Factors affecting brand preference in passenger car buying in Nepal

In today’s complex and highly competitive marketplace, marketers, realizing a need to develop sustainable strategies, have turned to branding as a solution. Understanding the brand preferences of consumers is always under discussion. In such context, this study measured the effects of price, attributes, brand personality, appearance, and self-congruity on brand preference in buying a passenger car. A deductive reasoning approach, quantitative method, and positivist epistemology with predetermined hypotheses were used. A six-point Likert scale structured survey was utilized to gather the primary information. The sample included 411 passenger car users in Nepal. A judgmental sampling technique and a causal research design were used. Through path analysis, the effect of price, attributes, brand personality, appearance, and self-congruity on dependent variables was identified using structural equation modeling. The study’s outcome showed that attribute (β = 0.062, p > 0.05), price (β = –0.041, p > 0.05), and appearance (β = 0.022, p > 0.05) have no significant positive impact on consumer brand preference. Moreover, the study discovered that brand preference is influenced by self-congruity (β = 0.297, p < 0.05) and brand personality (β = 0.232, p < 0.05) in buying passenger cars in Nepal. It is concluded that brand image and prestige are more critical for high-involvement products. These outcomes provide a road map for future scholars and business people with a view of the emerging context of market development.