Mechanism Connecting Environmental Friendliness to Service Loyalty: The Role of Positive Customer Emotions and Satisfaction

This research explores the mechanisms linking consumers’ perceptions of the environmental friendliness of service to customer loyalty. It investigates positive emotions evoked by perceptions of environmental friendliness and then links these emotions to customer satisfaction and loyalty as outcome variables. The data for testing a set of hypotheses was collected from a sample of over 150 consumers for three service industries, each. The results suggest that positive emotions in the form of “warm glow” feelings and sense of belonging are encouraged by environmental friendliness. The positive emotions have direct impacts on satisfaction, but show mixed impacts on loyalty.     

The impact of positive and negative emotions on loyalty intentions and their interactions with customer equity drivers

Customer equity drivers (CEDs) include value, brand, and relationship equity, which have a strong link with loyalty intentions. This study aims to examine the incremental effects of positive and negative emotions on loyalty intentions and to determine whether these emotions moderate the positive link between CEDs and loyalty intentions. We use customer data with 102 leading firms across eighteen services industries in the Netherlands. The results show that (1) positive and negative emotions have incremental effects on loyalty intentions, (2) positive emotions weaken the positive link (negative interaction), and (3) negative emotions strengthen the positive link, but only for brand and relationship equity (positive interaction). Thus, positive and negative emotions also explain loyalty intentions. However, managers should be cautious when combining CEDs with positive and negative emotions. We provide a strategic matrix to help managers arrive at effective combinations.     

Differential effects of atmospheric cues on emotions and loyalty intention with respect to age under online/offline environment

Effects of atmospheric cues are usually not compared across offline and online contexts as well as across age groups. This study proposes a model that examines the effect of the atmospheric cues graphics design and information design on positive emotions and loyalty intentions. The model is compared across offline and online stores and regards the consumers' age as moderator. A field study was conducted, which collected data from 363 customers. Hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling. Results for the offline context reveal that graphics design foster positive emotions and loyalty. Information design predicts loyalty. Results for the online context reveal that information design is salient over graphics design. Information design fosters positive emotions and loyalty, while graphics design does not. Further, we found that in the offline context positive emotions predict loyalty among younger customers but not among older ones. In the online context the effect of graphics design on loyalty is stronger and, thus, significant for younger customers than compared to older ones.     

Does playing a video game really result in improvements in psychological well-being in the era of COVID-19?

This study examines the structural relationships between the perceived value dimensions of quality, emotional, price, and social, positive and negative emotions, psychological well-being, and loyalty in the video game context along with the moderating role of the perceived severity of COVID-19. This study collected data from 258 video game consumers in the United States via three waves of surveys. The findings of structural equation modeling revealed significant associations among the perceived value dimensions, emotions, psychological well-being, and loyalty. In addition, the moderating role of the perceived severity of COVID-19 showed that the impact of video game consumers' positive emotions on psychological well-being would be weaker with a high level of perception of the severity of COVID-19. Based on the empirical results, this research proposes theoretical (i.e., extension of the cognitive appraisal theory in a digital environment, and integration of the cognitive appraisal theory with the two-factor theory of motivation) and practical implications (i.e., how to increase levels of users’ psychological well-being and loyalty via video games) for the video game industry during and after the era of COVID-19.     

Asymmetric effects of customer emotions on satisfaction and loyalty in a utilitarian service context

This paper investigates the relative effects of customer positive versus negative emotions on satisfaction and loyalty in a utilitarian service setting. In-depth interviews with 20 call-center customers identify emotions and appraisals related to the customer service experience. Regression analysis of subsequent quantitative survey results from 1440 customers of a call-center shows that positive emotions influence satisfaction more strongly than negative emotions. In contrast, negative emotions influence recommendation intentions more strongly than positive emotions in line with prospect theory. However, for ‘higher risk’ repatronage the prospect of losses from switching reduces the effect of negative emotions resulting in a symmetric effect of positive and negative emotions on repatronage intentions.     

A neurophysiological exploration of the dynamic nature of emotions during the customer experience

This paper explores the benefits of measuring emotions and their dynamic nature during the customer experience with neurophysiological measures. In this study, emotions are measured during a service interaction (with self-service technology or a human employee) going through a series of touchpoints, including a service failure. We show that creating a loyalty card with the help of a service employee or self-service technology did not impact customers’ perceived service satisfaction and their behavioral intentions. This paper demonstrates that neurophysiological measures such as Galvanic Skin Response might be better equipped to unveil the dynamic nature of emotions (e.g., arousal) during the customer experience and that valence measured by neurophysiological tools (using electroencephalography) better reconciles with the effect found for satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Our findings have implications for both researchers and practitioners who want to understand and bolster customer experiences, thereby taking customer emotions and its appropriate measurement tools into consideration.     

