IRO Journals
Journal of Information Technology and Digital World

Digital Sustainability Signaling in ICT Services: Effects on Data-Driven Customer Experience and Brand Loyalty

Open Access
Published: 17 April, 2026
Pages: 59-81
  • Wafa Hamid Abdelrahman Mohamed Ahmed Wafa Hamid Abdelrahman Mohamed Ahmed
    Lecturer, Berlin School of Business and Innovation, Berlin, Germany
    Lecturer, Berlin School of Business and Innovation, Berlin, Germany
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How to Cite

Ahmed, Wafa Hamid Abdelrahman Mohamed. 2026. “Digital Sustainability Signaling in ICT Services: Effects on Data-Driven Customer Experience and Brand Loyalty”. Journal of Information Technology and Digital World 8 (2): 59-81. https://doi.org/10.36548/jitdw.2026.2.001.
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Keywords

Digital Sustainability
ICT Service Platforms
Customer Experience
Cloud Computing
Signaling Theory
Brand Loyalty
Data-Driven CX

Abstract

Sustainability has emerged as a key driver of strategy in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, particularly within digital infrastructures such as cloud computing platforms, data centers, and ICT service ecosystems. Yet its effects on customer experience (CX) in digitally mediated environments and brand loyalty are inconclusive in previous research. This study aims to clarify this inconclusiveness by investigating how sustainability initiatives communicated through digital channels and platform-based interactions shape CX and brand loyalty in information-asymmetric contexts. By applying Signaling Theory and Expectation Confirmation Theory, this study proposes a conceptual model in which sustainability initiatives influence CX both directly and indirectly through signal credibility, whereas sustainability expectations act as a moderating factor. Using survey results obtained from 412 ICT customers and employing structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, it can be concluded that sustainability initiatives affect customer experience directly as well as indirectly. However, the effect of sustainability via perceived credibility is much more significant, proving that sustainability serves as a conditional dominator in the formation of customer experience. This shows that customers respond only to how they interpret sustainability initiatives and not to their availability. Moreover, customer sustainability expectations moderate this relationship such that only when customers experience better-than-expected sustainability initiatives do they exhibit a positive relationship. Customer experience quality is also a robust predictor of brand loyalty. Finally, relational sales interactions for sustainability signals have a greater impact on credibility and loyalty than impersonal communication modes. This paper contributes to the literature by arguing that sustainability is a conditional driver of customer experience and brand loyalty. In addition, this paper incorporates signaling theory and expectation confirmation theory to explain the inconsistent results that have been obtained in previous studies. Managerially, this paper shows that ICT organizations need to incorporate sustainability into their CX and sales strategies. In addition, the findings are particularly relevant for ICT firms operating in data-intensive and cloud-based environments. However, they need to do so credibly and transparently and without overpromising so that customers do not think they are engaging in greenwashing.

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