The perceived influence of relationship quality on brand loyalty

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aobakwe Ledikwe ◽  
Mornay Roberts-Lombard ◽  
Hendrik Baltus Klopper

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which the attitudinal loyalty of customers of small and medium apparel businesses is influenced by their perceptions of trust, commitment and satisfaction. In turn, the influence of their attitudinal loyalty on future behavioural loyalty is established.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative descriptive research approach was employed and questionnaires were administered to customers of three selected small and medium enterprise (SME) brands in the metropolitan city of Gaborone, Botswana. A total of 260 questionnaires were suitable for data analysis. The interrelationship of the constructs was analysed via structural equation modelling. In addition, the measurement and structural models were assessed.FindingsTrust, commitment and satisfaction have a positive and significant influence on the attitudinal loyalty of SME customers, while attitudinal loyalty has a positive and significant influence on their behavioural loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsThe tested model confirms the hypothesised relationships between SME customers’ trust, commitment, satisfaction, attitudinal loyalty and behavioural loyalty. Attitudinal loyalty is linked to its three antecedents (trust, commitment and satisfaction) and its outcome, behavioural loyalty.Practical implicationsThe findings assist the management of SMEs in understanding how the cultivation of trust, commitment and satisfaction can foster attitudinal loyalty, ultimately leading to improved behavioural loyalty.Originality/valueThe current study contributes to new knowledge on the interrelationship of selected relationship quality dimensions, attitudinal loyalty and behavioural loyalty among SME customers in the apparel industry of Botswana. Few research studies have examined how attitudinal loyalty relates to its antecedents and outcome in Botswana, as an emerging African economy.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bodo Steiner ◽  
Moritz Brandhoff

Purpose This paper aims to explore the role of configurations of relationship quality dimensions for explaining sources of behavioral outcomes in the globalized manufacturing industry. Design/methodology/approach A joint analysis of behavioral and objective performance data from globalized manufacturing links perceptual customer metrics that relate to dimensions of relationship quality (i.e. attitudinal loyalty, perceived customer orientation, customers’ perceived innovativeness of the supplier and perceived customer influence on supplier innovation) with behavioral outcomes (i.e. share of wallet (SOW) and customer account profitability). Using data from a global business-to-business (B2B) customer survey together with archival performance data from a multinational mechanical engineering firm, a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is performed. Findings The fsQCA results suggest that perceptual customer metrics related to innovation can be relevant aspects of relationship quality, in line with Anderson and Mittal’s (2000) satisfaction-repurchase-profitability chain framework and its adaptation to SOW. However, the underlying complexities in the different combinations of attributes in the recipe are such that they are not equifinal in leading to higher SOW or higher profitability. This paper finds indications for non-linearities between perceptual measures investigated and profitability of customer accounts, with particular relevance for the role of perceived customer orientation, perceived product innovativeness of the supplier and attitudinal loyalty. Research limitations/implications The analysis faces a number of limitations, starting with its reliance on cross-sectional survey data, which does not enable us to account for feedback mechanisms, for example, arising from customer perceptions regarding innovation aspects. The lack of a multidimensional conceptionalization of the perceptual customer constructs may have limited the analysis, considering also recent evidence from retail companies in the furniture sector in Spain, suggesting that the multidimensional conceptualization of relationship value explained satisfaction and loyalty levels to a greater extent than the one-dimensional conceptualization (Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2019). Practical implications In terms of managerial implication, the results suggest that customers perceive limited value in participating in the focal firm’s innovation value chain funnel, hence customer loyalty cannot be bought using simple incentive strategies. The results with regard to customer account profitability suggest that B2B customers investigated here may distinguish when interacting with their globalized supplier in the innovation funnel: they may see a positive customer value when the innovation is a product, and thus, relation-specific, whereas they may see limited customer value when innovation is considered in more generic terms (customers’ perceived influence on supplier innovation in general). Originality/value This paper starts from the premise that perceptual customer metrics can matter for supplier performance, as the customer relationship and customer value management research has shown. However, there is limited empirical evidence from globalized manufacturing sectors incorporating perceptual constructs in behavioral outcomes, and limited evidence assessing customer-perceived value in such sectors through alternate approaches to main-effects focused analyzes. We employ qualitative comparative analysis using fuzzy sets (Russo et al., 2019) to address these gaps, focusing on two key behavioral outcomes, namely, customer account profitability and SOW.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 1374-1397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung-Che Wu ◽  
Ching-Chan Cheng ◽  
Yi-Chang Chen ◽  
Wien Hong

