Dissertation topic is on Factors Affecting Brand Loyalty of Beauty Products to analyze and evaluate the factors

Factors Affecting Brand Loyalty of Beauty Products

Abstract 

This particular research study has an aim upright aim to analyze and evaluate the factors that affect brand loyalty of beauty products among the women consumers of United Arab Emirates. Because of brand loyalty, customers are becoming confident while making their purchasing decision. In order to analyze the research study, the scholar has formed five research objectives. The first research objective of this study is to study the brand loyalty among women consumers for beauty products. The second objective is to critically analyze the impact of brand image and brand name on the brand loyalty of cosmetics products among female consumers of the United Arab Emirates. Another objective of this study is to identify the role of customer’s perception while making their purchasing decision. The impact of product quality, product price and product features on the brand loyalty of cosmetics products among female consumers of the UAE can also be considered as one of the research objectives of the study. Moreover, the fifth objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between customer’s satisfaction and brand loyalty of beauty products of United Arab Emirates.   

Primary data collection process has been taken into consideration for this research study. The research scholar has formed an open-ended questionnaire to conduct a survey among the 100 females of the United Arab Emirates. On the other hand, the scholar also organized an interview session with the 5 managerial heads of Huda Beauty to analyze the research topic efficiently. The gathered data has been analyzed with the help of M.S Excel and thematic analytical tool. 

According to this particular research study, it can be said the product quality, product price, store environment, promotion are considered as the vital factors that affect brand loyalty. Moreover, the higher authorities of every beauty brand should take certain appropriate initiatives to attract customers towards their provided products and also gain their loyalty efficiently.       

1: Introduction 

1.1 Research Background

In today’s world, organizations are competing with each other by fulfilling the customers’ needs. In this manner, the cosmetic industry is also growing gradually day by day. It is basically classified into personal care and beauty industries. From some recent sources, it can be noticed that the growth rate in the revenue of the cosmetic industry is nearly 3.4% since 2007 (Alhedhaif, Lele and Kaifi, 2016). However, it is also said that such industries can grow in a better manner by improving the increasing demand for cosmetic industry and global economics. For this reason, companies should maintain a good relationship with their customers. This will help the cosmetic industry to know about the purchase behavior of the different customers in Saudi Arab. It should be known that the key to success of a business organization is depended in the customers’ hand.

There are certain companies that are trying their best to capture the market place by increasing their brand loyalty and brand image. Brand image plays a vital role in an organization. It is because of this, that the customers get attracted towards those brand products. As for example, Huda beauty is having a prestigious position in the cosmetic industries of UAE. Due to its brand image and loyalty, people are becoming quite confident while shopping with this company. Thus, brand image and loyalty are impacting the cosmetic industries. On the other hand, other factors that are affecting the companies or their products are product quality, design, promotion, brand name, price, store environment, service quality, etc. From a report, it can be observed that most of the beauty companies of Saudi Arabia have achieved their desired growth in around 2014 (Anjana, 2018). This was possible because of the growing population of the young generation who were the main consumer of personal care products or cosmetics.

1.2 Aim and Objective of This Study 

This particular research study has an aim to analyze and evaluate the factors that affect brand loyalty of beauty products among the women consumers of United Arab Emirates. Every beauty products company should have an aim to deliver superior quality products toward their customers at a reasonable price to gain their customer's loyalty. On the basis of the aim of this study, the scholar has set five research objectives to critically analyze the topic. The research objectives of this study are discussed below:

? To study the brand loyalty among women consumers for beauty products   

? To critically analyze the impact of brand image and brand name on the brand loyalty of cosmetics products among female consumers of the United Arab Emirates  

? To identify the role of customer’s perception while making their purchasing decision

? To evaluate the impact of product quality, products price and product features on the brand loyalty of cosmetics products among female consumers of the United Arab Emirates

? To investigate the relationship between customer’s satisfaction and brand loyalty of beauty products of United Arab Emirates 

1.3 Research Questions

According to the aim and objectives of this research study, the scholar has developed certain research questions to analyze the factors, which are affecting brand loyalty of beauty products among women consumers of United Arab Emirates. The research questions are provided as follow:     

? How women consumers are becoming loyalty toward a specific beauty products brand? 

? What is the impact of brand image and brand name on the brand loyalty of cosmetics products among female consumers of United Arab Emirates?

? What is the role of customer’s perception while making their purchasing decision?

? What is the impact of product quality, products price and product features on the brand loyalty of cosmetics products among female consumers of the United Arab Emirates?

? What is the relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty of beauty products of United Arab Emirates?   

1.4 Research Hypothesis 

According to the aim and objectives of this particular research study, the scholar has selected two sets of variables to critically analyze the research topic. The scholar of study has chosen brand name, product quality, product price, customer’s satisfaction, product design, store environment, promotion, and word-of-mouth as the independent variables, while brand loyalty has considered as the dependent variable. Moreover, the scholar has developed eight research hypotheses to analyze and evaluate the determinants of brand loyalty.

Hypothesis 1

H0: Brand name does create a significant impact on brand loyalty 

H1: Brand name does not create a significant impact on brand loyalty

Hypothesis 2

H0: Product quality does create a significant impact on brand loyalty 

H1: Product quality does not create a significant impact on brand loyalty

Hypothesis 3

H0: Product price does create a significant impact on brand loyalty 

H1: Product price does not create a significant impact on brand loyalty 

Hypothesis 4

H0: Product design and store environment do create a significant impact on brand loyalty 

H1: Product design and store environment do not create a significant impact on brand loyalty 

Hypothesis 5

H0: Promotion does create a significant impact on brand loyalty

H1: Promotion does not create a significant impact on brand loyalty

Hypothesis 6

H0: Word-of-mouth does create a significant impact on brand loyalty 

H1: Word-of-mouth does not create a significant impact on brand loyalty

Hypothesis 7 

H0: Customer’s satisfaction does create a significant impact on brand loyalty 

H1: Customer’s satisfaction does not create a significant impact on brand loyalty 

Hypothesis 8

H0: Brand loyalty does create a significant impact on the growth of an organization 

H1: Brand loyalty does not create a significant impact on the growth of an organization  

1.5 Scope of the Study 

Brand loyalty has created a significant impact on the success of a specific brand. There are certain factors, which have positively impacted on brand loyalty. Brand name, product quality, product feature, product price, promotion, customer’s satisfaction are considered as the vital factors that have created a significant impact on brand loyalty. Therefore, it is one of the prime responsibility of an organization to improve the efficiency of these aforementioned factors to gain customers loyalty efficiently (Mwai, Muchemi & Ndungu, 2015). This particular research study has an upright aim to critically analyze and evaluate the factors that affect brand loyalty of beauty products among the women consumers of United Arab Emirates. This study also discusses the brand loyalty among women consumers for beauty products. Moreover, this research paper provides an elongated knowledge about the impact of brand image and brand name on the brand loyalty of cosmetics products among female consumers of the United Arab Emirates. Besides, this study also analyses the relationship between customer’s satisfaction and brand loyalty of beauty products of United Arab Emirates. These are considered as the scope of the research study.

