Examining the effect of social media interaction, E-WOM, and public relations: Assessing the mediating role of brand awareness

Abstract

The development of trust among the customers of the organization is a key objective and critical to obtaining a competitive advantage. Therefore, this study was examined to assess the effect of social media interaction, public relations, and electronic word of mouth on brand awareness and trust. This study also examined the mediating role of brand awareness as well. For this purpose, the data was collected from the customers of the retail sector in UAE. This study adopted a quantitative research approach and cross-sectional design. The data was collected in the form of a research questionnaire by adopting simple random sampling. The questionnaire was distributed among 512 respondents. The usable response rate was 69.72%. For the analysis of data, the SEM technique was adopted and the tool used for this purpose was Smart PLS. The findings of the study revealed that all proposed hypotheses are accepted. The findings of the study are helpful for the academicians for further research and development of policies.