Environmental Characteristics, Service Quality, and Brand Image as Drivers of Customer Loyalty in Malaysian Book Cafés

Abstract

This study explores the impact of overall quality and brand image on customer loyalty within the context of book cafés. Book cafés are special foundations that combine the experience of eating with the enjoyment of books, offering a loose atmosphere for customers. The research focuses on overall quality and brand image, and their impact on customer loyalty. Additionally, the study also explores the impact environmental characteristics that encompasses menu, price, food and beverage, employee service, and atmosphere on the overall quality and brand image. A non-probability sampling method, convenience sampling, was used to recruit 150 customers of book cafés for this study. Data was collected with a set of self-administered questionnaires that collected via Microsoft form. Data was analysed through Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling to check on the validity and relationship between the variables. The findings have demonstrated that overall quality and brand image have significantly influenced the customer loyalty of the consumers towards book cafés. Overall quality is in turn affected by food and beverage and employee service. Meanwhile, brand image is explained by food and beverage and atmosphere. The findings of this study highlight the significance of different environmental characteristics in shaping the overall quality and brand image of book cafés, which in turn influence customer loyalty. This research gives profitable insights for book café operators in Malaysia to upgrade their service offerings and strengthen customer loyalty through improved quality and brand image.