What role does the staying power of customer delight have on customer loyalty rates, within high involvement purchases?

Moroney, Cathal (2016) What role does the staying power of customer delight have on customer loyalty rates, within high involvement purchases? Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

Preview

PDF (Master of Science) Download (815kB) | Preview

Abstract

Satisfaction has been a focal point of much research in relation to its assumed establishment of business success, specifically the development of customer loyalty (Barnes et al. 2016). Emerging research however is contradictory of this viewpoint, instead identifying that satisfaction alone cannot guarantee successful customer retention and repurchase (Jones and Sesser 1995; Chitturi et al. 2008). As customer delight emerges as a topical solution and assumed generator of customer loyalty, this study aims to focus on the effects of customer loyalty specifically in relation to the purchase of high involvement products.

In order to identify the power of customer delight in relation to high involvement purchases, this study adopts a qualitative approach, where six delighted customers are interviewed, using a semi-structured method. The respondents were gathered via a snowball sample method, due to the hidden nature of delight customers. Their responses were collated into themes in relation to the study’s research question and objectives, where the findings were compared and contrasted with existing literature.

Results found indicate that the use of customer delight should be confined as a marketing tool for customer acquisition, rather than as a tool for the development of customer loyalty. These findings suggest that the unique individual reactions the respondents experienced in relation to their delighting encounters suggest that in order to develop customer loyalty, a unique individual retention programme needs to be designed by service providers.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > Marketing > Consumer Behaviour H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > Marketing
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Science in Marketing
Depositing User:	Caoimhe Ní Mhaicín
Date Deposited:	02 Nov 2016 11:07
Last Modified:	02 Nov 2016 11:07
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/2290

Actions (login required)

View Item