Chain Mediation of Perceived Value and Brand Attachment: Brand Interaction’s Impact on Consumer Behavioral Intentions in Chinese Time-Honored Food Brands

Qi Duan, Shouzun Li, Yue Yang, Yunhan Sun

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¹ School of Management, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China,

PBES 2026 , 9(4), 235–249; https://doi.org/10.26689/pbes.v9i4.14937

Abstract

To elucidate how time-honored food brands may maintain long-lasting consumer relationships in the current market by identifying the mechanism by which brand interaction results in behavioral intention. Four latent constructs, consumer brand interaction (CBI), perceived value (PV; functional, emotional, and social), brand attachment (BA), and behavioral intention (BI), were the foundation of a consumer survey based on S-O-R and social-exchange theories. 274 valid responses were obtained using an online survey; the measurement and structural models were estimated using structural equation modeling (SEM), and the mediating and chain mediating effects were tested using PROCESS bootstrap. The results show that consumers’ behavioral intentions are positively impacted by brand interaction between time-honored food brands and customers, with perceived value and brand attachment acting as chain mediators between the two. In order to turn interactive experiences into repurchase, word-of-mouth recommendation, and premium purchase intentions, time-honored food companies should develop interaction tactics that simultaneously promote traditional craftsmanship and culture and improve perceived value and emotional attachment. In the context of Chinese time-honored food, this study is one of the first to confirm that perceived value and brand attachment chain mediation affect the relationship between brand interaction and behavioral intention. This study gives established Chinese time-honored food companies the theoretical foundation they need to create successful brand interaction strategies.

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