Abstract:
This study investigated the relationship between consumer brand engagement and sales
performance of food and beverage firms in Port Harcourt. Specifically, the objectives of the
study were to determine the extent to which emotional engagement and cognitive engagement
relate with market share growth of food and beverage firms in Port Harcourt. The chosen
population for this study is twenty nine (29) registered food and beverage firms in Port
Harcourt. The census approach was adopted to select our respondents for the study and the
researcher purposively selected two hundred and ninety (290) respondents for the study,
however only two hundred and forty (240) respondents provided information for the analysis
of the data. Kendall’ tab-u was used to test four hypotheses. From results of the analysis it
was revealed that emotional engagement and cognitive engagement which are the dimensions
of consumer brand engagement positively and significantly relate with market share growth
(measures of sales performance) of food and beverage firms in Port Harcourt. Based on these
findings, it was concluded that consumer brand engagement fosters emotional connections
and loyalty. When consumers feel emotionally attached to a food and beverage brand, they
are more likely to become repeat customers and advocates. Therefore, the study
recommended that food and beverage firms in Port Harcourt should focus on personalizing
brand experiences. Tailoring products, marketing messages, and engagement efforts to
individual preferences can enhance emotional engagement and drive sales.