1.6 Methodology 

The scholar of this research study has selected primary data collection methods to accumulate authentic data to analyze the research topic efficiently. For this reason, the scholar has set an open-ended questionnaire and a close-ended questionnaire to gather data. The scholar has conducted a survey among the 100 female beauty product’s consumers of United Arab Emirates with the help of an online close-ended questionnaire. Whereas, the scholar also conducted an interview session with 5 managerial heads of Huda beauty company to gather their responses to analyze the determinants of brand loyalty. The scholar has been selected random sampling methods while selecting the respondents for the study. The gathered quantitative data has entered in the Microsoft Excel and also analyzed the gathered data in a descriptive manner. 

1.7 Research Outline

This section of the chapter provides a detailed overview of the project, which helps the scholar to carry out his work efficiently to meet the desired outcome. In order words, it can be said that this portion of the study has provided a brief description of every chapter that helps others to get knowledge about the research topic (Johnston & et al., 2015). The research outline for this dissertation is provided below:

1: Introduction

The name of the first chapter is ‘Introduction’, which has an aim to introduce the research topic. Moreover, this chapter of the dissertation provides elongated background information on the research topic. According to the research topic, the scholar has developed a research aim. After that, the scholar has formed certain research objectives and questions on the basis of the research aim to critically analyze the research topic (Khraim, 2011).  

2: Literature Review  

This definite chapter has an aim to provide theoretical knowledge on the factors that affect brand loyalty of beauty products. In this chapter, the scholar also analyses the determinants of brand loyalty (Khraim, 2011). According to the theoretical framework, the scholar has provided a clear conceptual framework for the research study, which helps to identify the impacts of brand loyalty on the growth of an organization.   

3: Research Methodology 

The name of the third chapter of a dissertation is ‘Research Methodology’. In this section, the scholar has selected appropriate research methods to accomplish the desired outcome of this research study. Primary data collection method has been taken into consideration for this research study, which helps to analyze the factors, which are affecting brand loyalty of beauty products. The scholar has conducted a survey as well as an interview to gather authentic data to analyze the research topic efficiently.  

4: Data Analysis and Findings 

In this chapter, the scholar of this study has critically analyzed the gathered data to meet the research objective. With the help of appropriate data analysis techniques, the scholar was able to analyze the gathered data efficiently (Johnston & et al., 2015).

6: Conclusion and Suggestions 

It is last and the final chapter of the dissertation, which provides a brief conclusion of the study and also provides certain recommendations on the research topic. Moreover, this study also discusses the future research scope of the study that helps future research scholars to conduct their research work in the same domain. 

2. Literature Review 

2.1 Introduction 

This particular study has an aim to critically analyze factors, which are affecting brand loyalty of beauty products. Whereas, this particular chapter of this research study provides elongated theoretical knowledge of brand loyalty. With the help of several research journals, books, articles, the scholar has prepared this chapter to understand the research topic in an appropriate manner. Before analyzing the determinants of brand loyalty, it is important to gather knowledge on brand loyalty and brand image. For this reason, the scholar of this dissertation provides definitions of brand loyalty and image precisely to understand the research topic. After that, this chapter also discusses briefly the beauty product market in the UAE. The next of the study discusses the determinants of brand loyalty. Moreover, this section also provides a clear conceptual framework on the basis of the provided theories.  

2.2 Theoretical Framework

2.2.1 Beauty Products Market in the UAE

On the basis of the global report, it can be stated that women of Emirate spend approx. AED 1 billion money per year on their beauty products. It is one of the main reason for the growth of beauty retailers in the UAE. According to, Chaudhry, (2008), the market value of cosmetics of UAE is $1.7 billion and the scholar is also expected that the market value of cosmetics will exceed $2.1 billion in upcoming days. Therefore, it can be said that the tremendous growth of the cosmetics market of UAE is considered one of the threats for international cosmetics companies. Paris Gallery is one of the renowned beauty and skin care companies of the UAE, which has approx. 26 outlets in the operating market of UAE. This company also has an intention to open more outlets in the operating market of UAE to increase their productivity and profitability (Mwai, Muchemi & Ndungu, 2015). On the other hand, according to, Khraim, (2011), it can be identified that European and American cosmetics companies are mainly selling cosmetics in the UAE because the number of cosmetics manufacturers of UAE is comparatively low than other countries. In order to get out of this situation, the government of UAE has been implementing certain policies to attract manufacturers and other multinational companies towards the Jebal Ali Free Authority’s Fragrance Beauty and Fashion Park and it also helps UAE to improve their economic standard.

2.2.2 Definition of Brand Loyalty 

According to, Omanga, (2013), brand loyalty is considered as the degree of commitment toward a specific brand, which has created a significant impact on the buying behavior of customers. On the other hand, in the context of, Chan & Mansori, (2016), it can be said that customers become loyal towards a particular brand because there are certain economic and psychological factors that have created certain difficulties for the customers to change brand. Whereas, if the customers are fully satisfied with the provided products of a specific brand, then the customers may be loyal toward the brand. Based on the theory of multidimensional brand loyalty, brand loyalty behavior is primarily divided into three dimensions, such as, emotive, evaluative and behavioral. Moreover, these three dimensions have created a significant impact on brand loyalty. Kitrungpaiboon & Kim, (2017), stated that loyal customers are able to make their purchase decision confidently based on their previous purchasing experiences.

