The psychological journey: Interplay of brand awareness, perceived quality, and brand trust in shaping consumers' intention to buy gaming mobiles

Understanding how consumers progress from evaluating to trusting a product before making a purchase is crucial, as it encompasses not only a rational assessment of the product but also its hedonic aspects that influence their decision. Building on this premise, the present study evaluates consumers' journey from brand awareness to purchase decisions through perceived quality and brand trust in gaming mobiles. Additionally, consumers' fear of missing out (FOMO) is also considered a boundary condition between brand trust and intention to buy. 287 gamers were recruited using purposive sampling, and their responses were analysed using structural equation modeling. The outcomes indicate that the consumers' journey from awareness to trust enhances their intention to buy gaming mobiles. The relationships among brand awareness, perceived quality, brand trust, and intention to buy are positive and significant. Additionally, the negative moderating effect of FOMO indicates that it weakens the relationship between brand trust and consumers' intention to buy gaming mobiles. Furthermore, the study contributes to theory by empirically testing cue-utilisation theory and by establishing the SOR framework in game studies. Lastly, the study highlights actionable insights for practitioners, specifically, in the emerging segment of gaming mobile phones, to engage their niche consumers effectively.