nach oben

Service Business

Erschienen in:

01.03.2015 | Empirical article

Investing in customer loyalty: the moderating role of relational characteristics

verfasst von: M. S. Balaji

Erschienen in: Service Business | Ausgabe 1/2015

Einloggen

Aktivieren Sie unsere intelligente Suche, um passende Fachinhalte oder Patente zu finden.

search-config

KI-gestützte Suche

Aus

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the linkages between relationship investment, relationship quality, and loyalty, as well as the moderating role of relational characteristics of age (length of relationship), density (number of unique relational ties), and dependence (extent of dependence on relationship partnership). Based on the interpersonal perspective, this study extends previous research by incorporating relational characteristics in understanding the effects of relationship investment strategies on loyalty. Responses collected from 381 actual retail banking customers were analyzed using structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression analysis. The results show that in forming customer loyalty, relationship investments, satisfaction, and commitment play a critical role. However, it was found that these relationships are moderated by the relational characteristics. Specifically, the effect of relationship satisfaction on loyalty decreases as the length of the relationship increases. On the contrary, a positive satisfaction and loyalty relationship was observed for high density users. These findings help managers in developing and implementing relationship investment strategies that enhance customer loyalty.

Vorheriger Artikel Competition behavior in service frequency for U.S. airlines

Nächster Artikel Shaping innovation in European knowledge-intensive business services

Sie haben noch keine Lizenz? Dann Informieren Sie sich jetzt über unsere Produkte:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren

Ahmad R, Buttle F (2001) Customer retention: a potentially potent marketing management strategy. J Strateg Mark 9:29–45CrossRef

Alejandro TB, Souza DV, Boles JS, Ribeiro ÁHP, Monteiro PRR (2011) The outcome of company and account manager relationship quality on loyalty, relationship value and performance. Ind Mark Manag 40:36–43CrossRef

Anderson JC, Narus JA (1990) A model of distributor firm and manufacturer firm working partnerships. J Mark 54:42–58CrossRef

Aurier P, N’Goala G (2010) The differing and mediating roles of trust and relationship commitment in service relationship maintenance and development. J Acad Mark Sci 38:303–325CrossRef

Bagozzi RP, Yi Y (2012) Specification, evaluation, and interpretation of structural equation models. J Acad Mark Sci 40:8–34CrossRef

Balasubramanian S, Konana P, Menon NM (2003) Customer satisfaction in virtual environments: a study of online investing. Manag Sci 49:871–889CrossRef

Bartikowski B, Walsh G, Beatty SE (2011) Culture and age as moderators in the corporate reputation and loyalty relationship. J Bus Res 64:966–972CrossRef

Bendapudi N, Berry LL (1997) Customers’ motivations for maintaining relationships with service providers. J Retail 73:15–37CrossRef

Berman SL, Wicks AC, Kotha S, Jones TM (1999) Does stakeholder orientation matter? The relationship between stakeholder management models and firm financial performance. Acad Manag J 42:488–506CrossRef

Berscheid E, Snyder M, Omoto AM (1989) The relationship closeness inventory: assessing the closeness of interpersonal relationships. J Pers Soc Psychol 57:792–807CrossRef

Bettencourt LA (1997) Customer voluntary performance: customers as partners in service delivery. J Retail 73:383–406CrossRef

Bozdogan H (1987) Model selection and Akaike’s information criterion (AIC): the general theory and its analytical extensions. Psychometrika 52:345–370CrossRef

Caceres RC, Paparoidamis NG (2007) Service quality, relationship satisfaction, trust, commitment and business-to-business loyalty. Eur J Mark 41:836–867CrossRef

Chiou J, Shen C (2006) The effects of satisfaction, opportunism, and asset specificity on consumers’ loyalty intention toward internet portal sites. Int J Serv Ind Manag 17:7–22CrossRef

Christopher M, Jüttner U (2000) Developing strategic partnerships in the supply chain: a practitioner perspective. Eur J Purch Supply Manag 6:117–127CrossRef

Cohen J, Cohen P, West S, Aiken L (1983) Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ

Coulter KS, Coulter RA (2002) Determinants of trust in a service provider: the moderating role of length of relationship. J Serv Mark 16:35–50CrossRef

