ABSTRACT Siti Nurpadila, 2026, “The Effect of Price and Product Quality of Salted Fish on Customer Loyalty with Customer Satisfaction as a Mediating Variable at Kios Dila Tenggarong”, Management Study Program, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Kutai Kartanegara, under the supervision of Ir. Awang Yacoub L., MM and Johansyah, S.E., M.M.
This study aims to analyze the effect of price and product quality of salted fish on customer loyalty, with customer satisfaction as a mediating variable, conducted at Kios Dila in Tenggarong, Kutai Kartanegara Regency. The population in this study consists of consumers who visit Kios Dila in Tenggarong, totaling 10 people per day, or 70 people per week. The sampling method was conducted using purposive sampling, with the criteria that consumers had purchased at Kios Dila at least once. The sample size was calculated using Slovin’s formula, resulting in 61 respondents. This study uses Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for data analysis with the Partial Least Square (PLS) method to test the seven hypotheses proposed. Each hypothesis will be analyzed using SmartPLS 4 software to examine the relationships between variables. PLS is a component-based or variance-based structural equation modeling method. The results of this study indicate that Price has a significant effect on Customer Satisfaction.
Product Quality has a significant effect on Customer Satisfaction. Price does not have a significant effect on Customer Loyalty. Product Quality has a significant effect on Customer Loyalty. Customer Satisfaction has a significant effect on Customer Loyalty. Price has a significant effect on Customer Loyalty through Customer Satisfaction. Product Quality has a significant effect on Customer Loyalty through Customer Satisfaction. Keywords: Price, Product Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty