Exploring the mediating role of purchase experience between marketing mix, social factors, and consumer purchase behavior

The bakery industry in Indonesia has experienced rapid development in recent years, creating increasingly intense competition and reinforcing the need to understand the determinants of consumer purchase decisions. This study aims to clearly examine the effects of the marketing mix and social factors on consumer purchase decisions for Rotiboy in Surabaya, while also analyzing the mediating role of purchase experience. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected through a structured survey distributed to Rotiboy consumers, and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS).The results show that both the marketing mix and social factors have a significant and positive effect on consumer purchase decisions, indicating that product quality, pricing strategies, promotion effectiveness, and social interactions remain influential in shaping consumer behavior. Furthermore, purchase experience is found to significantly mediate the relationship between the marketing mix and purchase decisions, demonstrating that positive experiential value strengthens the effectiveness of marketing strategies. However, the study reveals that purchase experience does not mediate the effect of social factors on purchase decisions, suggesting that social influences- such as family and peer recommendations—work independently of consumers’ personal experiences.These findings contribute theoretically by clarifying the role of experiential factors in consumer behavior research, particularly within the bakery industry in emerging marketsPractically, the results offer important insights for Rotiboy management, emphasizing the urgency of enhancing product consistency, service quality, and in-store atmosphere to foster stronger and more memorable consumer purchase experiences. Overall, this study highlights that integrating effective marketing strategies with superior purchase experiences is essential for strengthening consumer purchase decisions and maintaining sustainable competitiveness.