Food private label brands: the role of consumer trust on loyalty and purchase intention

Purpose - Private label brands of food products are an important component of many consumers' purchases, as well as an integral element of the retail industry. The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of trust on food private label brands' purchase intention and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach - For this purpose, the authors propose and empirically test a conceptual model comprising variables such as price, familiarity and store image. A sample of 445 respondents was gathered, and the hypotheses were tested performing structural equation modelling. Findings - The findings highlight the moderating influence of trust on consumers' loyalty to food private label brands. In addition, the results obtained reveal the substantially great influence of private label brand familiarity on purchase intention and loyalty. So, it seems that consumer trust and loyalty are strongly associated regarding food private label brands. Research limitations/implications - The authors suggest that trust of food private label brands allows retailers to increase consumer loyalty. Practical implications - Consequently retail managers should consider the enhancement of trust in the context of a marketing strategy formulation for food private label brands. Originality/value - The present study provides insights into the moderating effect of trust on loyalty to food private label brands, as well as evidence of the strong influence of familiarity on private label brands' proneness, related to food products.