Strategic role of customer-centric culture in driving engagement: insights from Saudi Arabia’s automotive sector

This study examines the role of Customer-centric Culture (CCC) in driving Customer Engagement (CE) within Saudi Arabia’s automotive aftersales sector, employing a quantitative cross-sectional design analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that approximately 59.4% of the variance in CE is explained by key constructs, with Customer Experience (CX) exerting a substantial influence (f2 = 0.77). CCC significantly explains its own variance (64.8%) and plays an indirect but crucial role in shaping CE through CX, with moderation effects amplifying the impact of CX on engagement. These results extend existing literature by emphasizing the importance of complex mediation pathways and indirect effects, highlighting that cultivating a customer-centric environment enhances CX, which in turn drives engagement. Practically, the findings suggest that organizations should focus on fostering a customer-centric culture, improving CX, empowering employees, and leveraging data-driven management to achieve sustainable growth aligned with Vision 2030’s objectives of innovation and service excellence. Overall, the study underscores the strategic importance of indirect pathways in enhancing customer engagement and organizational success.