Abstract

The rapid expansion of e-commerce platforms in India has disrupted traditional retail ecosystems, particularly in tier-II cities such as Patna, Bihar. While digital commerce offers price competitiveness and convenience, its cumulative effect on consumer brand loyalty toward brick-and-mortar retailers remains insufficiently studied in the Indian emerging-market context. Objectives: This study examines (1) the association between e-commerce usage intensity and brand loyalty toward traditional retailers; (2) the mediating roles of perceived convenience and price sensitivity; and (3) socio-demographic profiles most susceptible to loyalty shift in Patna District. Methodology: A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted with N = 500 respondents drawn through multi-stage stratified random sampling from Patna Municipal Corporation and peri-urban localities. A validated 42-item structured questionnaire was administered. Analysis employed Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) via AMOS 26, supplemented by bootstrapped mediation analysis (Hayes, 2022) and hierarchical moderation regression. Findings: E-commerce usage intensity was significantly and negatively associated with brand loyalty toward traditional retailers (β = −0.43, p < .001). Perceived convenience fully mediated this relationship (indirect effect = −0.27, 95% Boot CI [−0.34, −0.19]). Price sensitivity significantly moderated the direct effect (ΔR² = .06, p < .001). Younger consumers (18–30), higher-income groups, and male respondents demonstrated the greatest susceptibility to loyalty shift. Conclusions: E-commerce substantially weakens brand loyalty toward traditional retailers in Patna, mediated primarily by perceived convenience. Findings call for targeted loyalty reinvention strategies among Bihar's traditional retail sector and offer theoretical extensions of the Technology Acceptance Model in an emerging-market context.