How Customer Personality Traits Influence Brand Loyalty in the Coffee Shop Industry: The Moderating Role of Business Types

This study examines how perceptions associated with customer personality traits can affect customer satisfaction, customer brand identification (CBI), and involvement as well as the development of brand loyalty. Social identity theory was applied to explain these effects as it relates to coffee shop businesses and further investigate relationships between customers and a brand. The verified model with a survey sample of 743 customers confirmed that customer personality traits had significant effects on customer satisfaction and CBI. Customer satisfaction had positive effects on CBI, involvement, and brand loyalty. CBI had significant influences on involvement and brand loyalty. Involvement was, in turn, positively associated with brand loyalty. In addition, the relationships between these variables were moderated by business type (i.e., independent coffee shop vs. franchise coffee shop).     

心理契约违背对饭店顾客忠诚的影响——服务补救策略的调节效应

针对服务企业普遍面对的服务补救低效与顾客忠诚保持的挑战,文章基于心理契约与前瞻性服务补救理论,构建了顾客心理契约违背、服务补救和顾客忠诚间关系的分析框架,实证分析了心理契约违背对顾客忠诚的作用机理,并检验了服务补救策略对这一关系的调节效应。通过对262名饭店顾客的问卷调查,采用回归分析法处理数据,研究结果表明:心理契约违背两个维度与饭店顾客忠诚两个维度均呈显著负相关关系,顾客心理契约违背程度越高,顾客忠诚度越低;服务补救在心理契约违背与饭店顾客忠诚的关系中起到部分调节作用,即当企业服务出现失误而使顾客感知心理契约违背发生时,如果能采用恰当的服务补救策略,可以降低心理契约违背对顾客忠诚的负面影响。     

A Study on the Moderating Role of Alternative Attractiveness in the Relationship Between Relational Benefits and Customer Loyalty

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating role of alternative attractiveness in the association between relational benefits (confidence benefits, social benefits, special treatments) and customer loyalty in hotel restaurants in South Korea. Data were collected from 250 hotel restaurant customers.

The data was analyzed using moderated regression analysis and subgroup analysis. The research findings are as follows: First, confidence benefits and special treatments positively affect customer loyalty. Second, alternative attractiveness has a homologizer moderating effect on the relationship between relational benefits and customer loyalty except for confidence benefits. At the end of the paper, theoretical contributions, managerial implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.     

The Influence of a Hotel Firm's Quality of Service and Image and its Effect on Tourism Customer Loyalty

The aim of this article is to understand the influence of hotel service quality and corporate image on tourism customer loyalty. Data were collected from tourists at several sight-seeing locations in Mauritius. The study sample comprised guests of various hotels in Mauritius who were randomly approached and invited to participate in a survey on the hotel's services. The study findings suggest that it is the quality of service and the corporate image of the hotel that jointly influence tourism customers' loyalty. Although the study findings do not indicate a direct relationship between service quality and loyalty, it is the consistent quality of service that creates and sustains the image of the hotel which, ultimately, results in tourism customer loyalty. This would therefore suggest that tourism customer loyalty is dependent on a hotel's ability to consistently deliver service quality.     

The Moderating Role of Water Park Service Quality,Environment, Image,and Food Quality on Perceived Value and Customer Loyalty: A South Korean Case Study

This study empirically examined not only the relationship between perceived value and customer loyalty, but also the moderating role of service quality, environment, image, and food quality at a water park, a segment of the tourism industry. In particular, the current study, using hierarchical regression analyses, examined the direct effects of perceived value on customer loyalties—loyalty and behavioral loyalty—as well as the moderating effect of four elements. As anticipated, this study showed that perceived value has significant and positive effect on both types of loyalty. In addition, the result of the interaction effects showed that service quality and food quality acted as moderators on the relationship between perceived value and attitudinal loyalty; however, water park image acted as a moderator on the relationship between perceived value and behavioral loyalty only. Finally, these results indicated that three elements—service quality, water park image, and food quality—have significant interaction on the relationship between perceived value and attitudinal/behavioral loyalty. These findings may provide water park operators with useful and detailed guidelines for satisfying customer loyalty levels, both attitudinally and behaviorally. More detailed findings and implications are also discussed.     

