The mediating role of brand utility, brand identification, and perceived quality in the impact of product personalization on brand loyalty in the context of digital marketing

With digitalization, consumer behavior has undergone a significant transformation, and personalization-focused marketing strategies have led to a reshaping of the consumer-brand relationship. This study examines the impact of product personalization on brand loyalty in the context of digital marketing, and the mediating roles of perceived quality, brand identification, and brand utility in this effect are evaluated within the framework of a holistic mediation model. The research population consists of electric vehicle users in Turkey. Data were collected through a survey technique from 443 electric vehicle owners selected from this population using a simple random sampling method. The research findings indicate that product personalization has a direct effect on brand loyalty, but this effect is limited, and perceived quality, brand identification, and brand utility play a significant and strong mediating role in this effect. The mediation structure obtained in the model emphasizes that product personalization's loyalty-enhancing mechanism operates through psychological and perceptual processes. Producing products with individual preferences in mind raises consumers' performance expectations and perceptions of quality, strengthens their identity-based relationship with the brand, and increases the overall perceived benefit from the brand. The interoperability of these processes demonstrates that product personalization practices play a critical role in the formation of brand loyalty. Manufacturing products with individual preferences in mind elevates consumers' performance expectations and perceptions of quality, strengthens the identity-based relationship established with the brand, and increases the overall perceived benefit from the brand. The interplay of these processes demonstrates the critical role product personalization plays in building brand loyalty. This study contributes theoretically to the literature through its multiple mediation model of product personalization. It also provides current and practical insights into understanding consumer behavior in the electric vehicle sector. The study findings suggest that businesses should approach product personalization activities not only at the product's functional level but also with a holistic approach encompassing value creation, user experience design, and brand communication.