From Posts to Loyalty: Understanding the Role of Customer Engagement in Luxury Fashion Social Media Marketing

Ketsia K. Matetu, Jonathan L. Otepa and Hassane A. Djouma

International Business Research, 2026, vol. 19, issue 4, 30

Abstract: Luxury fashion brands increasingly depend on social media content marketing to build customer loyalty, but the exact mechanisms remain insufficiently explored. This research investigates how content marketing, viewed as a comprehensive concept, impacts customer loyalty and whether customer engagement acts as a mediator. Based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S–O–R) Model and Uses and Gratifications Theory, we propose a framework in which customer engagement serves as the psychological link between content marketing and loyalty. Analyzing survey data from 376 luxury fashion consumers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), findings show that content marketing significantly boosts customer loyalty directly and indirectly through customer engagement. Customer engagement partially mediates this relationship, emphasizing its vital role in converting digital interactions into enduring brand loyalty. These insights provide actionable guidance for luxury brand managers seeking to translate social media efforts into sustained customer relationships.

Date: 2026
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