The relative impact of gratitude and transactional satisfaction on post-complaint consumer response

Consumer research has shown that satisfaction with complaint handling strongly favours word-of-mouth but affects repurchasing to a lesser extent. To better understand post-complaint consumer response, we propose and test a model in which both gratitude and transactional satisfaction are assumed to be critical mediators of the effects of recovery investments on performance outcomes. Our results show a contrasting pattern of results for each mediator. Whereas gratitude strongly influences repurchase intent but does not explain word-of-mouth intent, transactional satisfaction, with its effect on repurchase intent being fully mediated by the latter construct, strongly contributes to word-of-mouth intent. Drawing on the analysis of pre-existing brand attitude as a moderator, our findings also suggests that the mediating roles of gratitude and satisfaction rely on different psychological mechanisms. The implications of these findings are significant for service recovery researchers and managers.