Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive conceptual framework to elucidate customer loyalty in the digital age by synthesizing relationship marketing, customer engagement, and trust theories. Although substantial research exists on loyalty, the digital transformation of consumer-brand interactions necessitates a comprehensive model that integrates emotional, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions. This study synthesizes fragmented loyalty determinants into a multidimensional model through an extensive systematic literature review of 145 peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2024 in Scopus Q1 and Q2 journals. The framework connects service quality, customer experience, trust, engagement, and relationship quality as important factors that lead to loyalty. The conceptual integration is underpinned by theories including Service-Dominant Logic (SDL), Commitment–Trust Theory, and Customer Engagement Theory. The suggested framework sees customer loyalty as a changing result of value co-creation, digital engagement, and relationship continuity. It identifies engagement as the mediating mechanism between trust and loyalty, while relationship quality serves as a higher-order construct integrating satisfaction, commitment, and relational equity. This study enhances loyalty research by introducing a cohesive model that amalgamates technological and relational antecedents, thereby reconciling traditional loyalty formation with digital engagement frameworks. The framework establishes a robust basis for forthcoming empirical validation and managerial approaches designed to improve sustainable customer retention within digital ecosystems.