When Service Quality Is Not Enough: Consumer Trust, Customer Satisfaction, and Business Sustainability in F&B MSMEs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58812/wsbm.v4i03.3053Keywords:
Service Quality, Consumer Trust, Customer Satisfaction, Business Sustainability, Food and Beverage MSMEsAbstract
Understanding how customer-related factors relate to business sustainability is particularly relevant for food and beverage (F&B) micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), where continued business activity depends partly on maintaining customer relationships. This study examines the relationships among service quality, consumer trust, customer satisfaction, and business sustainability in F&B MSMEs in Sukabumi, Indonesia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to May 2026 using purposive sampling, producing 120 valid consumer responses. The data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS. Service quality and consumer trust were positively associated with customer satisfaction, and customer satisfaction was positively associated with business sustainability. Consumer trust also showed a significant direct relationship with business sustainability, whereas the direct relationship between service quality and business sustainability was not statistically significant. The indirect effects further showed that customer satisfaction significantly transmitted the relationships of both service quality and consumer trust with business sustainability. These findings distinguish the roles of service performance and relational trust in the model: service quality related to business sustainability through customer satisfaction, while consumer trust exhibited both direct and satisfaction-mediated relationships. The results indicate that customer satisfaction and relational confidence represent distinct customer-side processes associated with the continuity of F&B MSMEs.
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