Purpose This paper aims to test the relationships among the experiential quality dimensions, the green relationship quality dimensions, environmental friendliness, green support, green desire and green experiential loyalty in a green bed & breakfast (B&B) context. Design/methodology/approach The data used in this study are based on a sample of 517 customers staying at one green B&B in Yilan County of Taiwan. The predicted relationship is tested using structural equation modeling. Findings The empirical findings reveal the following: five dimensions (peer-to-peer quality, physical environment quality, outcome quality, venue quality and administration quality) constitute a multidimensional model to conceptualize and measure perceived experiential quality that can achieve green experiential satisfaction in addition to environmental friendliness; environmental friendliness has a direct influence on green trust and green experiential satisfaction, which has a positive significant influence on green support and green desire; and green trust, green experiential satisfaction and green support contribute to green experiential loyalty. Practical implications To increase the perceptions of experiential quality dimensions, green relationship quality dimensions, environmental friendliness, green support, green desire and green experiential loyalty, the findings of this study will help green B&B management develop and implement market-orientated service strategies. Originality/value This paper provides data that result in a better understanding of the relationships among experiential quality dimensions, green relationship quality dimensions, environmental friendliness, green support, green desire and green experiential loyalty in a green B&B setting.


2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 863-880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Tung ◽  
Jamie Carlson

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the drivers of the customers’ cross-buying intentions for retail banking services in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach – The research model was developed based on literature and tested empirically among 269 customers of retail banks in Hong Kong. Structural equation modelling was used to test the system of relationships. Findings – The results indicate that the customers’ cross-buying intentions are primarily associated with image conflicts about the provider’s abilities to deliver high quality financial services from different activities and high levels of customer loyalty. Research limitations/implications – The research is limited to a single country focus of Hong Kong retail banking. The generalizibility of these findings is therefore limited to this context. Practical implications – The findings of the study have important implications for academicians in understanding what drives cross-buying behaviour as well as retail bank practitioners to help design more effective cross-buying strategies. Originality/value – The authors show that perceived image conflict and customer loyalty directly influences cross-buying intentions and that cross-buying intentions is not affected by dimensions of relationship quality directly. However, relationship quality dimensions was found to influence customer loyalty and play an important indirect role in unlocking cross-buying intentions.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kassimu Issau ◽  
Sanjay Soni ◽  
Innocent Senyo Kwasi Acquah

PurposeThis research examines the interrelationships between market orientation (MO) and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in the small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. Due to the conflicting results associated with each orientation's influence on firm performance, some researchers advanced that scholars should resort to concurrent observation of the constructs. To the researchers, concurrent deployment of the constructs by businesses is likely to result in an enhanced performance. However, what is lacking in their proposition is how the deployment of these resources should be, thereby leading to a knowledge gap in the literature. The aforementioned gap is what this paper seeks to address.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed deductive research approach, and data were collected from 366 SMEs' owners or owner-managers of SMEs in two metropoles in Ghana. For this study, the hand delivery and collection of questionnaire technique was deployed. The reason is that most respondents may be reluctant to respond to the questionnaires through the post or Internet. Partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed for the data analysis due to its importance in allowing the testing of relationships among constructs. Furthermore, seven-point Likert scale was used to generate responses from the respondents.FindingsThe result indicates that MO and EO have a positive and significant influence on each other. However, the influence of EO on MO is greater. Therefore, when owners of SMEs are embracing the two constructs in their businesses, EO should precede MO. The finding is a novelty of this study. Through this result, the owners of SMEs would have knowledge of embracing EO before MO during the employment of the two constructs in their firms. The study further revealed that not all the components of MO have positive and significant influence on EO, and the reverse is true. Without this study, the owners of SMEs would have placed equal attention on each construct and their components. The study also indicates that deployment of MO in its composite form rather than components is the best way for improving EO.Practical implicationsThe more SMEs engage in MO activities, the likelihood of an increase in their entrepreneurial spirit and the opposite is true. However, engaging in more EO activities would result in higher MO than the reverse.Originality/valueThe findings add to the empirical literature by revealing the interrelationships between MO and EO, which serve as a guide to owners of SMEs and practitioners in their concurrent deployment of the two constructs. The findings would also open replication doors for future researchers in different settings.


