The Impact of Brand Personality and Consumption Values on Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty in Mobile Food Ordering Apps: An S-O-R Framework Approach with AI-Enabled Moderators

Abstract

As mobile food-ordering apps (MFOAs) achieve near-functional parity, competition is shifting from features to experience. This thesis addresses how loyalty is now forged by examining how brand cues and AI-mediated interactions shape perceived value and satisfaction. A Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model is proposed and tested, where Brand Personality (stimulus) influences multi-dimensional Consumption Values (organism), which then drive Customer Satisfaction and, in turn, Brand Loyalty (responses). The model further tests the moderating role of AI-enabled Personalization and Chatbot Responsiveness. A positivist, deductive design was employed. Primary data were gathered via a self-administered online field survey of MFOA users in Qatar who had placed at least one in-app order within the prior three months. The survey yielded 386 valid responses. Constructs were operationalized using validated multi-item Likert scales. Covariance-based SEM (CB-SEM) using AMOS assessed the measurement and structural models, with mediation tested via bootstrapped confidence intervals and moderation via latent–latent interactions. Results support the theorized process. Brand personality strongly predicts consumption values; consumption values strongly predict satisfaction; and satisfaction strongly predicts loyalty. Once satisfaction is included, consumption values do not exhibit a distinct direct effect on loyalty, indicating an indirect-only pathway. The model demonstrates substantive explanatory power (R² ≈ .36 for consumption values; .52 for satisfaction; .68 for loyalty) and acceptable global fit. Moderation analyses show that perceived AI personalization reliably amplifies the translation of brand personality into value and strengthens downstream value-to-outcome links, whereas chatbot responsiveness primarily enhances the appraisal stage (brand personality → value) with limited direct impact on later links. The study advances understanding of loyalty formation in app-mediated services by integrating brand personality and consumption values with AI-enabled features in a single process model. Managerially, the findings suggest prioritizing a coherent brand persona, responsible personalization, and responsive support to elevate value perceptions, consolidate satisfaction, and, ultimately, foster loyalty. Boundary conditions include the Qatar context and cross-sectional design; future research should incorporate longitudinal and behavioral evidence.