Distinctive packaging design and strong brand association are essential elements to increase brand quality and customer loyalty which can insulate a company against competitive actions in a retail environment. However, there is a relative scarcity of studies on the impact of packaging on brand quality and loyalty through the mediating effect of brand association in the overthe-counter health market. Against this background, the current study aimed to investigate the packaging's effect on brand quality and loyalty through the intervening effect of brand association in the over-the-counter health market. Using a systematic sampling technique, survey questionnaires were distributed to 348 customers shopping in the over-the-counter market. The data gathered were statistically analysed using structural equation modelling via SPSS Amos 20. The research revealed that brand association partially mediates the path between packaging and brand quality but fully mediates the packaging's effect on brand loyalty in the over-the-counter health market. The study also found that brand quality plays a partial role in the impact of brand association on loyalty in the over-the-counter health market. The study, therefore, established that the interplay of product packaging and brand association are crucial elements for enhancing the brand quality and the customers' loyalty in the over-the-counter health market. Besides, the research confirmed that enhanced association and quality are pre-requisite for developing and enriching loyalty in the over-the-counter health market.

Enduring brand trust, credibility, value and equity are essential drivers of customers’ willingness to pay a high price for a brand which can engender a higher profit margin. The role of brand trust, credibility, value and equity in strengthening customers` willingness to pay a price premium has been extensively studied of late. However, studies on the effect of brand trust, credibility and value on willingness to pay more through the intervening role of brand equity, particularly in the herbal industry are relatively scarce. As a result, this paper`s goal was to investigate the brand equity effect on the relationship between trust, credibility, value and willingness to pay a price premium in the herbal industry. Survey questionnaires were employed to gather information from 265 samples of customers through a systematic sampling strategy. The research propositions were tested using structural equation modelling. The study established that brand equity fully mediates the effect of brand credibility and perceived value on willingness to pay a price premium but partially mediates the path between brand trust and willingness to pay more in the herbal industry. The research, therefore, recommends that brand managers need to consider brand credibility, trust, value, and equity in strengthening customers` willingness to pay a price premium for medicinal herbal products in the industry.

High levels of brand awareness, image and credibility have a profound impact on customers’ favourable word-of-mouth behaviour, which can lead to an increase in market share. Despite the important role of brand awareness, image and credibility in supporting customers’ word-of- mouth behaviour, there are limited studies on the mediating role of brand credibility in the impact of brand awareness and image on word-of-mouth praise and activity in the herbal market. Hence, this paper aimed to investigate the impact of brand awareness and brand image on word-of-mouth activity and praise via the mediating role of brand credibility in the herbal market. Data were gathered from a sample of 265 customers in the Cape Coast herbal market using a systematic sampling technique. The research hypotheses were statistically analysed through structural equation modelling, using SPSS and Amos 26. The research found that the impact of brand awareness and brand image on word-of-mouth activity is not mediated by brand credibility. However, the effect of brand awareness and image on word-of-mouth praise is fully mediated by brand credibility. The research established that brand credibility is an important element in building brand awareness and image to strengthen word-of-mouth praise in the herbal market in Ghana.

The significance of brand image, trust, credibility and perceived value to repurchase intentions has received considerable attention of late. However, few studies have investigated the impact of image, trust and credibility on repurchase intentions through the role of value as high-order construct, particularly in the over-the-counter herbal market. Hence, this study aims at exploring the impact of brand image, trust and credibility on value dimensions and in turn, their role in enriching repurchases intentions in the over-the-counter herbal market. Data were collected from a sample of 265 customers using a systematic sampling method. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses in the study. The study established that brand image, trust and credibility positively influence the value dimensions, which in turn, strengthen repurchase intentions. The study, therefore, recommends that managers should develop and harness image, trust, credibility and value dimensions to reinforce repurchase intentions in the over-the-counter herbal market.