evidence from the FMCG food sector

Abstract

This research aims to examine the effect of brand perception, brand trust, brand quality, and brand awareness on purchase decision-making in the FMCG food industry, with perceived quality as a mediator. A quantitative research approach was adopted, and data were gathered from 500 respondents using purposive sampling. The direct effects of brand trust and brand quality are the strongest, with β = 0.415 and β = 0.414, respectively, followed by brand awareness (β = 0.164) and brand perception (β = 0.091). Perceived quality was also found to have a significant and positive effect on purchase decision-making (β = 0.381). The results of the mediation test revealed that perceived quality partially mediates the relationship between brand perception and purchase decisions, while the mediating effect is minimal for brand trust, brand quality, and brand awareness. The model proves to be a good fit, as R² = 0.761 for perceived quality and R² = 0.671 for purchase decisions. The paper concludes that brand trust and brand quality are the most prominent drivers, while perceived quality reinforces the impact of brand perception on consumer purchase behavior in the FMCG food industry.