TITLE:
National Pride vs. Global Brands: How Consumer Ethnocentrism, Digital Engagement, and Sustainability Shape Brand Loyalty in C?te d’Ivoire
AUTHORS:
Tahi Zionte Herman Steven, Gan Jun
KEYWORDS:
Consumer Ethnocentrism, Brand Loyalty, Digital Brand Engagement, Sustainability, C?te d’Ivoire, Sub-Saharan Africa, PLS-SEM, Social Identity Theory, CETSCALE
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.13 No.5,
May
25,
2026
ABSTRACT: This study investigates the combined influence of consumer ethnocentrism (CE), digital brand engagement (DBE), and perceived sustainability orientation (PSO) on brand loyalty (BL) in C?te d’Ivoire, the largest Francophone economy in West Africa. Despite the increasing penetration of global brands into Sub-Saharan African markets and the concurrent rise of national identity discourse, no prior study has jointly examined how these three forces interact to shape consumer allegiance in a Francophone African setting. Grounded primarily in social identity theory with the theory of planned behaviour providing a complementary attitudinal lens, this research employs a cross-sectional survey of 487 consumers across Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, and Bouaké. Data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with all constructs specified as reflective. Consumer ethnocentrism exerts a significant positive influence on domestic brand loyalty (β = 0.41, p β = ?0.29, p β = 0.18, p