Reexamining the Dimensionality of Brand Loyalty: A Case of the Cruise Industry

This study revisits the dimensional structure of the brand loyalty construct. Following recent developments in loyalty studies, this research conceptualizes brand loyalty as a four‐dimensional construct comprising of cognitive, affective, conative, and behavioral loyalty. It is proposed that the first three dimensions collectively form a higher order factor—namely attitudinal loyalty—which then leads to behavioral loyalty. However, this conceptualization is not supported by the data. Alternatively, a modified model—based on the traditional conceptualization that attitudinal loyalty is a first‐order, one‐dimensional construct—was found to better fit the data. Thus, this study revalidates the traditional two‐dimensional conceptualization of loyalty. It also contributes to the literature by introducing and validating a five‐item attitudinal loyalty measure.     

目的地网络界面对旅游者体验及品牌形象的影响

旅游目的地推广营销所使用的官方网站、微博、电子商务平台等网络渠道构成了旅游者接触目的地的网络界面。旅游目的地网络界面特征主要包含信息价值、友好性和交互性3个要素。为探索旅游目的地网络界面对旅游者体验及品牌形象的影响,构建了旅游目的地网络界面特征、旅游者体验与目的地品牌形象的结构方程模型。研究发现,旅游目的地网络界面特征的3个要素通过功能体验和情感体验两个中介因素影响游客对目的地品牌形象的感知,但信息价值对情感体验的影响不显著。基于以上结论,对旅游目的地优化网络界面提出了策略建议。     

Customer Expectations of Casual Dining Restaurants: The Case of Liberty Tap Room

The current research examines the importance of restaurant attributes as rated by customers dining in a casual-style restaurant located in a medium-sized city in the Southeast United States. Previous research and the models used to measure customer perceptions of restaurant attributes were reviewed. The assessment instrument chosen for the current study was adapted from DinEX, developed by Antun, Frash, Costen, and Runyan (2010). A total of 92 customers completed the survey over a 10-day period in late August and early September of 2011. Results showed that customers rate food and service attributes as most important when dining out. Attributes related to atmosphere received moderate importance ratings. In using a confirmatory factor analysis, six latent variables emerged: social connectedness, service quality, atmosphere, food quality, healthfulness, and food value. The only statistically significant differences between the factors related to the demographic variables were that females rated the healthfulness of the food options as more important than males, and dinner customers rated the food value as more important than the lunch customers. Implications for restaurant operators and suggestions for further research are discussed.     

旅行社品牌忠诚度细分研究

随着市场竞争的愈加激烈,忠诚顾客管理逐渐成为热门话题.本文通过电话调查的方法,运用分层聚类法从行为和态度忠诚两个维度把旅行社团队旅游产品顾客分为3类细分市场.即真正忠诚者、潜在忠诚者和虚假忠诚者.前者的态度和行为忠诚变量值最高;潜在忠诚者的行为忠诚变量值最低,而虚假忠诚者的态度变量值最低.这些特征很好地验证了已有品牌忠诚模型.文章最后讨论针对3类细分市场应该采取的营销策略,并指出后续研究的问题.     

How Service Quality Affects Customer Loyalty in the Travel Agency: The Effects of Customer Satisfaction,Service Recovery,and Perceived Value

This study develops a conceptual model of the effects of service quality on customer loyalty that reflects the mediating role of customer satisfaction and the moderating role of service recovery and perceived value, and applies this model to the travel industry. A survey and analysis confirm that customer satisfaction is positively influenced by service quality, and customer loyalty is positively influenced by customer satisfaction. Furthermore, customer loyalty is indirectly influenced by service quality through the mediator of customer satisfaction. The relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction is found to be stronger for customers who have a positive experience of service recovery; and the correlation between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is stronger for customers who perceive high service value.     

