The Relationship Between Brand Hate and Product Quality on Non-Repurchase Intention (A Case Study of Bottled Drinking Water Product X)

The growth of the bottled drinking water industry market in Indonesia post-COVID-19 presents a significant opportunity for all bottled water producers in the country. However, Product X, as one of the products in the bottled drinking water industry in Indonesia, experienced a decline in sales and Brand Index in 2023, which is suspected to be due to calls for a boycott of Product X accompanied by news related to Bisphenol A (BPA) content in the product. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent of the influence of Product Quality and Brand Hate on Non-Repurchase Intention, mediated by Negative Electronic Word of Mouth (N-EWOM). This research is quantitative with causal and descriptive analysis. Sampling was conducted by distributing questionnaires to 465 respondents, which were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the statistical software SmartPLS 3.2.9. The results of this study indicate a positive and significant relationship between Brand Hate and Non-Repurchase Intention, as well as a negative and significant relationship between Product Quality and Non-Repurchase Intention mediated by N-EWOM for Product X. The model in this study can predict the Non-Repurchase Intention of Product X consumers by 43.1%, which falls into the weak category. Based on these findings, Product X can: (1) cease activities that deviate from the ideology of Indonesian society, (2) build a good Brand Image, and (3) initiate a positive electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM) campaign on social media to rebuild its brand image.