2.2.3 Definition of Brand Image

Brand image is one of the essential elements, which helps marketing experts to develop certain appropriate marketing plans to improve their organizational goodwill and profitability. Whereas, customers use brand images to recall their products and services, which help them to make appropriate purchasing decisions. Therefore, it can be clearly said that the higher authorities of every brand should take certain initiatives to improve its brand image that will directly influence their sale. According to, Omanga, (2013), a positive brand image helps customers to make appropriate purchase decisions, as well as the proper brand image, is considered as the success path of an organization. On the other hand, it can be said that if a business organization is unable to develop an appropriate brand image, then the organization can face adverse consequences. Hence, it is one of the prime responsibility of the marketing experts of a brand to develop as well as improve its brand image to accomplish their pre-decided goals within a specific timeframe (Khraim, 2011).     

2.2.4 Determinants of Brand Loyalty  

2.2.4.1 Brand Name

Brand name has created a significant impact on the purchasing behavior of customers. It can also be asserted that consumers are highly attracted to the famous brand instead of local unfamiliar brands. Along with that, it can be said that consumers mainly prefer or trust famous brand for purchasing to fulfill their psychological demand. According to, Mashavha, (2016), positive brand image and prestigious brand name attract a large number of customers towards the brand and also help customers to make their purchase decision. On the other hand, brand name is considered as the way of developing brand identity. Brand name is playing a crucial role to attract customers, which will also help to improve the sales and profits of an organization. Whereas, brand name also influence customers for their repeat purchasing behavior. On the basis of the critical evaluation of the buying pattern of United Arab Emirates, it can be asserted that majority of fellow citizens of United Emirate are mainly preferred imported cosmetics products to fulfill their demands, because they think international cosmetics products are comparative more superior in quality to the local cosmetics brands (Parmar, 2014). For example, Lakme, L’Oreal, Mac, Elle 18, Maybelline, and Himalaya etc. are mainly preferred by the women of the United Arab Emirates to fulfill their need and desire.   

2.2.4.2 Quality of Product 

Product quality is the main factor that influences the buying behavior of customers. Products quality highly depends upon the product’s features and characteristics that help an organization to easily meet its customer’s satisfaction level. According to, Chinomona & Maziriri, (2017), the tangible qualities of the sold products highly affected the buying behavior of customers. For this reason, consumers are willing to repurchase from the single brand or if the product feature cannot fulfill their expiation then may switch brand for fulfilling their psychological needs. Functional characteristics of cosmetics products are lightweight, waterproof, color, breathable and durability. These features help a cosmetics brand to gain customers loyalty. Moreover, consumers will also observe the product's packaging and product's function before making purchasing decisions. Therefore, it can be said that every brand should invest money to improve their products quality to attract customers towards their provided products.  

2.2.4.3 Product Price    

According to, Mwai, Muchemi & Ndungu, (2015), the price is one of the important factors that has significantly influenced customers buying behavior. Whereas, loyal customers are willing to pay money for their preferable brand. Hence, buying behavior of customers is not fully affected by the product price. Product price and product value are considered as the most important factors that have created an impact on the customer's satisfaction level. If the values of products are greater than their cost, then the majority of customers have an intention to purchase the product. On the other hand, long-term relationship among customers and organization helps customers to become more price tolerant, which also helps the organization to improve their productivity and profitability. In accordance with, Kitrungpaiboon & Kim, (2017), product price is measured as the focal point in the purchase decision-making process. The higher authorities of every cosmetics brands of UAE should set their product price with the help of deep market research because the price is considered one of the vital element of the brand image of an organization. Along with that, an appropriate product price helps an organization to gain customers loyalty efficiently.       

2.2.4.4 Product Design and Store Environment 

Product design or store design is considered as the visual appearance of a brand, which has significantly influenced the consumer perception towards a brand. The packaging of products helps a brand to attract customers towards their brand to improve its sales. According to, Thakur & Singh, (2012), it can be said that nowadays cosmetics buyers are becoming more health and fashion conscious while choosing their cosmetics products. Along with that, consumers are taking innovative challenges to uses different types of cosmetics products for different occasions to meet their increasing demands and desires. In accordance with, Alhedhaif, Lele & Kaifi, (2016), fashion-conscious customers are mainly preferred to attract design and fashionable accessories and their tendency is to purchase innovative and exciting products. Therefore, it is one of the prime responsibility of every cosmetics brands to manufacture innovative products and also redesign their products design to attract customers towards their provided products.  

Store environment is one of the important factors in the success of the retail business. Store location, store environment, in-store stimuli are also created significant on brand loyalty. According to, Sondoh & et al., (2007), store location and the number of outlets of a brand also play a significant role to influence customers buying behavior. For example, it can be said that if consumers are able to find outlets during their shopping trips and are also satisfied with their provided products, then these customers are becoming loyal customers. Along with that, the in-store environment is considered as the main stimulus to influence customers to make appropriate purchase decisions. Other in-store stimuli include the behavior of a salesperson, the collection of merchandises, noise, temperature, smell, display of merchandise, store layout etc., which influences customers to make their purchase decision (He & Lai, 2014). On the other hand, it can be said that the selection of music can also improve sales volume because slow-beat music acts as a stimulus to attract customers to spend more time in the store. Therefore, it can be argued that the store environment plays a vital role to attract customers and also to improve brand loyalty.  

2.2.4.5 Promotion

Promotion is the main component of a proper market strategy. It is the most promising way of communication towards the customers. With the help of appropriate promotional tools, a business organization to able to attract a large number of customers towards their provided products. According to, Alhedhaif, Lele & Kaifi, (2016), advertisement, sales promotion, direct selling, personal selling, advertisement, and publicity are the main promotional tools. Moreover, the advertisement is one of the well-known promotional tools, which delivers the information of products and brand through mass media to aware customers and also influence their purchasing behavior. Whereas, sales promotion tools also utilized by most of the organization to support their other promotional activities such as advertisement and public relation. According to, Chaudhry, (2008), the advertisement is considered as the most powerful mediums, which is able to generate functional and emotional values of a brand that helps an organization to improve its productivity and profitability. Along with that, the promotion of renowned brands in the local magazines of UAE and television advertisement also help European and American cosmetics organization to market their products within the operating market of UAE.

