Integrated marketing communications as a strategic capability: Effects on purchase decisions via brand equity and satisfaction
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DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/im.22(2).2026.20
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Article InfoVolume 22 2026, Issue #2, pp. 289-302
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This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Type of the article: Research Article
Abstract
This study examines how integrated marketing communications influence purchase decisions in digitally saturated e-commerce environments, where consumers increasingly resist direct persuasion. Data were collected from 316 millennial e-commerce consumers in Jakarta, Indonesia, and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that integrated marketing communications do not have a significant direct effect on purchase decisions (β = 0.074, p > 0.05). Instead, their influence operates entirely through indirect mechanisms, with customer-based brand equity (β = 0.556, p < 0.001) and customer satisfaction (β = 0.144, p < 0.05) acting as mediators. Customer-based brand equity emerges as the dominant cognitive pathway, while customer satisfaction provides a complementary affective mechanism. Additionally, a significant sequential mediation effect indicates that communication first shapes brand-related cognitive evaluations, which subsequently enhance satisfaction and lead to purchase decisions. These findings challenge persuasion-centric models and demonstrate that communication effectiveness in digital markets depends on building long-term brand and experiential value. The study provides theoretical and managerial insights for designing communication strategies in increasingly competitive digital environments.
- Keywords
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JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)M31, M37, D12, L81
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References32
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Tables7
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Figures2
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- Figure 1. Conceptual framework of the study
- Figure 2. Inner model output (SEM-PLS)
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- Table 1. Respondent demographic profile
- Table 2. Reliability and convergent validity of the constructs
- Table 3. Discriminant validity: Fornell-Larcker criterion and HTMT
- Table 4. Measurement model assessment: indicator loadings and collinearity diagnostics
- Table 5. Structural model evaluation and predictive assessment
- Table 6. Direct effects results
- Table 7. Indirect effects and mediation results
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