THE INFLUENCE OF ELECTRONIC WORD OF MOUTH AND BRAND IMAGE ON CUSTOMER LOYALTY TOWARD HOTTO PRODUCTS

This study examines the influence of Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) and Brand Image on Customer Loyalty for Hotto products amidst the nutritional content claim discrepancy issue. The rapid growth of Indonesia's health food and beverage industry has been accompanied by challenges related to overclaiming of nutritional content, which may undermine consumer trust and loyalty. This study was conducted in Bekasi using a quantitative descriptive approach. Data were collected through structured questionnaires distributed to 100 Hotto consumers who were aware of the overclaim issue. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed using SPSS version 30. Partial test (t-test) results show that eWOM has a t-value of 4.328 > 1.660 with significance 0.000 < 0.05, so H1 is accepted — eWOM has a positive and significant effect on customer loyalty. Brand image obtained a t-value of 3.659 > 1.660 with significance 0.000 < 0.05, so H2 is accepted — brand image likewise has a positive and significant effect on customer loyalty. The coefficient of determination R² = 0.445 indicates that both variables jointly explain 44.5% of the variation in customer loyalty. This study confirms that, despite the overclaim issue, positive eWOM and a strong brand image remain key determinants that sustain consumer loyalty for Hotto products.