Dagger TS, O’Brien TK (2010) Does experience matter?: differences in relationship benefits, satisfaction, trust, commitment and loyalty for novice and experienced service users. Eur J Mark 44:1528–1552CrossRef

Dagger TS, Danaher PJ, Gibbs BJ (2009) How often versus how long: the interplay of contact frequency and relationship duration in customer-reported service relationship strength. J Serv Res 11:371–388CrossRef

Davis-Sramek B, Droge C, Mentzer JT, Myers MB (2009) Creating commitment and loyalty behavior among retailers: what are the roles of service quality and satisfaction? J Acad Mark Sci 37:440–454CrossRef

De Cannière MH, De Pelsmacker P, Geuens M (2010) Relationship quality and purchase intention and behavior: the moderating impact of relationship strength. J Bus Psychol 25:87–98CrossRef

De Ruyter K, Moorman L, Lemmink J (2001) Antecedents of commitment and trust in customer–supplier relationships in high technology markets. Ind Mark Manag 30:271–286CrossRef

De Wulf K, Odekerken-Schröder G, Iacobucci D (2001) Investments in consumer relationships: a cross-country and cross-industry exploration. J Mark 65:33–50CrossRef

Deng Z, Lu Y, Wei KK, Zhang J (2010) Understanding customer satisfaction and loyalty: an empirical study of mobile instant messages in China. Int J Inf Manag 30:289–300CrossRef

Drigotas SM, Rusbult CE (1992) Should I stay or should I go? A dependence model of breakups. J Pers Soc Psychol 62:62–87CrossRef

Dwyer FR, Schurr PH, Oh S (1987) Developing buyer-seller relationships. J Mark 51:11–27CrossRef

Fink RC, James WL, Hatten KJ (2011) Customer perceptions of dependencies in customer–supplier relationships. J Strateg Mark 19:73–89CrossRef

Fornell C, Larcker DF (1981) Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. J Mark Res 18:39–50CrossRef

Fraedrich J, Ferrell O (1992) Cognitive consistency of marketing managers in ethical situations. J Acad Mark Sci 20:245–252CrossRef

Fullerton G (2011) Creating advocates: the roles of satisfaction, trust and commitment. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 18:92–100CrossRef

Galbreath J (2002) Success in the relationship age: building quality relationship assets for market value creation. TQM Mag 14:8–24CrossRef

Garbarino E, Johnson MS (1999) The different roles of satisfaction, trust, and commitment in customer relationships. J Mark 63:70–87CrossRef

Gassenheimer JB, Calantone RJ, Scully JI (1995) Supplier involvement and dealer satisfaction: implications for enhancing channel relationships. J Bus Ind Mark 10:7–19CrossRef

Gilbert DC, Choi KC (2003) Relationship marketing practice in relation to different bank ownerships: a study of banks in Hong Kong. Int J Bank Mark 21:137–146CrossRef

Grewal R, Comer JM, Mehta R (2001) An investigation into the antecedents of organizational participation in business-to-business electronic markets. J Mark 65:17–33CrossRef

Gronroos C (1990) Relationship approach to marketing in service contexts: the marketing and organizational behavior interface. J Bus Res 20:3–11CrossRef

Gutiérrez SS, Cillán JG, Izquierdo CC (2004) The consumer’s relational commitment: main dimensions and antecedents. J Retail Consum Serv 11:351–367CrossRef

Harris LC, Goode MM (2004) The four levels of loyalty and the pivotal role of trust: a study of online service dynamics. J Retail 80:139–158CrossRef

Hennig-Thurau T, Gwinner KP, Gremler DD (2002) Understanding relationship marketing outcomes an integration of relational benefits and relationship quality. J Serv Res 4:230–247CrossRef

Hsieh Y, Chiu H, Chiang M (2005) Maintaining a committed online customer: a study across search-experience-credence products. J Retail 81:75–82CrossRef

Hur W, Kim HK, Kim H (2013) Investigation of the relationship between service values and loyalty behaviors under high commitment. Serv Bus 7:103–119CrossRef

Jap SD, Ganesan S (2000) Control mechanisms and the relationship life cycle: implications for safeguarding specific investments and developing commitment. J Mark Res 37:227–245CrossRef

