Assessing the role of product category involvement and relationship proneness in the satisfaction–loyalty link in retailing

Abstract

Purpose Product category involvement and relationship proneness are crucial in explaining relationship outcomes. Nevertheless, the authors know little about their roles in the formation of loyalty, especially in the retail industry. Individual consumer traits and preferences are likely to play a critical role in the success of relationship marketing. Yet, relationship marketing studies have fallen short of considering such individual differences. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effects of product category involvement and relationship proneness on the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty in retail clothing stores. Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained using a survey of 220 consumers. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed theoretical model. Findings The results show that satisfaction significantly affects product category involvement and relationship proneness, which, in turn, significantly affect purchase intention and word-of-mouth (WOM). The results also show that product category involvement and relationship proneness partially mediate the impact of satisfaction on purchase intention and WOM. Research limitations/implications Product category involvement and relationship proneness play a critical role in explaining the satisfaction–loyalty link. Future research could consider the role of potential moderating variables. Practical implications Retail managers should not only focus on improving customer satisfaction to achieve customer loyalty, but should also consider the importance of product category involvement and relationship proneness, and their role in the formation of customer loyalty both in traditional and online environments. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the mediating effects of product category involvement and relationship proneness on the relationship between satisfaction, purchase intention and WOM in the retail industry.

Analysing the predictors of the young buyers' satisfaction in the e-retailing apparel sector

“…The concept of loyalty is defined as a long-term promise to buy the product again in the future, apart from situational influences and marketing efforts of competitors (Oliver, 1997;Menidjel et al, 2019). Loyalty will always be a studied concept, because of its specificity in any type of economy and any time in the economic history.…”

“…(2020) presents loyalty characteristics as conventional, binding, belongingness and based on clients' freedom of choice. On the other hand, there are studies that approach customer loyalty through two dimensions: customer willingness to buy a product and to recommend it to others (Djelassi et al, 2018;Menidjel et al, 2019).…”

“…Satisfaction is a key determinant of future shopping (Hung et al, 2015;Pandey and Chawla, 2018) and an important factor affecting customer loyalty (Oliver, 1997;Chen et al, 2012;Lin and Lekhawipat, 2014;Frasquet and Miquel, 2017;Nair, 2018;Menidjel et al, 2019). On the other hand, there are studies that show a stronger positive effect of customer satisfaction on loyalty towards a retailer, in the online acquisitions, compared to the offline purchases (Hult et al, 2019).…”

Use Intention of Aggregator Medical Mobile Apps’ (M-apps) and Revealing Reasons for Non-Use

“…Generally, the degree of personal relevance of a product to a consumer is the result of interaction between the individual's needs, interests and values (Menidjel et al, 2020) and the frequency (importance) of the purchase and the level of perceived risks associated with buying the product (Friedmann and Lowengart, 2019;Stewart et al, 2019). Accordingly, the individual then is motivated to engage in information processing of the product of interest either extensively or lightly, persistently or temporary (Ferreira and Coelho, 2015).…”

Product involvement, WOM and eWOM in the fast food industry: A young adult perspective in an emerging African economy

“…Although the extant literature has confirmed the interlinkages between product involvement, WOM, and eWOM in different market settings, such research has not validated the interlinkages from an elaboration likelihood model (ELM) perspective or explored such interlinkages among young adult consumers in an emerging market context. For this reason, the majority of studies (Chun & Lee, 2016;Dechawatanapaisal, 2019;Menidjel et al, 2020;Roe & Bruwer, 2017;Wu & Wang, 2011) that have explored the theoretical connection between product involvement, WOM, and eWOM are concentrated in developed countries, with fewer studies been conducted in Africa (Eze et al, 2014;Narteh & Owusu-Frimpong, 2011;Van Scheers & Prinsloo, 2014). This implies that previous research has not extensively explored this area of research and requires attention for understanding the linkages between these three constructs from an African perspective.…”