2.2.4.6 Word-Of-Mouth 

Word-of-mouth is one of the forms of marketing when customers are fully satisfied with the provided products of a brand, then they spread their positive experiences towards the brand. It can be also said that word-of-mouth plays a crucial role to influence other customers buying behavior. Moreover, positive word-of-mouth also helps an organization to improve their productivity as well as profitability (Sondoh & et al., 2007). Therefore, it is the vital responsibility of an organization to provide premium quality products at reasonable price rate to attract customers towards their provided product to meet their expectation level. It helps an organization to spread positive word-of-mouth among their new existing customers, which also directly created a positive impact on the growth of the organization.        

2.2.4.7 Customer’s Satisfaction 

Customer’s satisfaction has a direct relation to brand loyalty. Every business organization has an upright aim to deliver premium quality products at reasonable price rate to meet their customer demands. In other words, it can be said that customer’s satisfaction is playing a crucial role in the development process of brand loyalty. Basically, it is measured as the originator of brand loyalty. In accordance with, Alhedhaif, Lele & Kaifi, (2016), it can be said that the most of the business organization has organized market research programmes and also accumulated customer’s feedbacks to redesign their service delivery structure to gain customers satisfaction. On the basis of the market research report, the higher authorities of every business organization have made appropriate strategic decisions to gain customer’s loyalty via customer’s satisfaction. Moreover, when the customers are fully satisfied with the products of a specific brand, then the customers spared word-of-mouth, which will help this brand to improve their productivity and profitability.

The conceptual framework of this study was developed with the help of theoretical reviews, which is discussed above. After analyzing the theoretical reviews, brand name, product quality, product price, product design, store environment, promotion, word-of-mouth, and customer’s satisfaction are considering the vital factors that influence an organization’s brand image. Whereas, a positive and promising brand image helps an organization to gain bard loyalty.   

2.4 Literature Gap 

Grounded on the different aspect, it can be said that this particular research study mainly discusses the factors, which are affecting brand loyalty of beauty products. However, there are also some factors, such as brand trust, brand performance, commitment, switching cost and others, which have also created a significant impact on brand loyalty. These factors have not discussed in this paper, so it is one of the literature gaps of this research study. On the other hand, this particular chapter of the dissertation only discusses the theoretical information about the research topic and this study has not provided statistical data on the topic. Hence, it is also measured as the literature gap of this particular dissertation.     

2.5 Summary

Based on the aforementioned discussion, it can be asserted that brand image is one of the essential elements to attract potent and existing customers towards a specific brand. Brand name, product quality, product design, product price, promotion, customer’s satisfaction, store environment are considered as the vital determinants of brand loyalty. Moreover, it can also be said that if a brand has provided premium quality products at reasonable price toward their target market customers, then it is quite sure that their customers are becoming loyalty towards the brand. With the help of the literature review section of this study, it can be said that a maximum number of women citizens of United Arab Emirates preferred famous cosmetics brands to meet their expectation level because it is their belief that internal brands are comparatively more superior to the local cosmetics brands. For this reason, the government of United Arab Emirates has been taken certain steps to attract manufacturers and multinational companies towards the Jebal Ali Free Authority’s Fragrance Beauty and Fashion Park and this initiative helps UAE to improve their financial condition. 

3: Research Methodology 

3.1 Overview 

The Research Methodology chapter of a project is one of the most important chapters. With the help of this section, a research scholar makes a plan on how to carry on the research to get the required outcome (Patten & Newhart, 2017). This particular project is about the factors which influence the behavior of buying cosmetics products by the female customers of the United Arab Emirates and how loyal are they towards a particular brand. In order to conduct the research successfully, the research included- Research Philosophy, Research Approach, Research Strategy, Data Collection Process, Data Analysis Techniques, Research Ethics, and Research Limitation.

3.2 Research Philosophy

The Research Philosophy part of the research methodology chapter mainly gives information about the source of the information which is taken for the research. Not just that, it also gives a brief explanation about the nature of the information, which means what kind of information it is, theoretical or numerical, or graphical and so on (Hughes & Sharrock, 2016). It also discusses how those knowledge has been developed and how they can be used in the research. In short, it can be said, that with the help of this part, a research scholar is able to express the way the data has been collected, and how they are analyzed and finally used for the research. 

However, the research philosophy can be of four types, such as Pragmatism, Realism, Positivism, and Interpretivism. In Pragmatism, one can use more than one method at a time, and even a mix of them, which can include both a qualitative and quantitative approach (Dougherty, Slevc & Grand, 2018). In Realism, one can use that method which is most appropriate for the topic chosen for the research, and that can be either quantitative or qualitative. In Positivism, one has to use a huge sample size which must be given a good structure and as it depends on measurement, so a quantitative approach is mostly taken, but qualitative can also be used. In Interpretivism, the samples which are taken are small in size but should have depth in it, and to do so the data is scrutinized minutely. For this research, the pragmatism approach is taken.

3.3 Research Approach

The way a research scholar take to conduct research is called the Research Approach. On the selection of the approach and the way it is used, determines the success of the project. Basically, there are two approaches to do research (Quinlan et al., 2019). They are – the inductive approach and the deductive approach. When the inductive approach is taken, then more focus is given on the aim and objective of the research and according to that, surveys and interviews are conducted to get a practical view on the subject, which the research scholar is concerned about. On the other hand, when the deductive approach is taken, then some previous research paper on the topic is taken. Then according to the requirement of the project, they are minutely investigated. At first, a hypothesis is made, and after making a proper investigation, it is determined whether it can be accepted or should be rejected (Sekaran & Bougie, 2016). For this particular research on cosmetics brand loyalty by the women of the UAE, mainly the inductive research approach is taken. However, a deductive approach is also taken into consideration to make a connection between the theories and the reality of the topic. In this particular research study, the scholar has selected inductive approach to analyze the research topic.  

3.4 Research Strategy

After selecting the research approach, there is a need to form a strategy on how the research scholar wants to carry on the research in a systematic manner. The strategy makes the whole process clearer for the research scholar, which helps him to manage the whole research work in an efficient manner. There are mainly two kinds of research strategy which one can follow to do research on a topic. One is the Quantitative Approach or the Primary Research Approach and the other is the Qualitative or Secondary Research Approach. In the primary approach, some people from society or a part of the society are asked some questions, and their answers are noted down (Brannen, 2017). The survey is also done to ask some closed-ended questions, from which the research scholar can understand their likes and dislikes and other demographic details. It can be done face to face or over the telephone. Sometimes other than normal people, manager and other higher authorities of an organization are also interviewed. 