Jones MA, Suh J (2000) Transaction-specific satisfaction and overall satisfaction: an empirical analysis. J Serv Mark 14:147–159CrossRef

Karjaluoto H, Jayawardhena C, Leppäniemi M, Pihlström M (2012) How value and trust influence loyalty in wireless telecommunications industry. Telecommun Policy 36:636–649CrossRef

Kim H, Kim Y, Jolly L, Fairhurst A (2008) Satisfied customers’ love toward retailers: a cross-product exploration. Adv Consum Res 35:507–515CrossRef

Kim TT, Kim WG, Kim H (2009) The effects of perceived justice on recovery satisfaction, trust, word-of-mouth, and revisit intention in upscale hotels. Tour Manag 30:51–62CrossRef

Krapfel RE, Salmond D, Spekman R (1991) A strategic approach to managing buyer–seller relationships. Eur J Mark 25:22–37CrossRef

Kumar V, Pozza ID, Ganesh J (2013) Revisiting the satisfaction–loyalty relationship: empirical generalizations and directions for future research. J Retail 89(3):246–262CrossRef

Lai F, Griffin M, Babin BJ (2009) How quality, value, image, and satisfaction create loyalty at a Chinese telecom. J Bus Res 62:980–986CrossRef

Lindell MK, Whitney DJ (2001) Accounting for common method variance in cross-sectional research designs. J Appl Psychol 86:114–121CrossRef

Lovelock CH (1983) Classifying services to gain strategic marketing insights. J Mark 47:9–20CrossRef

Morgan RM, Hunt SD (1994) The commitment–trust theory of relationship marketing. J Mark 58:20–38CrossRef

Ndubisi NO, Wah CK (2005) Factorial and discriminant analyses of the underpinnings of relationship marketing and customer satisfaction. Int J Bank Mark 23:542–557CrossRef

Palmatier RW (2008) Interfirm relational drivers of customer value. J Mark 72:76–89CrossRef

Palmatier RW, Dant RP, Grewal D, Evans KR (2006) Factors influencing the effectiveness of relationship marketing: a meta-analysis. J Mark 70:136–153CrossRef

Palmatier RW, Dant RP, Grewal D (2007) A comparative longitudinal analysis of theoretical perspectives of interorganizational relationship performance. J Mark 71:172–194CrossRef

Palmatier RW, Houston MB, Dant RP, Grewal D (2013) Relationship velocity: toward a theory of relationship dynamics. J Mark 77:13–30CrossRef

Ping RA (1994) Does satisfaction moderate the association between alternative attractiveness and exit intention in a marketing channel? J Acad Mark Sci 22:364–371CrossRef

Podsakoff PM, MacKenzie SB, Lee J, Podsakoff NP (2003) Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. J Appl Psychol 88:879–903CrossRef

Proença JF, de Castro LM (2007) The business-to-business relationship dimensions in financial services markets. Serv Bus 1:63–78CrossRef

Rafiq M, Lu X, Fulford H (2012) Measuring Internet retail service quality using ES-QUAL. J Mark Manag 28:1159–1173CrossRef

Raimondo MA, Costabile M (2008) How relationship age moderates loyalty formation the increasing effect of relational equity on customer loyalty. J Serv Res 11:142–160CrossRef

Ranaweera C, Menon K (2013) For better or for worse? Adverse effects of relationship age and continuance commitment on positive and negative word of mouth. Eur J Mark 47:1598–1621CrossRef

Ranaweera C, Prabhu J (2003) The influence of satisfaction, trust and switching barriers on customer retention in a continuous purchasing setting. Int J Serv Ind Manag 14:374–395CrossRef

Reinartz WJ, Kumar V (2003) The impact of customer relationship characteristics on profitable lifetime duration. J Mark 67:77–99CrossRef

Reinartz W, Krafft M, Hoyer WD (2004) The customer relationship management process: its measurement and impact on performance. J Mark Res 41:293–305CrossRef

Rusbult CE (1980) Commitment and satisfaction in romantic associations: a test of the investment model. J Exp Soc Psychol 16:172–186CrossRef

