Trust Before Torque: A Serial Mediation Model on Brand Loyalty among Royal Enfield Riders in India

This study examines the influence of corporate identity perception, functional value, and emotional value on brand loyalty, emphasizing the ‎sequential mediating roles of brand trust and brand attachment. Grounded in the Brand Relationship Quality (BRQ) theory, the study investigates the role of cognitive and emotional assessments of a brand in fostering loyal customer relationships. The study is performed among ‎two unique user segments—law enforcement officers and civilians—who are active users of Royal Enfield, a historic motorbike brand in ‎India. Data collected from 421 participants through a structured questionnaire and analyzed with SmartPLS 4.0, applying Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA). The results indicate that perceptions of corporate identity, functional value, and emotional value are major predictors of brand loyalty, both directly and indirectly, via the sequential mediation of brand ‎trust and brand attachment. Brand trust appeared as a critical performance metric among the mediators, whilst brand attachment showed‎significant value in fostering brand loyalty. The IPMA results provide strategic insights by pinpointing constructs that are of great importance ‎yet exhibit low performance, necessitating managerial attention. The research indicates that whereas emotional value significantly affects ‎citizen loyalty, functional value exerts a more substantial influence on police officers. This study advances branding literature by expanding ‎the BRQ framework to the Indian two-wheeler market and provides practical insights for marketers to improve loyalty via targeted emotional-‎al and utilitarian brand tactics‎.