Role of Social Network Services (SNS) Sales Promotions in Generating Brand Loyalty for Chain Steakhouses

This research aimed to explore the impact of social network services (SNS) sales promotions on the brand loyalty generation process by considering the role of brand attitude, awareness, service quality, experience, trust, and attachment in the chain steakhouse industry. A field survey was conducted to collect data in a metropolitan city of South Korea. According to our structural equation modeling results, SNS sales promotions significantly increased loyalty and its antecedents, and brand attachment had the greatest influence on brand loyalty. The mediating impact of study variables was also identified. The proposed model had a satisfactory level of prediction power for loyalty. Overall, our findings provided important insights into how steakhouse practitioners can deal with SNS as essential promotional tools and provided valuable insights into why using SNS sales promotions is critical in the fast-changing chain restaurant industry.     

Customer Loyalty under the Influence of Revenue Management: The Case of Taiwanese Hotel Customers

Revenue management (RM), a common practice for the hotel industry, has been found to be very effective in generating extra revenue. However, prior studies have shown that the implementation of RM may potentially be in conflict with customer loyalty, the basis for long-term profitability. With a view to alleviating the impact of RM on customer loyalty, this study investigates the relationship between customer loyalty and RM knowledge level, and examines the moderating effect of the fairness perception for pricing based on a survey and the related statistical analyses. The findings suggest that hotel operators should facilitate the RM knowledge and the fairness perception of their customers so as to result in a potential win-win situation, in which profit-seeking hotels increase their revenue through better resource utilization, and heterogeneous customers benefit from more diversified services.     

Enhancing Luxury Cruise Liner Operators' Competitive Advantage: A Study Aimed at Improving Customer Loyalty and Future Patronage

The services marketing literature focuses on the measurement of service quality and its impact and consequences on businesses. How service quality affects behavioral outcomes such as repeat purchases and loyalty continues to be debated. This study examines how service quality operates in the cruise liner industry—an industry that is now facing overcapacity. Based on data collected from travelers of a luxury cruise liner in Singapore, this study analyzed relevant dimensions of service quality and their relationships on overall satisfaction level. Additionally, it investigated details of cruise travelers' behavioral outcomes. The analysis revealed gaps in several service quality attributes. Overall customer satisfaction had a relatively strong relationship with all the three variables of behavioral intentions. The implications of the results of this study to the services marketing literature in general and to the cruise liner industry in particular are discussed.     

乡村旅游地品牌个性与游客忠诚：以场所依赖为中介变量

文章以西安市长安区＂农家乐＂为例,实证分析乡村旅游地品牌个性与游客忠诚的关系,并探讨场所依赖的中介作用。结果显示：（1）乡村旅游地品牌个性中的实惠、喜悦、闲适、健康和逃逸5个维度对场所依赖（包括场所依靠和场所认同）具有显著的正向预测作用,而对游客忠诚具有显著正向预测作用的仅有实惠和闲适两个维度;（2）场所依靠和场所认同在实惠维度与游客忠诚关系间起到了部分中介作用,而在闲适维度与游客忠诚关系间起到了完全中介作用;（3）场所认同在实惠与游客忠诚关系间的中介作用以及它在闲适与游客忠诚关系间的中介作用都是相对较大的,而场所依靠在实惠与游客忠诚及闲适与游客忠诚关系间的中介作用相对较小。     

The Impact of Bed and Breakfast Atmosphere,Customer Experience,and Customer Value on Customer Voluntary Performance: A Survey in Taiwan

This study aimed to explore the relationship between bed and breakfast (B&B) atmosphere, customer experience, customer value, and customer voluntary performance. A survey targeted at B&B lodgers in Taiwan was launched and a theoretical hypothesis model was examined using confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and structural equation modeling. The research results showed that the B&B atmosphere had a positive influence on customer experience and customer value. Furthermore, customer experience was positively correlated with customer value and customer voluntary performance. Finally, some strategic suggestions on the operation and management of B&B enterprises were provided in this paper.     

