E-Book, Englisch, 15 Seiten
ISBN: 978-3-656-39577-5
Verlag: GRIN Publishing
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet/DL/kein Kopierschutz
1. Impact of Service Quality on Customer Loyalty
A careful assessment of relevant literature reveals plenty of empirical evidence in support of the proposition that service quality is a significant determinant of customer loyalty (Akbar et al., 2010). For example, in a recent study of the impact of service quality on customer loyalty in the context of retail outlets, Sainy (2010) demonstrated that the former has a strong, positive effect on the latter. Oliver (1981) contends that customer loyalty develops gradually and is not a result of a single experience. More specifically, Oliver (1981) asserts that consumers first become loyal in a cognitive sense, i.e., when they perceive the quality of a service delivered to them by an organisation as superior compared to its competitors, they consider the firm as a ‘wise’ choice over other alternatives. At the second stage is affective loyalty when the consumer develops a liking for the firm based on cumulatively satisfying service experiences. The third stage is conative loyalty whereby the consumer is committed to buying services from the same firm. This leads to the fourth stage, known as action loyalty, whereby the consumer exhibits consistent repurchase behaviour and engages in positive word – of – mouth communication about the firm.