The moderating-mediating role of corporate image on the nexus between brand authenticity and purchase intention in the Zimbabwean commercial banking sector

Authors

  • Munyaradzi Mhaka Catholic University of Zimbabwe
  • Dr NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, ZIMBABWE
  • Dr. Catholic University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe

Abstract

In an era marked by consumer skepticism and dwindling trust within the Zimbabwean banking sector, this study examines the dynamics between brand authenticity, corporate image, and purchase intention. The aim is to investigate how corporate image moderates the relationship between brand authenticity and purchase intentions among bank customers. Grounded in a positivist research paradigm with a deductive approach, a cross-sectional survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire distributed to 427 bank customers selected via multi-stage sampling techniques. Data were analysed employing Structural Equation Modelling to unravel the underlying relationships among the constructs. The study finds that enhanced brand authenticity significantly boosts corporate image, which, in turn, positively influences purchase intention. Corporate image emerges as a vital moderator within this nexus. It is recommended that banks should entrench authenticity into their branding strategies and actively manage their corporate image, offering actionable pathways to restore consumer trust and gain competitive advantage amid economic turbulence.

Author Biographies

Dr, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, ZIMBABWE

Dr. Charumbira holds a PhD in Marketing from the University of Lusaka, Zambia. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Marketing and Consumer Sciences at the National University of Science and Technology Zimbabwe.  She has supervised more than 20 PhD students from various universities in Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa.  She is a top-notch researcher with several grant-aided research projects accomplished under her name. 

Dr., Catholic University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe

Dr. Nemashakwe is a Senior Lecturer at the Catholic University of Zimbabwe. He holds a PhD in  Business from the Midlands Sate University, Zimbabwe. He has authored more than twenty research article in peer-reviewed journals. He has supervised more than ten MPhil and PhD students in Zimbabwe. 

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Published

31.01.2026

How to Cite

Mhaka, M., Charumbira, J., & Nemashakwe, P. (2026). The moderating-mediating role of corporate image on the nexus between brand authenticity and purchase intention in the Zimbabwean commercial banking sector. Ecoforum Journal, 15(1). Retrieved from https://ecoforumjournal.ro/index.php/eco/article/view/3024

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2026): 1st Issue of 2026

Section

Management, Marketing and Business Administration

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