The Impact of Restaurant Service Experience Valence and Purchase Involvement on Consumer Motivation and Intention to Engage in eWOM

This study examines how different service experiences lead to different motives and intention to spread eWOM (electronic word-of-mouth), focusing on the antecedent roles of restaurant service experience valence and purchase involvement. The findings reveal that consumers are motivated to spread eWOM for self-, other-, and company-focused reasons, and that experience valence and purchase involvement significantly impact such motives. Our findings suggest that highly involved customers have more intentions to provide eWOM following negative experiences and that customers receiving negative experience hope to influence companies through eWOM. This article adds to the body of scholarly research related to eWOM by identifying purchase involvement and service experience as significant antecedents of motivation to provide online reviews.     

Airline Travelers' Causal Attribution of Service Failure and Its Impact on Trust and Loyalty Formation: The Moderating Role of Corporate Social Responsibility

This study examines airline travelers' causal attribution (stability and controllability) and its impact on trust and loyalty formation and investigates the moderating role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in this process. Based on a literature review, theoretical relationships between stability, controllability, CSR, trust, and loyalty were derived, and the moderating effects of CSR on relationships between stability/controllability and trust/loyalty were examined. To empirically test these theoretical relationships, quantitative data were collected from 271 airline passengers who experienced a service failure in the past year. The results provide support for effects of stability and controllability on trust as well as the effect of stability on loyalty. In addition, the perception of CSR had positive effects on trust and loyalty. Finally, a favorable CSR perception weakened the negative effects of a service failure on trust and loyalty, particularly when the failure was attributed to a stable cause. The results highlight the important role of CSR in service failure situations and have important implications for airline managers.     

Engagement-Based Loyalty: The Effects of Social Media Engagement on Customer Loyalty in the Travel Industry

In this article, we investigate the relation between customer loyalty and social media engagement. Two dimensions of customer loyalty are considered: affective and conative loyalty. We distinguish two forms of social media engagement: consuming of social media (passive engagement) and contribution to social media (active engagement). In a survey among 1,050 customers of a travel agency, the level of engagement of customers with the company’s social media activities is measured in relation to their degree of loyalty. Results show a partial positive relationship between social media engagement and customer loyalty: only consuming social media is directly related to affective loyalty.     

Customer Relational Benefits and Relationship-Marketing Outcomes: Comparing Three Transaction Types of Travel Product

Given the increasing popularity of the Internet and TV shopping, travel agencies are using these electronic channels to conduct business transactions. However, few studies investigate how customers' relational benefits affect relationship-marketing outcomes in the travel industry. This study examines the effects of the relational benefits on customer satisfaction and loyalty by focusing on three types of transaction used for travel products. The results indicate that confidence and social benefits, but not special treatment benefits, positively affect customer satisfaction. All three types of customers' relational benefits are positively related to loyalty. The influences of confidence benefits on satisfaction and loyalty are stronger for Internet transaction than interpersonal transaction and TV shopping transaction. The influences of social benefits on satisfaction and loyalty are stronger for TV shopping transaction than interpersonal transaction and Internet transaction. Therefore, the relationships among customer relational benefits, satisfaction, and loyalty are moderated by the three types of transaction.     

First-Class in-Flight Services and Advertising Effectiveness: Antecedents of Customer-Centric Innovativeness and Brand Loyalty in the United States (US) Airline Industry

In this study we consider the first-class passenger market to identify in-flight service-related triggers of customer-centric innovativeness, test the effect of customer-centric innovativeness on brand loyalty, and examine the moderating role of advertising effectiveness. A series of theory-based hypotheses was examined through structural equation modeling using empirical data collected from a sample of 205 first-class airline passengers in the United States (US). The results indicate that various experiential dimensions of in-flight service designs (including food, entertainment, physical environment, and flight attendant performance/physical appearance) in the first-class passenger market had significant effects on perceived firm innovativeness. In addition, advertising effectiveness moderated the effects of in-flight food services and flight attendant physical appearance on perceived firm innovativeness. These results clearly suggest that customer-centric innovativeness is a strong driver of brand loyalty in the first-class passenger market. The study provides a theoretical basis for future research and offers some effective management methods for enhancing first-class passengers’ loyalty in the airline industry.