Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between switching barriers and bank customers’ loyalty in the UAE, and their variation according to customers’ emotional stability.
Design/methodology/approach
– Data were collected from 413 bank customers through a self-administered questionnaire. The conceptual model and hypotheses were tested using a structural equation modeling method.
Findings
– Social benefits, confidence benefits, and switching cost affected the banks’ customers’ loyalty directly and in a positive manner. This study's findings confirm that switching barriers are more important in triggering the loyalty of less emotionally stable customers in comparison with highly emotionally stable customers.
Practical implications
– Banks could use these results to manage switching barriers and customer relations.
Originality/value
– This paper demonstrates how the emotional stability of customers interferes with customers’ switching behavior.