2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 1139-1162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Andrew Coleman ◽  
Leslie de Chernatony ◽  
George Christodoulides

Purpose – This paper aims to apply the business-to-business (B2B) Service Brand Identity (SBI) scale to empirically assess the influence of service brand identity on brand performance for the first time. Design/methodology/approach – Based on data collected from 421 senior marketing executives, this paper applies the B2B SBI and structural equation modeling to fulfill the above purpose. Findings – Brand personality and human resource initiatives have a positive and significant influence on brand performance. Corporate visual identity, in addition to an employee and client focus, has an insignificant impact on performance. Consistent communications have a negative and significant influence on brand performance. Research limitations/implications – Data were only collected from executives in the UK. This research would benefit from replicative studies. Practical implications – This research empirically establishes the brand management activities that drive brand performance. Originality/value – This is the first empirical study to assess the influence service brand identity has on brand performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhail M. Ghouse ◽  
Omar Durrah ◽  
Gerard McElwee

PurposeThis paper examines the challenges associated with rural women entrepreneurs in Oman. The study is based on women living in rural and highland areas who aim to move beyond their traditional roles in the family seeking avenues for growth and development. It identifies several problems encountered by rural women entrepreneurs and the impact on their future business opportunities.Design/methodology/approachA mixed research approach involving quantitative and qualitative elements was adopted for the study. The research is based on 183 survey responses and personal interviews with 8 rural women entrepreneurs. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was adopted to analyse the quantitative responses and depict a model featuring the intensity of the problems affecting business opportunities. Seven short cases based upon the interviews with rural women entrepreneurs are also detailed.FindingsSeveral problems experienced by rural women entrepreneurs were identified hampering their business ventures, linked to personality, family, educational, socio-cultural, facilities, legal, financial and economic, organizational and geographical, out of which household, organizational and geographical linked problems were most significant. Entrepreneurial opportunities for rural women entrepreneurs are discussed.Practical implicationsThe research suggests that the policymakers should holistically consider how the rural women engaged in informal business for various means can be better supported and sustained by overcoming associated problems, can achieve business opportunities and contribute to regional socio-economic development.Originality/valueThere is a limited literature available on rural women entrepreneurship in an Arab context. The study provides an overview of the challenges and problems experienced by these women and the support areas required to overcome them for their sustainability in this region.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi ◽  
Olufemi Seth Olorunyomi ◽  
Richard Ajayi Jimoh ◽  
James Olabode Bamidele Rotimi

Purpose Many construction businesses are currently building and keeping social media pages for their enterprises to be visible to the public to improve their social interaction, promote business interest, build trust and relationships with their targeted audience on social media. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of social mediausage on performance of construction businesses (CBs) in Abuja, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach This study used a quantitative research approach by identifying constructs that reveal three aspects of organisation’s physiognomies that impact the process of espousing, implementing and using technological innovations in conducting businesses. Well-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from 113 purposively sampled building materials’ merchant operating in Dei-Dei Market, Abuja, Nigeria. This study used partial least squares structural equation modelling technique to establish the relationship among the constructs. Findings The results of this study indicated that technology has significant relationship with social media adoption, whereas social media adoption has a very strong positive impact on organisation’s performance (P < 0.001) with respect to improved customer relations and services and enhanced information accessibility. Research limitations/implications This study has implications for CBs that wish to adopt social media to promote their businesses by presenting to them the opportunity to understand the impact of technology, environment and organisational potential in improving business performance. This study is cross-sectional in nature, and this calls for caution in interpreting the results. Originality/value This paper developed and tested a conceptual framework presented to understand the interrelationships amongst the constructs, which would be of great significance to business owners in developing their social interaction and promote business interest via social media. The outcome of this research is beneficial to researchers to further study how the different social media tools could help in influencing business decisions.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Al Nawas ◽  
Shadi Altarifi ◽  
Nabil Ghantous