Scanzoni J (1979) Social exchange and behavioral interdependence. In: Burgess RL, Huston TL (eds) Social exchange in developing relationships. Academic Press Inc., New York, pp 61–98CrossRef

Seiders K, Voss GB, Grewal D, Godfrey AL (2005) Do satisfied customers buy more? Examining moderating influences in a retailing context. J Mark 69:26–43CrossRef

Stahl HK, Matzler K, Hinterhuber HH (2003) Linking customer lifetime value with shareholder value. Ind Mark Manag 32:267–279CrossRef

Sung Y, Choi SM (2010) “I won’t leave you although you disappoint me”: the interplay between satisfaction, investment, and alternatives in determining consumer–brand relationship commitment. Psychol Mark 27:1050–1073CrossRef

Surprenant CF, Solomon MR (1987) Predictability and personalization in the service encounter. J Mark 51:86–96CrossRef

Twing-Kwong S, Albaum LG, Fullgrabe L (2013) Trust in customer-salesperson relationship in China’s retail sector. Int J Retail Distrib Manag 41:226–248CrossRef

Venkatesan R, Kumar V, Ravishanker N (2007) Multichannel shopping: causes and consequences. J Mark 71:114–132CrossRef

Verhoef PC, Franses PH, Hoekstra JC (2001) The impact of satisfaction and payment equity on cross-buying: a dynamic model for a multi-service provider. J Retail 77:359–378CrossRef

Verhoef PC, Franses PH, Hoekstra JC (2002) The effect of relational constructs on customer referrals and number of services purchased from a multiservice provider: does age of relationship matter? J Acad Mark Sci 30:202–216CrossRef

Vesel P, Zabkar V (2010) Comprehension of relationship quality in the retail environment. Manag Serv Qual 20:213–235CrossRef

Vlachos PA, Theotokis A, Pramatari K, Vrechopoulos A (2010) Consumer-retailer emotional attachment: some antecedents and the moderating role of attachment anxiety. Eur J Mark 44:1478–1499CrossRef

Waheed KA, Gaur SS (2012) An empirical investigation of customer dependence in interpersonal buyer-seller relationships. Asia Pac J Mark Logist 24:102–124CrossRef

Wang F, Head M (2007) How can the web help build customer relationships?: an empirical study on e-tailing. Inf Manag 44:115–129CrossRef

Wang C, Wu L (2012) Customer loyalty and the role of relationship length. Manag Serv Qual 22:58–74CrossRef

Wildt AR, Ahtola OT (1978) Analysis of covariance. Quantitative applications in the social sciences series #12. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA

Wilson DT (1995) An integrated model of buyer–seller relationships. J Acad Mark Sci 23:335–345CrossRef

Xie Y, Peng S (2009) How to repair customer trust after negative publicity: the roles of competence, integrity, benevolence, and forgiveness. Psychol Mark 26:572–589CrossRef

Zhao T, Casu B, Ferrari A (2010) The impact of regulatory reforms on cost structure, ownership and competition in Indian banking. J Bank Financ 34:246–254CrossRef

Zhou KZ, Poppo L, Yang Z (2008) Relational ties or customized contracts? An examination of alternative governance choices in China. J Int Bus Stud 39:526–534CrossRef

Titel: Investing in customer loyalty: the moderating role of relational characteristics
verfasst von: M. S. Balaji
Publikationsdatum: 01.03.2015
Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Erschienen in: Service Business / Ausgabe 1/2015
Print ISSN: 1862-8516
Elektronische ISSN: 1862-8508
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-013-0213-y

Springer Professional

Abstract

Bitte loggen Sie sich ein, um Zugang zu Ihrer Lizenz zu erhalten.

Sie haben noch keine Lizenz? Dann Informieren Sie sich jetzt über unsere Produkte:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Weitere Artikel der Ausgabe 1/2015

Adopting e-finance: decomposing the technology acceptance model for investors

Innovation modes and strategies in knowledge intensive business services

A chance discovery-based approach for new product–service system (PSS) concepts

Competition behavior in service frequency for U.S. airlines

Shaping innovation in European knowledge-intensive business services

Service quality and productivity in the U.S. airline industry: a service quality-adjusted DEA model