On the other hand, in the Secondary approach, some literature or research reports related to the topic are selected and then they are analyzed to find information regarding the research (Bulmer, 2017). For this research, the quantitative approach is taken, where a survey is done and also an interview session is conducted with the managers to clarify what exactly are the factors which a cosmetics brand should keep in mind and follow to gain the trust of the female consumers so that they become loyal to the brand. However, some pieces of literature are also assessed to get a clear perspective on the matter.

3.5 Data Collection Process

In the Research Strategy, it is already mentioned that for this research study the quantitative or primary approach is mainly taken, while the qualitative approach is used to compare the information of both the approaches (Fusch & Ness, 2015). In this context, it can be mentioned that the quantitative approach is more valuable and practical in nature because one gets to know the actual thought process of the individuals who are asked the questions. For this project, at first, a survey had been done, for which the individuals selected were females of the United Arab Emirates. 

For this project, an online survey has been done among the females who are regular users of some of the famous cosmetics brand (Palinkas et al., 2015). This made the process of collecting data easier because many of the participants were loyal users of one of the brands. That is why the research scholar was able to get a better understanding of what they think of the brand and what makes them stick to the brand, whether it is the quality of the products or the price or the ambiance of the stores, all those are mentioned in the findings section. The research scholar has also conducted an interview among 5 managerial heads of Huda Beauty to accumulate their perception. 

3.6 Data Analysis Techniques 

After collecting the data from survey and interview session, the next step is to analyze it. By doing so, the research scholar will be able to get the core information about the research topic and the factors it is related to. Data analysis enables the scholar to transform the collected information into logical data, which is necessary to answer the research questions. It also helps the scholar to fulfill the objectives of the project (Heeringa, West & Berglund, 2017). That is why, it is of utmost importance to select such tools and techniques of data analysis, which is appropriate for the project. 

In this research, the predominant way of collecting data is through a quantitative approach. For this reason, there was a need to use such kind of statistical tools, which is why the application MS-Excel has been used. To make those collected quantitative data visually easy to understand, pie charts are used sequentially (Mitzenmacher & Upfal, 2017). Along with this, gathered data, which is extracted from the interview session, has analyzed in the thematic analytical tool. These analytical tools help the scholar to accomplish the desired outcome.   

3.7 Sampling Method and Size 

Sampling is playing an important role while gathering information from the population (Bryman, 2017). For this project, 100 females were selected on the basis of random sampling methods to gather their opinion to analyze the research topic. The sample size of the survey programme is 100. On the other hand, the scholar has also conducted an interview with the 5 managerial heads of Huda Beauty to gather their responses, which helps the scholar to answer the research question appropriately.  

3.8 Research Ethics

While doing a research project, it is of utmost importance to conduct it in an ethical manner. When the data was collected it was kept in mind to make it impartial in relation to the age, background, income level or occupation of the participants (Metcalf, Crawford & Keller, 2016). Moreover, the secondary data are collected from authentic sources like recent journals on this particular topic, to avoid misinformation. While collecting the primary data, the participants were informed about why it is being collected. Finally, to keep the data authentic, all the collected data and its sources are destroyed after their analysis.

3.9 Research Limitations

The research scholar has to face some restrictions while conducting the research. While collecting the primary data, a lot of the participants were becoming partial, where they were supporting their brand but giving wrong negative information about the other brands (Sutton & Austin, 2015). Other than that, time and money have also been the prime constraints. While collecting information from the secondary sources, a lot of them cannot be accessed due to their paid access policy.

3.10 Summary

To make the research a success, mainly quantitative along with qualitative approach is taken along with data from primary sources. The gathered data has been analyzed with the help of a thematic tool and descriptive analytical tool. All these helped the research scholar to get a clear view about the loyalty of the UAE female customers towards their preferred cosmetics brand and other brands.    

4: Data Analysis 

4.1 Introduction 

This particular research study has an upright aim to analyze the factors that affect brand loyalty of beauty products among the women consumers of United Arab Emirates. In order to analyze the research topic, the scholar has selected primary data collection method to gather authentic information. This particular chapter of the dissertation has a goal to provide statistical analysis and thematic analysis from the gathered data for preparing authentic outcome. In the case of the qualitative primary data collection process, the scholar has distributed an online close-ended questionnaire to accumulate their responses to each question. Along with that, the scholar has also conducted an interview session with the 5 managerial heads of Huda Beauty company to gather their valuable answers, which helps the scholar to obtain the desired outcome. After gathering information, the scholar has entitled the responses in the MS Excel spreadsheet for analyzing purpose, and then the scholar has interpreted gathered data in a descriptive manner by utilizing charts.   

4.2 Quantitative Analysis

4.3 Qualitative Analysis

The scholar of this particular research study also prepared certain open-needed questions for organizing an interview session with the 5 managerial heads of Huda Beauty. It is the prime responsibility of the scholar to gather their valuable responses precisely to analyze the research topic appropriately. For better comprehension, a table is depicted below with the proper information of the interview session. 

1. Your Cosmetics brand Huda is a well-known brand. Do you think this brand name helps you to gain customer loyalty towards the brand? 

To this, the CEO of Huda replied, “Every customer has a certain kind of perception in their mind about the brands they use. The brand itself is responsible for creating this type of impression in their mind to some extent. However, the impression a brand creates varies from customer to customer. That is why it is the prime responsibility of the company to create such an image of the brand so that the name of the brand creates a positive impact on the customers and bring happy memories in their mind. Our brand Huda has always tried and is still trying to keep the brand image positive by keeping their customers happy. In order to keep the customers engaged with their products and services, they keep doing campaigns and advertisements, which is responsible for creating a permanent place in the mind of customers.”  

While the Operation Manager said, “As per my knowledge and experience, I think the image created by a brand through its name is something which stays for generations after generations. From a very young age if someone grows up hearing a certain brand name from her parents, grandparent, and relatives, then automatically she would gain a trust towards the brand. Eventually, when she grows up, she would start using the products of that brand, due to the nostalgia attached to it. Similarly, when interacting with others, she may recommend the products of the brand to them too. She may also pass on this information to her upcoming generations. All these are the advantages which a brand gets due to its positive brand image and brand name. That is why I personally think the brand name is certainly one of the most important aspects of gaining customer loyalty”

2. Do you think product quality and the product price have an impact on the loyalty of the customers towards the brand? If yes, how?

