Is Brand Image Enough? The Pivotal Role of Customer Satisfaction in Driving Retail Loyalty

The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of Service Quality and Brand Image on Customer Loyalty through Customer Satisfaction as a mediating variable. This study was conducted at Superindo Supermarket in Malang City, specifically the Raya Langsep and Bendungan Sutami branches. The research population was registered members of Superindo, with a sample of 151 respondents selected using the Simple Random Sampling method. This type of research is quantitative explanatory. Primary data were obtained from a questionnaire using a Likert scale and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS software. The results of the study prove that Service Quality has a significant direct effect on Customer Loyalty. However, Brand Image does not directly impact Customer Loyalty. Importantly, Customer Satisfaction plays a full mediation role in the relationship between Brand Image and Customer Loyalty, and a partial mediation role between Service Quality and Customer Loyalty.