Sensory Marketing and Brand Loyalty: The Mediating Role of Emotional Attachment in Shopping Malls

This study examines the influence of sensory marketing cues on brand loyalty through the mediating role of emotional attachment in shopping malls. Grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, the study also investigates the moderating effects of age and gender on the relationship between sensory marketing cues and emotional attachment. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 397 shopping mall consumers in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that sensory marketing cues significantly enhance both emotional attachment and brand loyalty. Emotional attachment partially mediates the relationship between sensory marketing cues and brand loyalty, confirming that consumers' emotional responses constitute an important mechanism through which multisensory experiences foster loyalty. Among the five sensory dimensions, olfactory and visual cues make the strongest contribution to the overall sensory marketing experience. The results further show that age significantly moderates the relationship between sensory marketing cues and emotional attachment, whereas gender does not. The study extends the application of the S-O-R framework to a multi-brand shopping mall environment and demonstrates the effectiveness of integrated sensory experiences in strengthening consumer-brand relationships. The findings also provide practical guidance for retailers and shopping mall managers in designing emotionally engaging and age-responsive sensory marketing strategies.