The Mediating Effect of Customer Engagement on Brand Awareness: Limitations Digital Packaging for Local Products

This study aims to analyze the effect of digital packaging, consisting of QR Code Quality (X1), Augmented Reality Attractiveness (X2), Interactive Experience (X3), Perceived Information Usefulness (X4), and Technology Ease of Use (X5), on Brand Awareness (Y) of Bernad Tani products through Customer Engagement (Z) as a mediating variable.  A quantitative approach with a causal design was applied to 100 respondents obtained through purposive and snowball sampling. Data analysis used Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that all independent variables have a positive and significant effect on Z, and Z significantly affects Y. The main findings indicate that the most dominant factors are Technology Ease of Use (X5) and QR Code Quality (X1) , meaning consumers highly prioritize simple access and technical reliability of QR Codes as the gateway to digital content. The research model demonstrates strong predictive capability, evidenced by an R² value of 0.824 for Z (82.4% variance explained by X1–X5) and an R² value of 0.694 for Y (69.4% variance explained by Z). Customer Engagement is proven to act as a partial mediator in all influence paths. Practically, Bernad Tani's management is advised to prioritize simplifying the technology interface and improving the physical quality of QR Codes on packaging to sustainably drive consumer engagement and brand awareness.