Consumer Perceptions of Brands: Experience, Trust, and Commitment among Young Urban Indian Consumers

Abstract

This study examines how brand experience shapes brand commitment among young urban consumers and whether this link is mediated by brand trust. A cross-sectional online survey of130 Indian participants aged 18–35 measured brand experience, brand trust, and brand commitment, and the data were analyzed using correlations and structural equation modeling. Results show generally positive evaluations of all three constructs and strong, significant correlations among them. The structural model fits acceptably and indicates that brand experience significantly increases brand trust but has no direct effect on brand commitment, while brand trust has a strong positive effect on commitment and fully mediates the experience–commitment relationship. These findings highlight trust as the key psychological mechanism through which experiential encounters are converted into enduring brand relationships, suggesting that managers should design experiences that clearly signal reliability and integrity rather than focusing only on novelty or sensory appeal.