To this question, the Production Manager of Huda answered, “Every customer has a high expectation from a brand regarding the quality of their product. Sometimes they even expect the company to offer such product quality which exceeds their expectation. Not just that, the quality of the products the company is offering should stay consistent over time. That is because there are certain companies which offer good quality products right after the launch of their brand, but with time the quality deteriorates. This particular problem makes customer switch brands. However, our brand Huda offers products which are of the best quality. We even try to make betterments in our products from time to time. In the case of the price range, we are quite confident that we offer our product at a reasonable price keeping in mind the high quality of the products.”

To this, the Marketing Manager said, “I personally think while we are marketing a product, the first thing the customers check is the quality of the product. If it is good, then they go on to check the price of that product. That is why we give utmost importance to the quality of each and every product of our brand. After that, we do our best to bring the price down by using different techniques. If a brand only focuses on the quality of the products and completely ignore the price factor, then they will never be able to increase their customer base, and only a small group will be able to stay completely loyal to the brand. We think this consistent good quality of our products along with the reasonable price attracts customers towards our brand and we are able to gain their loyalty.”

3. Do you think brand loyalty can increase the sale of a company? If yes, how?

To this question, the Finance Manager replied, “As the Finance Manager of a company, I think brand loyalty is one the basic aspects which directly influences the sales of a company. I would like to explain it with a simple example. The example is actually a survey done by us to get a closer perspective about customer loyalty and sales. From the survey, we were able to understand that, to acquire a new customer a company need to spend as much as five times the cost needed to retain its old customer. Which means, if we are able to keep our old customers satisfied, then that will increase our profit, as the amount we would have spent to acquire new customers is not so much needed. The simple logic here is that the satisfied old customers will return to the brand’s store again and again and will buy more products than new customers, as they are already acquainted with the quality of the products.”

The Production Manager agreed and added, “According to my perception, it does not matter if the company is a mature one or just a start-up, the main focus should be on retaining is old and loyal customers. That is because that is the most prominent way of increasing sales. Let me explain the reason behind it. If a customer is satisfied with the products and services of a company, then he or she will be loyal to the brand. Whenever someone asks that customers to suggest a brand to buy certain kinds of products, they are bound to take the name of the brand which they are loyal to. That means the company will gain new customers passively. While on the other hand, a dissatisfied customer may tell a good number of people about the bad experience she had with the brand, which in turn will reduce the brand value and the loyalty of customers towards the brand.”

4. How do you think brand loyalty impacts the buying behavior of the customers?

To this question, the Operation Manager said, “Brand loyalty can directly impact the buying behavior of the customers. At first, I would like to mention that, a customer becomes loyal to a particular brand after getting good products and services from them. That is just the first step of liking a brand. With passing time if the brand keeps on maintaining the quality of their products, and also keep in mind to keep their price as reasonable as possible, then only the customers continue to buy products of the brand. Truth to be told, a customer waits for a brand to mess up everything, so that they can switch to another brand. That is why the company must keep in mind to meet the requirements of the customers, so that they stay loyal, because then only they will keep on shopping with the brand.” 

The Marketing Manager added here, “I completely agree with what she said. However I would like to add that while marketing the products of our brand, we give a keen eye on the buying behavior of the customers. From the market researches that we carry on at regular intervals, we have found that the customers who are regular at our stores or are regular buyers from our online store, can be thought as the loyal customers of our brand. So, as the marketing manager, I think if a customer is loyal to a certain brand, then it can be easily comprehended from the customer’s buying behavior because that customer is bound to buy more products from the brand again and again and will probably not switch brand.”

5. What steps have you taken to increase the brand loyalty of customers towards your brand?

To this, the Operation Manager answered, “We stick to some age-old ways of retaining customers. However, in a few cases, we do try some new ways to attract their attention. First of all, we try to keep the price of the products and services of our company as reasonable as possible, which is one of the prime reasons which make the customers buy our products again and again. However, while keeping the price at its competitive best, we make sure that we keep our quality of products at its best. That is because customers never come back again and again to a brand just for its low price. The quality of the products is the reason which makes them stick to it because it adds a certain value to those products, which is beyond money. So we make it our responsibility to offer good quality products, at a very reasonable price and provide a value to it.”

Here the CEO of Huda added, “I agree with her that, we give the highest importance to product quality and its price. However, I would like to add that, we also work hard to make the experience of our customers with us a memorable one. As they say- The first impression can make or break a relationship. Similarly, I think, if a customer gets a good experience while first visiting our store or interacting with our team members, then that impression is going to last longer and make the customer come back again. Moreover, we also offer our products online, which is why the customers can buy our products at their convenience and get the same good quality and experience. I would like to add that, in case of any complaints from the customers, we make it our first priority to solve it at the earliest.”    

6. Do you think Customer Satisfaction is an important factor which influences brand loyalty?

The CEO replied to this question, “I give customer satisfaction the topmost priority while marketing a product or providing any kind of services. The main reason behind this is that, if a customer is happy with the first impression she gets while buying our products and also after using it, then that first impression is going to last for a long time. That satisfaction is going to make the customer come back again and again. Eventually, she will start trusting the brand and may try other products of the brand. After being a customer for a long time, this trust will grow. At that point of the time, if someone asks for a brand name regarding cosmetics, then she is going to take the name of our brand.”

The operation manager said, “To make a customer satisfied and keep them loyal to our brand, we try to give a noble edge to our work. It means, other than keeping our focus on the quality of the products we also do some charitable job to give back something to society. Because we think, business is not just about making a profit by selling products, it is our prime responsibility to do something for the betterment of society. This charitable jobs does create a positive impression in the mind of our customers, and they feel proud to be a part of it, and stay loyal to the brand for longer.”

7. What steps have you taken to increase Customer Satisfaction?

To this question, the operation manager replied, “We put our best foot forward while treating our customers and give customer satisfaction our topmost priority. That is why we treat each of our customers as VIP, and make it a point to thank them after shopping from us, not just verbally but through our printed receipt as well. Moreover, we put extra effort in assisting our customers in every possible way, and whenever we make any promises, we make sure to keep it. Like, if a customer had asked about a product and it was out of stock at the moment, then as soon as it is back in stock, it is our responsibility to let the customer know. Whenever a customer buys a product, we ask for their feedback regarding the products as well as our service. This way we are able to do a survey throughout the year and know which products are more loved by the customers and which products need to be improved.” 

