Understanding the Nexus between Customers Satisfaction with Product Quality and Branding on Consumer Loyalty: The Case of Consumers of Les Brasseries du Cameroun Products in the Buea Municipality

Purpose: Companies are today struggling for survival in a very competitive business environment. It has become very important for them to identify the factors that influence customers' loyalty to various products and how these factors are connected to the choices consumers make, hence their loyalty to the products they chose. This study examines how often consumers use various Les Brasseries du Cameroun products and test to what extent consumer loyalty depends on consumers' satisfaction with branding and quality of the company's products. Methodology: Using survey method, a total of 390 questionnaires were administered to consumers of Les Brasseries du Cameroun products who were resident in the Buea municipality. 380 questionnaires were properly filled and returned. Findings: The findings reveal that a majority of the respondents had never consumed any of the alcoholic beverages (33 Export, Mützig, Castel and Beaufort) produced by Les Brasseries du Cameroun as compared to non-alcoholic beverages (Djino, Top Grenadine, Top Orange, Top Pamplemousses, Top Anana and Malta Tonic). The data also suggest that the higher the rate of satisfaction amongst consumers with branding and the quality of Les Brasseries du Cameroun products, the more they agree that branding and product quality influenced their loyalty and vice-versa. The level of significance of these findings was further confirmed using linear regression in which the significance value of 0.000<0.05 was recorded in each of the cases. Therefore, both satisfaction with branding and quality of Les Brasseries du Cameroun products significantly influence customers' loyalty to the company's products. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The findings validate the cognitive dissonance theory in the sense that, a consumer who is unsatisfied with any aspect of a product like quality, may look for other reasons, like his or her satisfaction with product branding to reduce any inconsistency within to remain loyal.