Determinants of loyalty and recommendation: The role of perceived service quality,emotional satisfaction and image

This study develops and tests a model for the determinants of loyalty and recommendation. The model considers three drivers – perceived service quality, emotional satisfaction and image – that are positively related to each other and positively influence loyalty and recommendation. The model is tested using data from a survey of 222 Tunisian bank service customers. The hypotheses, which were tested using structural equation modelling, are all supported. The results confirm that perceived service quality, emotional satisfaction and image are key drivers of loyalty and recommendation. The research emphasizes the role of emotional satisfaction and image as mediating variables between perceived service quality and loyalty/recommendation. The study also shows that a better understanding of the determinants of behavioural intentions in the banking industry occurs when affective dimensions are considered along with cognitive ones.