Strengthening the satisfaction loyalty link: the role of relational switching costs

Heiner Evanschitzky, Valentina Stan, Liane Nagengast

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The extant retail research has placed much emphasis on understanding customer switching and the concept of switching costs (SCs). However, the empirical evidence is inconclusive with respect to the moderating role of SCs in general and relational switching costs (RSCs) in particular. Therefore, this research focuses on the moderating role played by SCs on the satisfaction-loyalty link. Specifically, our study attempts to clarify the nonlinear moderating effect of RSCs. Furthermore, we investigate RSCs in greater depth, considering their two dimensions, brand relationship loss costs (BRLCs), and personal relationship loss costs (PRLCs). We find that there is an optimal level of BRLC whereas increasing PRLCs decreases the impact of satisfaction on loyalty in a linear manner, calling for a more nuanced assessment of this type of SC in future studies. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of SCs as a retention strategy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)293-310
Number of pages18
JournalMarketing Letters
Volume33
Issue number2
Early online date27 Aug 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2022

Keywords

  • Customer satisfaction
  • Loyalty
  • Relational switching costs
  • Switching costs

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Strengthening the satisfaction loyalty link: the role of relational switching costs'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this