The relative strength of affective commitment in securing loyalty in service relationships

Heiner Evanschitzky; Gopalkrishnan R. Iyer; Hilke Plasmann; Joerg Niesing; Heribert Meffert

doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2006.08.005

The relative strength of affective commitment in securing loyalty in service relationships

Heiner Evanschitzky
, Gopalkrishnan R. Iyer
, Hilke Plasmann
, Joerg Niesing
, Heribert Meffert

Marketing and Entrepreneurship

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

344 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

While commitment is an important antecedent to customer retention, a broad consensus has yet to emerge on the impacts of constituent dimensions of commitment on loyalty in service relationships. This study explores the impacts of affective and continuance commitment on attitudinal and behavioral loyalty in a service context. Since affective commitment is more positive and governed by free choice, whereas continuance commitment is more the result of perceived economic and psychological benefits of being in a relationship, the results of this study suggest that emotional bonds with customers provide a more enduring source of loyalty as compared to economic incentives and switching costs.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1207-1213
Number of pages	7
Journal	Journal of Business Research
Volume	59
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2006.08.005
Publication status	Published - Nov 2006

Keywords

relationship marketing
commitment
loyalty
service relationships
emotional attachment

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10.1016/j.jbusres.2006.08.005

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title = "The relative strength of affective commitment in securing loyalty in service relationships",

abstract = "While commitment is an important antecedent to customer retention, a broad consensus has yet to emerge on the impacts of constituent dimensions of commitment on loyalty in service relationships. This study explores the impacts of affective and continuance commitment on attitudinal and behavioral loyalty in a service context. Since affective commitment is more positive and governed by free choice, whereas continuance commitment is more the result of perceived economic and psychological benefits of being in a relationship, the results of this study suggest that emotional bonds with customers provide a more enduring source of loyalty as compared to economic incentives and switching costs.",

keywords = "relationship marketing, commitment, loyalty, service relationships, emotional attachment",

author = "Heiner Evanschitzky and Iyer, \{Gopalkrishnan R.\} and Hilke Plasmann and Joerg Niesing and Heribert Meffert",

year = "2006",

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language = "English",

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AU - Evanschitzky, Heiner

AU - Iyer, Gopalkrishnan R.

AU - Plasmann, Hilke

AU - Niesing, Joerg

AU - Meffert, Heribert

PY - 2006/11

Y1 - 2006/11

N2 - While commitment is an important antecedent to customer retention, a broad consensus has yet to emerge on the impacts of constituent dimensions of commitment on loyalty in service relationships. This study explores the impacts of affective and continuance commitment on attitudinal and behavioral loyalty in a service context. Since affective commitment is more positive and governed by free choice, whereas continuance commitment is more the result of perceived economic and psychological benefits of being in a relationship, the results of this study suggest that emotional bonds with customers provide a more enduring source of loyalty as compared to economic incentives and switching costs.

AB - While commitment is an important antecedent to customer retention, a broad consensus has yet to emerge on the impacts of constituent dimensions of commitment on loyalty in service relationships. This study explores the impacts of affective and continuance commitment on attitudinal and behavioral loyalty in a service context. Since affective commitment is more positive and governed by free choice, whereas continuance commitment is more the result of perceived economic and psychological benefits of being in a relationship, the results of this study suggest that emotional bonds with customers provide a more enduring source of loyalty as compared to economic incentives and switching costs.

KW - relationship marketing

KW - commitment

KW - loyalty

KW - service relationships

KW - emotional attachment

UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296306001238?via%3Dihub

U2 - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2006.08.005

DO - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2006.08.005

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EP - 1213

JO - Journal of Business Research

JF - Journal of Business Research

IS - 12

ER -

The relative strength of affective commitment in securing loyalty in service relationships

Abstract

Keywords

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