From Experience to Loyalty: The Sequential Process of Building Gen Z Trust in Aesthetic Clinics

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to examine the formation of Generation Z loyalty in the context of aesthetic clinics by developing a Sequential S-O-R Framework. Unlike traditional models, this study conceptualizes the Organism component as a sequential psychological process that progresses from evaluative satisfaction to relational brand trust. Research Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 408 customers of aesthetic clinics in Medan City. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the proposed structural relationships among variables. Results and Discussion: The findings support a statistically significant serial indirect pathway linking experiential marketing to loyalty through satisfaction and brand trust. However, because the study employs a cross-sectional design, the proposed ordering of satisfaction and brand trust should be interpreted as theoretically specified rather than as evidence of temporal or causal progression. Brand trust emerged as a stronger statistical predictor of loyalty than customer satisfaction within the tested model. Lifestyle showed a statistically significant, albeit very small, negative moderating effect on the relationship between experiential marketing and brand trust. Implications: Aesthetic clinic managers should shift their focus from merely creating physical beauty experiences toward building systematic brand integrity to strengthen long-term customer loyalty. Originality: This study contributes by integrating expectation-confirmation theory and commitment-trust theory within a Sequential S-O-R Framework to explain the complex psychological pathway of Generation Z loyalty formation.