UNDERSTANDING THE INFLUENCE OF MEDIA RICHNESS IN DEVELOPING CUSTOMER TRUST, COMMITMENT AND LOYALTY

Customer loyalty aids businesses by increasing their ability to face competition, reduce marketing costs, provide publicity through word-of-mouth, and boost sales and profits in the long term. Prior studies consistently revealed that brand is an antecedent of customer trust and commitment, and it nurtures loyalty. However, today, the customers’ perception and attitude towards businesses have changed. Customer loyalty can be developed using various antecedents. Drawing upon the Media Richness Theory (MRT), this study aims to identify the effects of integrating print, online and face-to-face media in developing customer trust, commitment and loyalty. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among customers who purchased computer products in a particular shop. A total of 295 respondents were selected based on purposive and systematic random sampling techniques. Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized model. The results show that media richness, through the integration of print, online and face-to-face communication, may significantly affect trust and customer loyalty. In conclusion, the research findings indicate that the the integration of various media may help customers make the right purchase decision. This study contributes to MRT by expanding it from the perspective of consumer behaviour. In practical terms, the findings provided important information to help ensure business sustainability and continuity.