Customer e-satisfaction as a mediator between e-service quality, brand image, and e-loyalty: Insights from Ethiopian digital banking technology

Abstract

This study investigates the mediating role of customer e-satisfaction in the relationships between e-service quality, brand image, and e-loyalty within Ethiopia's digital banking sector, with a specific focus on the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. Using a quantitative research design, data were gathered through self-administered surveys and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). To mitigate potential bias, the common latent factor (CLF) approach was used. The results demonstrate that e-service quality significantly enhances e-loyalty, with customer e-satisfaction serving as a crucial mediator. Additionally, brand image exerts both a direct positive effect on e-loyalty and an indirect influence through customer e-satisfaction. By extending the cognitive-affect-conation pattern model to the digital banking context, this study offers valuable theoretical and practical contributions for banks aiming to strengthen customer e-loyalty in a competitive digital landscape.