Title: Threading the trust and attachment in brands: unlocking purchase intention in the apparel industry

Authors: Samridhi; Aditi Sharma

Addresses: Department of Management, Indira Gandhi University-Meerpur, Rewari, India ' Department of Management, Indira Gandhi University-Meerpur, Rewari, India

Abstract: The research aims to examine the online purchase intention of customers by combining brand trust and brand attachment regarding apparel brands in India. For the investigation, online surveys were conducted with 340 respondents continuously exposed to online shopping in the NCR, India. In this study, we used 'PLS-SEM' to examine and analyse the data and the proposed hypothesis. The study has resulted in a significant and positive impact of brand trust (BT) on brand attachment (BA), and brand attachment also positively influenced the online purchase intentions (OPI) of the customers. BA performed as a mediator in the relationship between BT and OPI among the customers. The study has been conducted in a specific geographical region. Results of the study revealed that gaining the customers' trust through emotional attachment constitutes an essential precursor to purchasing intention.

Keywords: brand trust; attachment; online purchase intention; OPI; apparel; brands; PLS-SEM.

DOI: 10.1504/MEJM.2026.156232

Middle East Journal of Management, 2026 Vol.13 No.5, pp.586 - 605

Received: 11 Mar 2025
Accepted: 21 Jul 2025
Published online: 08 Sep 2026 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article