Open Journal of Business and Management, 2022, 10, 297-313 https://www.scirp.org/journal/ojbm ISSN Online: 2329-3292 ISSN Print: 2329-3284 DOI: 10.4236/ojbm.2022.101018 Jan. 18, 2022 297 Open Journal of Business and Management Effect of Packaging on Perceived Quality and Brand Loyalty: The Mediating Role of Brand Association in Over-the-Counter Market John Mensah 1* , Peter Kwasi Oppong 2 , Matilda Addae 1 1 Department of Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Cape Coast Technical University, Cape Coast, Ghana 2 Department of Entrepreneurship and Business Sciences, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana Abstract Distinctive packaging design and strong brand association are essential ele- ments 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 over- the-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 distri- buted 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 me- diates 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 asso- ciation are crucial elements for enhancing the brand quality and the custom- ers’ loyalty in the over-the-counter health market. Besides, the research con- firmed that enhanced association and quality are pre-requisite for developing and enriching loyalty in the over-the-counter health market. Keywords Packaging, Brand Association, Brand Quality, Brand Loyalty, Herbal Medicine How to cite this paper: Mensah, J., Op- pong, P. K., & Addae, M. (2022). Effect of Packaging on Perceived Quality and Brand Loyalty: The Mediating Role of Brand As- sociation in Over-the-Counter Market. Open Journal of Business and Management, 10, 297-313. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojbm.2022.101018 Received: September 28, 2021 Accepted: January 15, 2022 Published: January 18, 2022 Copyright © 2022 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access