The Marketing Manager added, “All through the year, we focus on measuring customer satisfaction at short intervals because we know that if a customer returns unsatisfied, in 90% of cases they will not return again. As we provide our products and services online, so we have chosen an online survey tool from a survey provider, which makes conducting survey easier for us. Apart from that, we also keep an eye on social media platforms and find out what our customers have to say about us. The comments they put there is their opinion, which can be both negative and positive. The positive ones make our belief stronger, while the negative ones help us to improve in those sections they are complaining about.”

8. Do you think brand loyalty helps in the sustainability of a brand in the market?

According to the question, the CEO of Huda replied, “I not only think but completely believe in the fact that the loyalty of the customs towards the brand always help in the sustainability of that particular brand in the market. Our aim is to provide premium quality products towards our customers to meet our customer’s expectation, which helps us to gain our customer’s loyalty.”

    Finance Manager argued, “I total believe that positive brand image helps our organization to gain the loyalty of the customers, which also helps us to improve our productivity and profitability. Because of the product quality, customers became loyal towards our brand, which helps to gain competitive advantage. Moreover, brand loyalty helps our company to sustain in this current competitive market.” 

From the above statements, it can be clearly asserted that brand loyalty helps Huda Beauty to sustain in the current competitive market.    

4.4 Finding

From the analysis part, it can be identified that brand name is one of the vital factors that has created a significant impact on brand loyalty. Majority of the surveyed respondents claimed that brand name and image have played a significant role in their buying behaviour. Moreover, product quality is also important to gain customer’s loyalty. It is one of the prime responsibility of the organizational heads to implement certain strategic plans to improve their product quality to attract new potential customer. A maximum number of customers reported that product quality is playing a crucial role while making their purchasing decision. Besides, product price is also considered as the determinant of brand loyalty. Therefore, it can be asserted that the higher authorities of every cosmetics brand should conduct market research programme to determine the pricing policies of their competitor’s and also identify the market demands of their provided products. According to the report, the key personnel of every business organization should set their pricing policies appropriately to satisfy their customer’s needs. Majority of the respondents claimed that the price consistency of cosmetic products influences brand loyalty of a cosmetics brand. Promotion is important to gain customers loyalty. Most of the business organization utilized several types of promotional activities to promote their product within their operating market. Advertisement is one of the common forms of promotion, which has an aim to deliver the product details towards their customers. Appropriate promotional activities help an organization to improve their productivity and profitability. A maximum number of surveyed respondents claimed that brand promotion has created a significant impact on brand loyalty. Brand loyalty also helps an organization to sustain in the competitive market. With the help of the survey, it can be said that majority of the respondents claimed that brand loyalty is important for an organization to gain competitive advantage, which will help the organization to sustain in the competitive market. 

With the help of the interview session, it can be identified that Huda Beauty always tries to improve their brand image to gain their customer's loyalty. Therefore, brand image is also playing an important role to accomplish their desired outcome within a specific timeframe. Moreover, Huda has an aim to deliver premium quality products to potential customers to meet their physical and psychological demand. This company also implemented advanced machinery to improve their product quality, which will help this organization improve their sales. Majority of the interviewees claimed that brand loyalty helps a business organization to sustain in the competitive market and also enlarge their market share. Huda has delivered premium quality products that bring competitive advantage for Huda to compete with their market competitors easily.

From the aforementioned discussion, it can be said that the higher authorities of a cosmetics brand should implement certain appropriate strategies to gain customer’s loyalty towards the brand.    

4.5 Summary

On the basis of the analysis, it can be argued that brand name, product quality, product price, store environment, promotion are the vital factors that influences brand loyalty. Moreover, it can also be asserted that brand loyalty also helps an organization to improve its productivity and profitability. Customer’s satisfaction is also an important factor that helps an organization to gain customers loyalty towards a specific brand. Along with this, it can be said that brand loyalty also helps an organization to sustain in the current competitive market.  

5: Conclusion and Suggestions

5.1 Conclusion 

The demand for cosmetic products is much higher than the other industrial products. Due to this reason, such companies are able to grow in the market of Saudi Arab. It is the responsibility of the companies or the cosmetic industries to look into these matters that can bring customers’ satisfaction. The aim of this research study is to know about the factors that are affecting the cosmetic products. Along with this, the role of the customer’s viewpoint and maintaining the relationship between brand loyalty and customer satisfaction are some of the issues that are taken into consideration in this following research paper. From some research, it can be known that the UAE is having approx. $1.7 billion in respect to its marketing value. On the other hand, it can also be mentioned that due to this growth of UAE, the other international companies are also getting tough competition from them.

Apart from this, it can also be acknowledged that the other American and European cosmetics are trying to sell their products in UAE for gaining development as UAE is not having quite a number of cosmetic industries as compared to the other countries. Brand loyalty plays an important role in each and every organization. It can be noticed that a customer gets confident about a product by purchasing it from a branded company. Thus, for increasing the growth of the companies, UAE companies need to focus mainly on their brand image or brand loyalty. A company will be able to attract its customers towards them with the help of the brand image. In this manner, the brand name also plays a significant role in the organization. It can be observed that customers go to purchase products from those companies who are having a good brand name. This is also important for improving brand identity. 

Quality of the product is also an affecting factor of cosmetic products. However, it is affecting the company and the customers in a positive manner, if used in an accurate manner. Customers mainly depend on the features of the products. They usually search for those products that are having characteristics such as colour, durability, waterproof, light weighted and breathable. This helps the company to gain the customers’ satisfaction. Product price is also as important as the other factors. It can be observed that most of the customers are willing to purchase those products, which are of good quality. However, when it comes to the price issue, the customers tend to buy those products which were of good quality. They do not want to waste their money on bad quality products. 

