The relationship between brand image, satisfaction and loyalty intention "An empirical study on cosmetic sector"

The aim of the study is to understand the impact of brand image on cosmetic consumers in Turkey. The study examines the effects of brand image, satisfaction and brand loyalty on consumers. Previous studies had covered multiple cosmetic brands . This study focuses on one cosmetic high quality brand (M.A.C) and contributes to the literature by examining Turkish people's preferences and buying behaviour in color cosmetics. The results of the survey carried out in Turkey with 150 responses imply that three brand image benefits, namely appearance enhancements, functional and experiential image benefits, significantly influence customers' loyalty intention for using M.A.C products. The other brand image benefits of symbolic and social benefits are found not to affect loyalty intention significantly. Three image benefits which are " appearance enhancement , functional and experiential benefits " have a positive and significant impact, whereas "social benefit" has a negative impact on customer satisfaction. The findings indicate that there is a positive relation between satisfaction and loyalty. The research outcomes also lead to the conclusion that appearance enhances image benefit affect loyalty directly and indirectly through overall customer satisfaction. Overall satisfaction has been found as the partial mediating factor between functional image benefits and loyalty. The outcomes of the study indicate that marketers have to concentrate on image benefits mentioned above to gain satisfied and loyal customers. Key Words: Brand Image, Overall Satisfaction, Brand Loyalty, Cosmetics.