PurposeLimited knowledge exists on the difference in the antecedents and outcomes of relationship quality's cognitive and emotional aspects for e-retailers. This research tests how utilitarian and hedonic shopping values differentially affect “cognitive and emotional” relationship quality components and how the latter differentially affects word-of-mouth and brand evangelism.Design/methodology/approachOnline survey data were collected from 450 Jordanian online shoppers. Structural equation modeling (AMOS 24.0) was employed to analyze the data.FindingsFirst, e-retailer's informativeness and transaction convenience (i.e. utilitarian values), drive more strongly cognitive than emotional relationship quality, whereas e-retailer's escapism and social presence (i.e. hedonic values) drive more strongly emotional than cognitive relationship quality. Second, emotional relationship quality has a strong significant effect on brand evangelism, whereas cognitive relationship quality's effect is insignificant. Third, there are no statistically significant differences concerning the effect of cognitive and emotional relationship quality on word-of-mouth.Originality/valueThe findings of our research are expected to enhance our understanding of e-retailer relationship quality, its emergence and consequences. They would also provide e-retailers with guidance on how to execute growth strategies by focusing on specific types of brand relationship quality, on the other hand.


2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 553-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Shahin Sharifi ◽  
Mohammad Rahim Esfidani

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study how relationship marketing can reduce cognitive dissonance in post-purchase stage and, thereby, increase customer satisfaction and encourage loyalty under mediating roles of trust and cognitive dissonance. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a survey on consumers of cell phones, the authors tested the effects of relationship marketing on cognitive dissonance and then customer satisfaction, behavioural, and attitudinal loyalty, using structural equation modelling. Findings – The results indicate that, thanks to relationship marketing, consumers undertook less cognitive dissonance in post-purchase stage. Thus, as consumers faced less cognitive dissonance, they represented more satisfaction and thereby behavioural and attitudinal loyalty. Additionally, the study confirmed the mediating role of trust and cognitive dissonance. Practical implications – The results show that when brands and retailers make their ties with their customers stronger and encourage trust, they can discourage cognitive dissonance in post-purchase stage and thereby encourage customer satisfaction and behavioural and attitudinal loyalty. Originality/value – Literature on post-purchase behaviour and cognitive dissonance shows how cognitive dissonance can reduce post-purchase satisfaction. Our research adds to the literature of both relationship marketing and post-purchase behaviour.


2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
pp. 1984-1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung-Yu Wang ◽  
Hsiao-Ching Lee ◽  
Li-Wei Wu ◽  
Chih-Chung Liu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how quality dimensions in independently owned online brand communities influence purchase intentions via uncertainty reduction and the role of involvement. Design/methodology/approach This work validates the model and hypotheses through non-probabilistic sampling. The online questionnaire was made on the website of MySurvey and an invitation letter was posted to the forums. The respondents received the questionnaire items translated into Chinese. The final survey sample consisted of 235 respondents. Findings Empirical results confirm that as for independently owned online brand communities, their information quality and relationship quality are effective tools for influencing purchase intentions via uncertainty reduction. In addition, the authors demonstrate that involvement has a positively moderating influence on the relationship between uncertainty reduction and purchase intentions. Originality/value The current study moves beyond uncertainty reduction to demonstrate that information quality and relationship quality of forums influenced purchase intention via uncertainty reduction and the moderating variable such as involvement.


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