Product design and the importance of the store environment is also noticed as significant for cosmetic products. The customers who are fond of cosmetic products basically focuses on product designs. On the other hand, the store environment also plays a great role. It can be understood that the companies need to know the demands of the market or the surrounding where they are going to establish their business. The surrounding of the business organization should have good positive ambience so that the customers do not get frustrated. Slow music can be applied in the stores. This will give a positive impact on the customers. Promotion is also one of the factors that are affecting the business. Promotional activities need to be carried on to make people understand about the products the companies are selling. Along with this, advertisement and media interaction can also be conducted. This will also be helpful for increasing the brand image of the companies.

Word of mouth is also an important factor that is affecting the cosmetic products. The customers get influenced by the word of mouth. Positive word of mouth helps in attracting the customers towards an organization. It can be noticed that with the help of this factor, the customer will be able to influence another customer through his or her word of mouth. Customers’ satisfaction is a vital issue to be considered. An organization can gain success only if it is capable of satisfying the customers. The above-mentioned factors can be helpful in bringing the customer’s satisfaction. For knowing the perception of the people, survey and interview are conducted. 

It can be observed that the survey is conducted among 100 female respondents, among which, the majority were around 44 years and 36 years old. On the other hand, when the respondents were asked about the frequency of their shopping, a majority of them stated that they shop three times a month and twice a month. The respondents were asked whether the brand name influences brand loyalty. To this, a majority of them agreed and strongly agreed to this point. On questioning the influence of perceived quality over brand loyalty, the majority of them strongly agreed and agreed to this fact. The respondents were asked whether the quality consistency affects brand loyalty. The answer to see was as equal to the previous one. On asking about the influence of store environment, peer approval, brand promotion and advertisement, a majority of them agreeing with the matter of store environment and peer approval, whereas, they were highly agreeing with brand promotion and advertisement.

The respondents were also asked whether price consistency, past experience, cost-effectiveness and customers’ satisfaction are affecting the brand loyalty or not. To this, the majority of them strongly agreed to the points. Along with this, it can also be noticed that the respondents were also asked whether there is an impact of brand loyalty on the cosmetic brand for improving sustainability, profitability and productivity. To this point, they were strongly agreed. From this, it can be understood that such factors are affecting cosmetics products in a good manner. In the interview session, the 5 managerial heads of Huda Beauty were asked whether their brand name is helping them to gain customers or not. They stated that their brand name can be stated as responsible for gaining customer loyalty. 

On the other hand, they also stated that the product quality and price are also impacting brand loyalty, which is increasing the sale of the company. According to them, customer satisfaction is also necessary for influencing brand loyalty. This helps in bringing sustainability in the market. From the interview, it can be noticed that the company is thinking about using some innovative ways of attracting its customers. Along with this, they are also trying to keep their price at a reasonable rate. They are also trying to maintain their product quality. On the other hand for gaining consumer’ satisfaction, they are planning to assist them in an accurate manner. They also stated that feedback should be gained from the customers. Online survey tool should also be applied in their stores, according to them. Lastly, they mentioned about the use of social media platform for gaining the satisfaction of the customers.                                                                            

5.2 Suggestions

Understanding the factors that are affecting the cosmetic products, it can be stated that certain suggestions can be implemented in their organization for their betterment. It can be recommended that the employees who are hired in such stores should have some knowledge about the products the company is selling. Customers can approach her to know about the details of some products and if the employee is not capable of giving adequate information of the respective product, this will impact the customer in a negative manner. Along with this, they will not be able to give details about the benefits of such products. Thus, the company will not be able to gain success. For this reason, each and every cosmetic company should inform and train the employees accordingly. 

Along with this, it can be suggested that the stores should be maintained in the right manner as the appearance of the stores impacts the customers. The stores should have comfortable seats and some looking mirrors for the sake of the customer’s comfort. This will be helpful in satisfying the customer. On the other hand, cosmetic companies should try to interact with people with the help of social media (Chan & Mansori, 2016). It can be recommended that they should keep a feedback place where the consumer can present their demands. According to that, the company will be able to provide those products that are fulfilling their demands. Makeup tutorial videos can also be added to the company’s website to attract the customers toward them. With the help of a website, the customers will be able to know the products the company sells. Along with this, they will also be aware of the seasonal sales.

Besides this, it can also be suggested that the stores should launch events and campaigns to make people know about the services they provide. While campaigning, the brand makeup experts shall try to explain the benefits of the products. This will be effective for bringing success in the organization. It can be recommended that a loyalty program should also be implemented in such companies. This will attract customers by increasing seasonal promotions and product rewards (Filieri & Lin, 2017). Thus, these facilities will be quite efficient for cosmetic companies to gain development in the market. Along with this, such facilities will also be helpful in gaining customers’ satisfaction. 

It can also be recommended that the quality of the products should be maintained according to the needs of the customers. It should not have any tangible qualities in the products. This causes a negative impact on customers. In the case of price, it can be recommended that the product price should be reasonable. The cosmetic products should be of good quality and reasonable price. Product design should also be maintained. This will help the companies to attract the customers towards them. Store design or store environment should be maintained beautifully for the sake of the customers’ pleasure. It can be suggested that the companies of the UAE should improve the promotional strategies that are used for attracting consumers. New and modern technological methods can be applied for this reason.

Along with this, the companies can also contact the independent sales representatives for promoting the company’s products. It can be recommended that sales representatives should be trained. It is the responsibility of the companies to give them knowledge about each and every product so they can convince the customers to buy those. This will be a strategical step for increasing brand image. Brand image can also be increased by doing promotions. It can be suggested that companies should try to participate in different trade shows for promoting their products. In addition, other suggestions which can give is the use of celebrity endorsement. The process of celebrity endorsement helps in attracting customers in a huge range (Khuong & Dai, 2016). This also helps in making people realize the use of such products and the benefits one can get from such products. Distribution of flyers will also be efficient enough for the organization to gain brand image. It can be suggested that the companies or stores should make leaflets, which will contain certain information that will be sufficient enough for the customers to gain some knowledge about their products they want to sell.                                                          

5.3 Future Research Scope

This particular study has an aim to critically analyze the factors that affect brand loyalty of beauty products among the women consumers of United Arab Emirates. For this reason, the scholar has mainly utilized primary sources while gathering information for this topic. However, in this situation, future research scholars will have the opportunity to utilize mixed methods to analyze their research topic to obtain an authentic fruitful result. At the same time, the scholar has not analyzed all the determinants of brand loyalty, which also brings a scope to the future research scholar to continue their research in the same domain.

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