Effects of demotion in loyalty programs on brand-switching intentions

This study explores the effects of demotion in loyalty programs on intentions to switch to competitors. In a survey of 650 individuals, demotion evoked negative emotions, and its effect weakened when the demoted respondents’ internal locus of control was high and strengthened when their program involvement was high. Negative emotions had an indirect effect on intentions to switch to competitors; its effect was thus mediated by the demoted respondent’s attitudes toward the company. Finally, negative emotions had a direct effect on switching intentions, an effect moderated by prior satisfaction with the company.     

Linking Brand Orientation with Service Quality,Satisfaction, and Positive Word-of-Mouth: Evidence from the Higher Education Sector

Brand orientation has been recognized as having a positive impact on organizational performance in both commercial and nonprofit sectors. However, limited studies have examined the moderating effects of brand orientation in the nonprofit sector, particularly in the higher education context. This study attempts to examine the construct of brand orientation from the perspective of the students and examine its moderating role on the relationship between service quality, satisfaction, loyalty, and word-of-mouth (WOM) communication behavior. Two hundred and fifty-eight questionnaires were completed by undergraduate students of an Australian university. The study found that students’ perception of a university’s brand orientation significantly moderates the relationship between service quality, loyalty, and WOM communication behavior. Significant managerial and theoretical implications were identified.     

Towards an Understanding of the Relationship between Mood,Emotions, Service Quality and Customer Loyalty Intentions

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between mood states, emotions, perceptions of service quality and consumer loyalty in an extended service context. A quantitative research design, using multivariate statistical techniques, facilitated the data analysis. The sample consisted of 220 students from a private university in Switzerland. The results indicated that all of the variables were significantly correlated and mood state was demonstrated to influence the way judgements were formed. The contribution of mood to explaining the variance in loyalty was however minimal.     

Emotions, store-environmental cues, store-choice criteria, and marketing outcomes

This study integrates extant research relating to store-related cognitions, customer emotions (arousal and pleasure), satisfaction, and loyalty into one framework. The researchers administer a survey to 274 customers in four coffee shops of a major chain. Using these data, the researchers test the hypotheses and model with structural equation modelling. The findings suggest that (a) store-related cognitions differentially affect emotions and customer outcomes (satisfaction and loyalty) and (b) the two emotions of arousal and pleasure differentially mediate the relationships between store-related cognitions and customer outcomes.     

Paying for undergraduate business education: Recent trends in tuition,income, institution choice,and debt

In 1999–2000, business students borrowed substantially less to pay for their educations than nonbusiness students. By 2011–2012 this difference had disappeared. The authors describe changes in tuition, grants, incomes, and choice of institution type (public, private not-for-profit, or private for-profit) to help explain this observation. They find that an important determinant of whether a student will take debt and how much that student will take is the type of institution the student attended. The authors also find that business students were less likely to borrow than liberal arts and humanities majors in the earlier period, but not in the later period.     

Insights for a post-Brexit era: marketing the UK as a study destination – an analysis of Arab,Chinese, and Indian student choices

ABSTRACT

Britain’s scheduled exit from the European Union (‘Brexit’) has long-term ramifications for strategic marketing. Faced with new challenges and uncertainty, UK universities are increasingly looking beyond EU borders to recruit international students. In this context, we draw upon country-of-origin theory to categorise the factors that influence non-EU international student decisions to select an overseas study destination and institution. Based on the results of a survey with 317 Arab, Chinese, and Indian students attending UK universities, we identify eight factors that influence international student decisions to study in the UK (social safety, education quality, entry obstacles, environment, recommendations, knowledge of host country, work and immigration, and meeting new cultures). The results address gaps in the literature, offering new insights that will help practitioners and academics to better understand how international students select a country and university as a study location.     

Festivalscapes and patrons' emotions, satisfaction, and loyalty

Despite the enormous impact of major festivals, very little theory exists addressing exactly what makes a festival a marketing success. Linking festivalscapes, patron emotions, satisfaction, and loyalty in a theoretical model, this study employs an on-site survey of more than 500 visitors attending a major international festival to test the theory. The results suggest that controllable environmental characteristics, such as food quality and planned program content, affect patron emotions including consumer satisfaction, and these emotions mediate the impact of the festival environment on loyalty to the festival.     

Exploring the Impacts of McService on Customers’ Loyalty: An Emerging Market’s Perspective

The aim of the study is to examine the key service quality attributes that affect Korean consumers’ loyalty toward McDonald’s in Korea. A survey instrument was developed to examine the key service quality attributes that influenc Korean consumers’ loyalty. The surveys were distributed to Korean college students. The results of the study suggest that social place and employee service quality are the two major dimensions that significantly affect Korean respondents’ intent to return to McDonald’s. Interestingly, convenience, value, and food quality were not found to be major dimensions that impact Korean respondents’ intention to return to McDonald’s. This finding is starkly different from the common belief that McService is based on value and covenience, as emphasized by McDonald’s value statements. The results of the study suggests that Korean consumers view McDonald’s as a social gathering place and expect high service quality from McDonald’s.     

Factors Affecting Students’ Preferences to Study Abroad Programs: A Case of Indian Business School Students

ABSTRACT

This study makes an attempt to explore the factors affecting Indian students’ preferences to study abroad programs. A survey administered in one of the leading business schools of India and subsequent analysis reveals the significance and importance of study abroad for Indian students. Result shows that the top-ranked factors affecting students’ preferences to study abroad are: quality of education in the host country, safety issues in the host country, and reputation and ranking of the host institution. Also, USA was found to be the most preferred country for study, and students belonging to a family business prefer the USA for study. However, no significant relationship was found between country choice and gender of the student. Similarly, specialization of the study was not found to be a significant factor of country choice.     

旅游者参与、服务质量、消费情感对旅游者忠诚影响

旅游者参与是旅游者重要需求,通过参与达到正面的情感体验;在激烈的市场竞争中,实现旅游者忠诚是旅游地重要目标,因此对旅游者参与及相关变量对旅游者忠诚的影响研究具有重要意义。文章构建了旅游者参与对旅游者忠诚影响的整合模型,并提出若干研究假设。通过对武夷山观光旅游者调查获取基础数据,实证了旅游者参与、服务质量、消费情感、旅游者满意等变量的相互关系及其对旅游者忠诚的影响。研究发现,旅游者参与对服务质量、正面消费情感、旅游者满意具有显著直接正向影响,对负面消费情感具有显著直接负向影响,并通过服务质量、消费情感、旅游者满意三个中介变量对旅游者忠诚产生间接影响;服务质量通过旅游者满意对旅游者忠诚产生产生间接影响;消费情感对旅游者忠诚既产生直接影响,又通过旅游者满意对其产生间接影响;旅游者满意是旅游者忠诚的直接前因变量。最后指出研究局限及未来研究方向。     

The double-edged sword: The positive and negative effects of switching costs on customer exit and revenge

What happens when customers have to deal with switching costs after a service failure and a poor recovery? This study seeks to address this question by proposing and testing an integrative model that incorporates customers' negative emotions as mediators between switching costs and behavioral outcomes (i.e., loyalty and revenge). The model distinguishes positive from negative switching costs, and inward from outward negative emotions. Analysis of survey data from 280 real customers who actually experienced a service failure and poor recovery with a major telecommunications firm reveals that customers react to switching costs strongly, emotionally, and sub-optimally. In contrast to most findings in the service literature, the results indicate that negative switching costs generate both exit and desire for revenge. Paradoxically, positive switching costs generate both loyalty and an even higher level of desire for revenge. These findings have important implications for the service industry.     

The role of customer gratitude in making relationship marketing investments successful

This paper recognises that customer loyalty is important for many competitive organisations, and that retail firms make investments to build and maintain loyal relationships with their existing and potential customers (e.g. loyalty programs). However, there has been little focus on the mechanisms by which these relationship investments operate to achieve customer loyalty. This paper examines one mechanism, namely customer gratitude, which works to make a firm’s relationship marketing investment a success or a failure. Using data from 1600 undergraduate students, this study empirically confirms the mediating role of customer gratitude between the customers’ perceptions a firm’s relationship marketing investments and customers’ perceptions of the value of the relationship with the firm. Further, a significant moderating effect of perceived benevolence on the relationship between customers’ perceptions a firm’s relationship marketing investments and customer gratitude was identified. For theorists, this customer gratitude model offers a better psychological explanation of how relationship marketing investments operate to improve the value that customers place on their relationships with retailers. Our research suggests that managers should invest resources to stimulate customer gratitude in order to build strong customer–seller relationships.     

An Empirical Test for Mediation Effect of Educational Institute's Image on Relationship between Marketing Elements and Parents' Loyalty: Evidence from India

The article presents the results of a study that assesses effects of selected marketing tactics on parents' loyalty towards the educational institutions. The results of Multiple Regression Analysis show that the price mix was the most significant factor having impact on parents' loyalty followed by people mix, place mix, product mix, and promotion mix. Furthermore, educational institution image mediates completely (full mediation) the relationship between selected marketing tactics (product mix, people mix, place mix, promotion mix) and parents' loyalty. Whereas, educational institution image mediates partially (partial mediation) the relationship between price mix and parents' loyalty. The sample comprised 687 respondents.     

Customers' relationship with their grocery store: Direct and moderating effects from store format and loyalty programs

This paper aims: (i) to characterize the priorities designed and implemented by grocery retailers concerning relationship marketing with customers; (ii) to analyse customers’ relationship with their grocery store and to evaluate store format and loyalty programs as key determinants of this relationship. Exploratory interviews were conducted with grocery store managers. Two independent samples of Portuguese customers answered a questionnaire and collected data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling. Main results suggest that supermarkets lead to higher levels of customers’ trust (directly) and customers’ loyalty (indirectly). Furthermore, the positive effect of customers’ satisfaction on customers’ loyalty is higher for members of grocery store loyalty programs.